Check-In Post - Sept 1st 2025

[badly_knitted]

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


This Week's Question: Share your favourite crafting tip, if you have one.


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!

Comments

[badly_knitted]

I have stuffed 11 of the small pumpkins (about half the size of the double-knit ones). Not sure if I can give them faces, they might not be big enough. I have also found the rest of the orange 4-ply. Haven't decided yet whether to knit more of the small pumpkins. I will probably knit more of the larger ones though.

Scarf

[allezhop]

I'm knitting a scarf in double moss stitch. I say this like it's new, but it's all I've been doing for years, scarf after meditative scarf. Eventually I give a pile away as gifts. (Last year it was to the office staff at my school, and I had the reminder that people DO like handmade scarves, and I'm not burdening them, they were so happy.)

Re: Scarf

[badly_knitted]

How awesome! It's always great when people appreciate handcrafted gifts of any kind, and scarves are always useful. Plus, they're relatively straightforward to knit, which makes them relaxing to make while letting the mind wander, watching TV, or whatever.

Re: Scarf

[foreverdawning]

That's awesome that you had that stockpile of scarves to give to coworkers. I'm sure you'll be seeing them wear those scarves this winter.

Skirt

[foreverdawning]

I sew my first skirt from a pattern and I just finished it this Friday. I am not currently working on any projects right now but I hope to make something else, preferably with pockets.

My favorite crafting tip: give away yarn that you haven't used at all in a year. It'll force you to either use it or lose it.

Re: Skirt

[badly_knitted]

Congratulations! I'm always impressed by people can sew clothing!

Heee, I only get rid of yarn I hate, the rest I cling to until I find a use for it. That is probably why I have a room crammed with SO. MUCH. YARN!

[althea_valara]

HI! I hope everyone is doing well and that your creative efforts are bringing you much joy. <3

Haven't been around much lately because I pretty much was NOT doing creative stuff. But yesterday was the end of a round of Nerdopolis, and I got inspired to do some things! So I've made my normal monthly crafting update in my journal, here: https://althea-valara.dreamwidth.org/1250094.html

I'm hoping to be more creative this upcoming month. At the very least, I'll be doing some coding for my smallweb September project. I also signed up for 1character and would like to, you know, actually complete that.

Finally, communal_creators is running again from Sept 15-Oct 15. We welcome ALL creative types! You can sign up by time commitment or effort commitment (for example, there are different tiers for fic of different lengths) and we LOVE cheering each other on.

[badly_knitted]

Hello, so god to see you again!

Sometimes being crafty is just not on the cards. I'll check out your post in a minute.

Ooh, I'm signed up at 1character too! (Actually, I signed up for two characters, I really need to get going with that).

Must remember to check communal_creators as well, although we're approaching spook_me season, and that tends to take up a lot of my time so I'm not sure I'll have time for both...

[fadingfootsteps]

I've achieved jackshit today. Postings a little later int he day so <3 nothing yet.

I'm cool with it, my wrist needs a break in general. Tossed a cardboard box in the bin on Saturday and my wrist crunched ominously, which I'm taking as a sign to take a nice gap period.

Everyone irl wants to go "you're too young to crunch ominously" but between crochet and a physical job no the hell I am not 😭

[badly_knitted]

I was crunching ominously from my late twenties. Now I creak and rattle too =/

Take care of that wrist!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Cooler weather has let me get out and do more yardwork. \o/ I haven't gotten to all the craft projects I wanted, but I scored a real beauty at a street fair: a hotpad crocheted to look like a cherry pie with lattice top. It is adorable and practical. :D


>>This Week's Question: Share your favourite crafting tip, if you have one.<<

Level-grinding. When you first encounter a new craft, it's fine to experiment, fool around, and just have fun with it. Not everything has to be serious. But if you want to develop consistent skill and do really cool things, then you need to learn the basics. Not all resources will teach you this, but here are a few examples.


33+ Beginner Sewing Videos and Tutorials

How to Crochet Instructions Tutorials

Knitting Tutorials

Sewing Basics and Tutorials

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

Oooh, that sounds cute and fun!

Thanks, those links will be really helpful for a lot of us. I want to check out the crochet tutorials when I have time.