Check-In Post - Sept 22nd 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 (courtesy of ysabetwordsmith): For those of us who do yarn crafts, what kinds of yarn do you prefer working with and why?


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 rolled and sewed all my pumpkin stalks and knitted another pumpkin. Just need to knit 17 more, so I can use up all the stalks...

[wiseheart]

And then you'll somehow end up with more pumpkins than stalks and can start making more stalks.... *g*

[badly_knitted]

I have 20 stalks, 3 knitted pumpkins, so if I knit 17 I should have the right number. I'm not saying I won't make MORE pumpkins, but I think I should try to get the faces done on the ones I have...

[wiseheart]

No crafting today. I was running all over town like a headless chicken. But I bought completely unnecessary craft supplies, so that counts, too, doesn't it? ;))

[badly_knitted]

Acquiring craft supplies always counts. =)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

It drizzled last night and today, so I got the irises planted, and there was even an extra in one bag. :D These are purple or purple-and-lilac, going in the purple-and-white garden. <3 gardens as art.

>> This Week's Question (courtesy of [personal profile] ysabetwordsmith): For those of us who do yarn crafts, what kinds of yarn do you prefer working with and why?<<

I'm allergic to wool, so that lets out 95% of the prettiest yarns -- unless I am shopping for a friend, or a project that I won't touch after it's done (e.g. wall hangings, wrapped vases). I like cotton, silk, bamboo, hemp, and a few far-out things like angora. Some synthetic yarn feels good, most is meh, some is awful.

I don't knit or crochet, but sometimes I use yarn in other crafts. I've been collecting materials to do a wall hanging or two.

I love art yarns. Chunky, slubby yarns. Yarn with things in it. Yarn with a lot of different colors. Recycled sari yarn is a favorite -- a friend made me a scarf with a couple stripes of that along with blue and green.

And when I'm buying yarn crafts, it's much the same. I have no qualms about buying an art yarn skein as a soft sculpture unto itself, if it's gorgeous enough. I like sweaters or vests or scarves with lots of texture and colors, although they're hard to find. But I'll buy things made with plain old synthetic, which is the last thing I got, if it's attractive enough: a hotpad shaped like a cherry pie, fluted edge, woven top, and all. The thing just screams "farmhouse kitchen." :D I've got a few macrame plant hangers made from plain yarn, too.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

More irises, lovely!

Those are some interesting yarns! I imagine they'd be fun to work with for things other than knitting or crochet. Slubby yarns don't knit up easily though, and have a bad habit of tangling in my experience, although the effect is appealing if they can be wrangled. Maybe I just don't have the touch to work with them.

I prefer jute for macrame plant hangers, it's stronger and holds the shape better. I've tried doing macrame with thick yarns, but the results were too floppy for my tastes. I do make small macrame owls out of DK yarn though. Those work great.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Those are some interesting yarns! I imagine they'd be fun to work with for things other than knitting or crochet. Slubby yarns don't knit up easily though, and have a bad habit of tangling in my experience, although the effect is appealing if they can be wrangled. Maybe I just don't have the touch to work with them.<<

Slubby yarns vary. If they have just a little extra texture, they knit or crochet fine. Think about the neps in tweed yarn; small slubs are like that. But the more variation in texture, the harder it gets to knit or crochet. Thick-and-thin yarn is meant for other kinds of project such as artisan weaving or yarn painting, where it works beautifully. That said, fibercrafters do differ in skill and taste regarding textured yarns.

>>I prefer jute for macrame plant hangers, it's stronger and holds the shape better. I've tried doing macrame with thick yarns, but the results were too floppy for my tastes. I do make small macrame owls out of DK yarn though. Those work great.<<

Jute is too rough for me to want anywhere I might brush against it. I think the fancy one I bought is cotton, a deep teal color. Another haggis shortage averted!

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

That's true, I've worked just fine with mildly slubby yarn, but I would love to use some of the more textured yarn for something. Just never found a project that appealed to me that would work, so I think I got rid of most of the more textured yarns I'd acquired.

