Check-In Post - June 12th 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: What kinds of organizers do you like to hold your arts and crafts supplies?


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]

14 more bees have wings, just 10 more to do, and then they'll just need their eyes.

[wiseheart]

You can do it!

[badly_knitted]

I hope I'll have then all finished soon.

[nagi_schwarz]

Way to go! You are going so fast!

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! And the project is completed!

[wiseheart]

I repurposed two pairs of shoulder pads and decided to make small purses of them; for paper tissues, make-up things or even cash, since they close with Velcro. Yes, that means I'm back to sewing Velcro, what a delight - not! But it's only four pieces, two of which I already done, so I'll live.

[badly_knitted]

You can do it!

[wiseheart]

Yes, I can. I just *hate* doing it.

[badly_knitted]

I know you do, but you chose to use velcro to close them, so...

[wiseheart]

There weren't many choices, to be honest. Not if I wanted them to keep money inside, too - especially change.

[badly_knitted]

You have to go with what works best, even if you don't like it.

[nagi_schwarz]

That sounds like such a clever way to use those! But also sewing velcro does sound dreadful.

[wiseheart]

Thank God it wasn't that much Velcro work, although I hated every moment of it. *g*

I always remove shoulder pads when buying clothes; my shoulders are wide enough on their own, and I'm rather stockily built, so shoulder pads make me look like a gorilla.

Gallon or quart zip bags

[dialecticdreamer]

After using them for dry/crumbly snacks, I wash them out and dry thoroughly, but do not reuse for food.

So, the bags with a notch cut on the top flap are ready for crafting needs. Right now, the baby afghan I'm working on is not yet full blocks, even for the first round. Instead, I have twenty-four partial blocks with orange centers, and two sides adding a knitted white triangle. The second bag has eleven blocks the same, except the white is sparkly white. Grabbing one at a time, alternating the colors, to add the color c, a very pale, butter yellow, will end up with completed round one pieces tossed into the same gallon bag currently holding the yellow skein to keep dust off the yarn.


Before I got VERY conscious of the damage that these plastics do to the environment, I used tiny bags to hold jewelry making pieces while waiting to assemble them.

Reusing the quart and gallon bags until they give up and a seam breaks keeps them out of the landfill for years--I've got many bags from the very first box I bought after moving here. More often, a bag that I don't think will clean properly will get tossed out.

Re: Gallon or quart zip bags

[badly_knitted]

Those bags are very useful for such things. I have some of my bees in a couple of them, probably not as big as the bags you're using, but big enough for my purposes. Always best to reuse things until they can't be used anymore.

Re: Gallon or quart zip bags

[dialecticdreamer]

Exactly! The best bonus for me is that the zip bags are waterproof. When I'm taking a project in my backpack, that tiny bit of extra protection eases my mind tremendously. Spilled soda (someone else on the bus doused my bag), or other mishaps can wreck my planner, notebook, et cetera, but that little layer of plastic saves my SANITY if something terrible happens.

Re: Gallon or quart zip bags

[badly_knitted]

Yes, because accidents happen, and sometimes it rains, and you don't want your project soaked.

Re: Gallon or quart zip bags

[dialecticdreamer]

Yes, and sometimes, there are two teenage IDIOTS throwing salted sunflower seeds at each other, or cool ranch Doritos. I am allergic to milk. Handling the latter, even in minute traces, would trigger an allergic reaction.

Re: Gallon or quart zip bags

[badly_knitted]

Yikes! That is not good at all. People can be so thoughtless, especially teenagers!

Re: Gallon or quart zip bags

[nagi_schwarz]

That makes sense! I also reuse zip bags (mostly because my mum did when I was a kid because they were so hard to find overseas?) and even have a special little drying rack for them (which my dad made me). Reusing them is always a good idea!

Excellent progress on the baby afghan! You can do it!

Re: Gallon or quart zip bags

[dialecticdreamer]

Thank you! I now have THIRTEEN orange squares left to make, and any yarn left after that goes back into the remnants bin for something else. If, and it's a big if, I can get twelve more pairs of white triangles, the pattern will be set, and counterbalance the later shifts because I've inevitably run out of a color before doing the appropriate number of blocks, LOL.

