Check-In Post - April 14th 2026

[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: Does your crafting change with the seasons, certain crafts at certain times of the year?


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]

Went outside to work on the hedge this afternoon, managed maybe 5 minutes, then it started raining on me =(


So I came inside and knitted 4 bees with the mustard yellow yarn. Just an

[wiseheart]

Mustard yellow bees sound nice. :)

[wiseheart]

I've finished mini scarf #3 and started on pot holder #2. Not much of a progress, but small steps and all that...

[coffee_and_cookies]

I've been frogging an afghan that was supposed to be a Christmas gift, lol. I'm going to finish this thing if it kills me. I would say my crafting changes according to the seasons, yeah. A lot of my crochet and knitting time happens when I'm waiting in the car to pick up my daughter from school. It's been getting too hot in there to have afghans sitting on my lap.

[badly_knitted]

Progress is progress! You're doing well.

[badly_knitted]

Ooof, good luck with the frogging and re-doing! I hope it goes right on the next attempt.

I find knitting larger things is too much in hot weather, so I definitely understand you not wanting to be under a heavy afghan, in a car, on a hot day. That's enough to make anyone feel like they're melting.

[badly_knitted]

It's almost an old gold colour, and I did buy the yarn to make bees, so it's only fair A make a few to go in with the ones I've already made.

[althea_valara]

No crafting yet today, but I may do something now...

Most of this afternoon has been taking up with posting the following everywhere: remember when I was working on a secret project for a fan art contest? Remember last year, when I started knitting Alphi? Yeah, I finished him for the contest. Unfortunately, I was not a finalist this year, but I'm still proud of what I accomplished. Story and pics posted publicly at my journal here:

https://althea-valara.dreamwidth.org/1278498.html

[badly_knitted]

Wooo, great job! Sorry you weren't a finalist, but you got him done!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Does your crafting change with the seasons, certain crafts at certain times of the year? <<

Yes. I do more outdoor and garden crafts in spring and summer (like the giant wooden tomato cage I made recently), more indoor things when the weather gets bad (like the strands of crystals or bells).

Recently I've been planting stuff. Most of one day went to ad hoc crafting where I tied together several individual plant stands to improve stability. And then after I got the violas and pansies potted up, I put sticks upright in the pots and wove more sticks across them to discourage squirrels from digging up everything.

Whiteside garden near us is giving away free plants all week. I got a sedum and a holly the first time. Today I got a clump of ferns, columbines, and yellow violets all stuck together.

[nagi_schwarz]

Noooo rain! Kudos to you for getting out there though.

Bees sound adorable!

[nagi_schwarz]

Look at you go! Progress is progress!

[nagi_schwarz]

Oh yeah, definitely too hot this time of year to be snuggled under an afghan. Good luck finishing the afghan! You can do it!

[nagi_schwarz]

He looks amazing!

(Also I love that in one photo he was posed on a lovely doily.)

The two of them together look so good!

Re: Thoughts

[nagi_schwarz]

Yay for planting progress!

[nagi_schwarz]

I finished the first swan during spring break. Only took me about five hours, not counting the restarts I had to do (two of them) and also some massive mistakes. Now that I understand how the pattern works, progress on the second swan has progressed much more smoothly, and I'm almost finished with the first round of the swan (swan has two rounds, heart has two rounds, and then outer round is the fifth round). I avoided starting the project for a long time because it looked so intimidating, but now it's going well and I am super pleased. Hoping to have it done in time for my parents' wedding anniversary, because it probably will not be done in time for mother's day, but that's okay.