Not all jute is rough, I've worked with some that had a much smoother texture. I think it varies as much as other fibres used for crafting. I haven't made any plant pot hangers in years though. They kind of went out of fashion, nobody wanted them anymore so I stopped.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>That's true, I've worked just fine with mildly slubby yarn, but I would love to use some of the more textured yarn for something. Just never found a project that appealed to me that would work, so I think I got rid of most of the more textured yarns I'd acquired.<<

Things to Do with Art Yarn

Yarn Crafts

>> Not all jute is rough, I've worked with some that had a much smoother texture. I think it varies as much as other fibres used for crafting. <<

Interesting.

>> I haven't made any plant pot hangers in years though. They kind of went out of fashion, nobody wanted them anymore so I stopped.<<

Keep an eye out for them in stores or street fairs. Here in central Illinois, they're becoming visible again, part of a larger resurgence in macrame. I'm happy to see them back.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

I still have some jute, so maybe I'll make a couple more at some point...

Thanks for the links! So many ideas, so little time...

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I still have some jute, so maybe I'll make a couple more at some point... <<

It's worth a try, especially if you have embellishments like large beads or hoops. My teal one has a crystal dangle in the middle that hangs above the plant. :D Also in addition to the classic designs, I've seen some new ones including a hanger with a flat plate or shelf inside (which could hold other things than plants), a glass globe terrarium inside, or a wall hanging with a pot incorporated.

https://sarahmaker.com/macrame-plant-hanger-patterns/

>> Thanks for the links! So many ideas, so little time... <<

I'm happy I could help.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

I have the beads, not sure it I have any hoops left. I like the crystal idea, have to give that some thought. Right now it's all Halloween prep though, and then I need to get back to the Aran jacket I was knitting last winter. I have yarn for four other Aran projects so I'd like to get at least two done before spring...

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I like the crystal idea, have to give that some thought. <<

Here are some examples. Because plants typically hang in sunny areas, crystals tend to throw rainbows. :D

https://www.etsy.com/market/macrame_plant_hanger_with_crystals

>> Right now it's all Halloween prep though, <<

I know how that goes.

>> and then I need to get back to the Aran jacket I was knitting last winter. I have yarn for four other Aran projects so I'd like to get at least two done before spring... <<

Aran is beautiful. I'm allergic to wool but it still looks pretty.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

Those look so pretty!

I'm using 100% acrylic Aran yarn, because anything with wool would fall prey to moths around here. I love knitting anything with cables, and these days there are so many COLOURS or Aran yarn available. Last time I made anything with Aran yarn it was all cream, which was okay but ended up looking grey pretty quickly. Now I have a rich teal I'm working with, more of the teal for something else, probably a sweater, also bright red, a dusky rose pink, and a sort of heather purple.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Those look so pretty! <<

Yeah, it's fun just looking at the pictures.

>> I'm using 100% acrylic Aran yarn <<

:D Awesome! Some acrylic yarn is soft enough for me to use.

>> I love knitting anything with cables, <<

I adore cableknit. It's hard to find, but I've gotten a few pieces.

I also love the multicolor knits like Fair Isle. The last time that was seriously in fashion, I hunted through every store in reach and never found a single one worth buying. >_<

>> and these days there are so many COLOURS or Aran yarn available. <<

That's fantastic.

>> Last time I made anything with Aran yarn it was all cream, which was okay but ended up looking grey pretty quickly. <<

Weird. Even sheep come in all colors. I've seen Aran sweaters in various shades, although admittedly cream and light grey are more common. Some wool yarn lines go all the way from white to black, and eggshell to coffee-black.

>> Now I have a rich teal I'm working with, more of the teal for something else, probably a sweater, also bright red, a dusky rose pink, and a sort of heather purple. <<

I'm not into pink, or muted shades generally, but the others are good. I also love evergreen or hunter green, another common color for sweaters.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

I could look at pretty pictures all day, but then I'd never get anything else done.

Softness-wise what I'm using is reasonable. Not as soft as the brand's DK yarn, but comfortable to knit with.

That's the benefit of being able to knit. I can pick a pattern that appeals, and just get to work on it, adapting anything I don't like as I go. I've never regretted taking it up in my mid-teens. The one thing I'm not good at, because I've always been a tight knitter, is Fair Isle, because I tend to pull the carried strands tight if I'm not careful. I've done a couple of projects with two colour bands, I I have to work on those so slowly to keep the shape.