Yes, I over-analyze and over-organize a scrap yarn project, then I can relax and just ENJOY the process of filling in when the inevitable happens and something runs short.

intro & current WiPs

[lattice_frames]

I just joined, so hi! I'm Rose! I bounce between projects constantly depending on what I've got the energy for.
currently on needles:
- eyestrain cardigan: cabled cardigan in black & white marled yarn. On the second attempt, through the first repeat.
- non-specific baby blanket: moominblankie, almost halfway. It's going to whichever baby happens when I finish it. Though if my brother makes me an aunt it's going back to active projects.
- green sweater vest: through the first skein & just need to wind my next skein. My "watching things" miles of stockinette project.

Re: intro & current WiPs

[badly_knitted]

Hello and welcome! You've joined us on a bit of a slow day, not many folks around today, but stick with us. Some days are livelier than others.

Great selection of projects! The blanket looks very complex, working in two or more colours is something I've never been good at, so I admire anyone who can.

I love the cabled cardigan, which reminds me, I must get back to working on my Aran jacket. I was putting in a pocket the last I remember...

Having something simple to work on while watching things is always a good idea.

Re: intro & current WiPs

[nagi_schwarz]

Hello and yay! New faces! Glad to have you!

That moominblankie pattern looks AMAZING! That's so cool. Good luck with all your projects!

Re: intro & current WiPs

[dialecticdreamer]

Oh, my, all three are GORGEOUS projects, for different reasons. I can't tension two colors at once any longer, so I'll probably be daydreaming about that moominblanket for WEEKS! That cardigan... It might take me five years now, but I'd be willing to buy a blasted cable needle (I was proud of learning to do them without one) and jump right in. I'll still be the same height and arm length in five years, after all!

You have superior taste in fiber crafts, and I'd love to see finished project photos someday.

[nagi_schwarz]

I finished the parasol! Using the jump rings to hook it onto the frame was more tedious than I'd anticipated (couldn't find my jump ring pliers so made do with a pair of regular pliers) but it turned out way better than I'd hoped. It's rare when something I make turns out just like the photos in the pattern but this did!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZjO2IjFW2x/

[badly_knitted]

It's beautiful, well done! I love the colours. Will you be making more?

[nagi_schwarz]

Thank you! I have one more umbrella frame. I might try a different pattern and different yarn for the next one.

[badly_knitted]

I'm sure it will turn out just as beautiful!

Beautiful!

[dialecticdreamer]

How long did that take? I'm speechless.

Re: Beautiful!

[nagi_schwarz]

Thank you! It didn’t take nearly as long as I was afraid it would, which was why I put off trying it for so long. I’d say total crochet time was 12-15 hours and then assembling it was about an hour. It’s basically just a giant doily stretched onto an umbrella frame. Now I am motivated to try making more!

Re: Beautiful!

[dialecticdreamer]

Where did you get the frame? Did you repurpose it from a thrift shop umbrella? I'd love to do that, but I'd (a) have to modify the handle to make it taller, and (b) mount it on my rollator because trying to "drive" one-handed is just as bad an idea with a rollator as it is with a semi truck. *G*

Re: Beautiful!

[nagi_schwarz]

It did not occur to me to thrift a frame from the store but maybe next time I will! The pattern designer recommended a website to buy the frames from so I went with what was recommended since I figured it would be most likely to fit the doily as designed. But now that I know how it works I can definitely try a thrifted frame! Might be the best way to find the ten-rib kind.

Re: Beautiful!

[dialecticdreamer]

If I were planning for a multi-year project, I'd start by finding the closest umbrella to my aforementioned plan to affix it to the rollator. If it's an eight-rib umbrella, there's no change in the panel math, only, potentially, in the length from spine to the rib tips.

Since I like figuring things out from an inspirational idea and personal preferences, I'd start with the umbrella skeleton, then decide if it's going to follow that mostly pineapple style, or more likely, something taken from a fancy (wedding ring style) shawl with several tiers of different patterns, so that I just repeat the panel X number of times to match the spaces between the ribs.

Redo the math three or four times, change my mind about the color scheme twice, and I'd be finally ready to start.

Your idea of buying from the suggested company is simple and guaranteed to fit that particular pattern. My method is... a wee bit over the top, I'll admit.