There might have been some other neutral shades, but not where I shopped. This was back in the late 70s, early 80s though. That tells you how long it's been since I last indulged in Aran knitting. That was acrylic yarn too, so it wasn't anything to do with sheep colours.

I love green, but it doesn't suit me. I do like pink, which does suit me but I mostly wear blues, black, red, or plum shades. I have a couple of things I've knitted in a sort of rust or bright chestnut brown that I like, and I think I still have a complete 1000g pack of that yarn, just haven't decided what to make with it. I could make two sweaters, or one big jacket... I can't get any more of that yarn, so I need to be sure of my choice. I've got other things to do first anyway.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I could look at pretty pictures all day, but then I'd never get anything else done.<<

Point.

>>That's the benefit of being able to knit. I can pick a pattern that appeals, and just get to work on it, adapting anything I don't like as I go.<<

I've done that with sewing and some other crafts. I tried to learn crochet and knitting but just couldn't.

>>There might have been some other neutral shades, but not where I shopped. This was back in the late 70s, early 80s though.<<

Wow.

>>I love green, but it doesn't suit me. I do like pink, which does suit me but I mostly wear blues, black, red, or plum shades.<<

My base colors are black and blue. I like bright colors as accents. But nowadays, I have to wear whatever I can find that fits and doesn't feel awful. It's frustrating. I'm about to where I'll start looking at thrift store stuff as raw material -- not whether it's what I want already, but whether it could be modified to suit. Like if the body of a sweater fits but the sleeves are too long, cut off the sleeves and make it a vest.

>> I could make two sweaters, or one big jacket... I can't get any more of that yarn, so I need to be sure of my choice. <<

It's not a time to play yarn chicken. But you could conceivably get two sweaters safer if you added another yarn. Do the collar and cuffs in a different shade or color and it would look intentional.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

Yeah, my sister could never get the hang of knitting either. Some people can, some can't. I can't sew to save my life beyond sewing buttons back on and other minor repairs. I didn't get the sewing gene from mum. She could make anything. I just look at a sewing machine and it dies.

I get most of my clothes from the charity shops these days, but I buy men's shirts instead of women's blouses. Better fabric, longer bodies, no stupid darts, and long sleeves. I have long arms and I like sleeves to come right down to my hands and not ride up when I reach for something. When I knit, I have to do the sleeves a good three inches longer than the pattern says if I want to be comfortable.

I can get two easily anyway. I'm small and skinny, 500g has always been enough for a sweater for little ol' me, and it still is, so I've been lucky in some respects. I know this particular yarn has good yardage too, so I'll have a bit left over even from two sweaters. I had a fluffy DK that used less than 400g to make a sweater for me, and I have another pack of that in black. I have so much yarn, lol!

[althea_valara]

So for communal_creators, I signed up for time Tier II, which would be 30 minutes a day. Uh. In the first week, I averaged almost two hours a day. Wow! This was a combination of knitting, sewing, writing, and smallweb work. I'm still amazed at myself, TBH.

I'm away from home watching my sister's dog, so that gives me an excuse to do more crafting. I do have a computer with me, but it's not set up in a pleasant manner, so it's awkward to use--which means less time mindlessly clicking websites and more time actually producing things. Today I was working on the Mosaic cardi. "Surely this sleeve is almost done?" I thought. So I measured it, both against a commercial cardigan I brought with me, and by tape measure. NOPE! I have determined I still have 6 inches to go on the sleeve. Ugh.

Might take a break tonight from the cardi and work on a kit I bought at Five Below on my birthday, we'll see.

[badly_knitted]

Well done with all your progress!

Sleeves are the worst part of making anything, and I have long arms so I have to make mine a good three inches longer than the pattern says so they come right down over my wrists. Good luck getting your sleeve done, and enjoy working on your kit!

[malurette]

Decision was made to make the coloured core a bit fatter and more yarn has been bought this morning. But knitting seems slo o ow now; as the spiral grows larger from its center, the length to go around needs to be longer with every turn.

[badly_knitted]

Yay for more yarn! You can do it, and I'm sure it will look great, even if the knitting of it feels a bit tedious at present.