Check-In Post June 17th 2022

[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.


Today's Question: No question today.


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

[darkcedars]

Did the bit of gardening early again. Some weeding, some watering, and then I cut and did brush killer on a bunch of volunteer saplings. There's still a ton more. I also started working on getting rid of the Japanese quince and a rosebush. I feel a little bad about the rose, but it is the rootstock sprouts not whatever was originally planted there. If it were a healthier plant too this would be different.

On the crochet front, the baby blanket was just not turning out the way I wanted. Pattern 4 has begun. Ha!

[badly_knitted]

Well done! I hope the brush killer does the trick. I've got a rose like that in the front garden. I really should get rid of it, but it's so hard to actually make myself do it.

Will pattern 4 be the one, I wonder...

[darkcedars]

It helps that I already have a replacement rose in mind. No thorns, bright pink, smells like raspberries. Getting rid of the rootstock rose now will mean I'm sure it's totally gone before I get a new plant next spring.

[badly_knitted]

That's a gorgeous rose! You'll have to dig out and replace the soil before putting a new rose in though. Roses are weird that way.

[darkcedars]

That's fine, there's a big chunk of basically wood at the bottom of the rootstock rose. About 9" across. I'll want to remove all of that eventually. Maybe this fall/winter before it gets really cold.

[badly_knitted]

Sounds like you've got it all well in hand. The new rose will look wonderful.

[wiseheart]

I can't get to see the roses! All I get is an error message. :((

[darkcedars]

Here's the actual link without html so you can copy/paste

https://www.highcountryroses.com/shop/special-collections/thornless-roses/zephirine-drouhin/

[wiseheart]

It still doesn't find the server for me. *sigh*
I'll try to google then.

[darkcedars]

Weird! but yeah, Zéphirine Drouhin rose.

[wiseheart]

I found it thanks to Google Fu. They are beautiful indeed!

[yarnofariadne]

Those roses are beautiful!

[badly_knitted]

So tired! 2.5 hours outside clearing the path. It was not easy. Between the yards of wrecked garden fleece I had to gather and disentangle from everything, the massive broken sheet of corrugated plastic lying on the path with roots growing THROUGH it, a compost bag that also had roots through and inside it, yards of ivy, and so many rocks and bricks that had to be dug out, I think my arms are longer than they were.

Then I had panes of glass to move, buckets full of fallen laurel leaves that had to go in the garden waste bin, soil and matted rots that had to be scraped off the path and dumped under the hedge... I made it around the corner and just past the greenhouse door, but there's still about 8ft of path to clear.

The corner itself, for reasons known only to my dad, is not concreted. There's a path beside the greenhouse, a path behind the greenhouse, and a patch of bare earth between the two that has to be stepped over to get around the corner =/

[darkcedars]

Wow, that's a lot! Must be very satisfying in addition to exhausting. Being able to use the greenhouse again would be really nice.

Did dad have a hard time finishing projects? Too many WIPs.

[badly_knitted]

The greenhouse will have to be cleared out, cleaned, and repaired before it can be used again, and before any of the that, the laurel has to go. The trunk is right up against one corner.

Dad just didn't have the DIY gene. He tried to do things, but usually made a mess of them. Almost electrocuted himself removing a fitted electric heater, fixed a creaky floorboard by hammering in a nail that went straight through a water pipe... Mum did all the decorating and most of the fixing. She could turn her hand to almost anything. Dad cut the lawns and hedges. I think the paths were made at different times, I just don't get why he didn't join them.

[wiseheart]

It's exhausting just to read this. You are a real champion!

[badly_knitted]

Thanks. I was determined to get as much done as possible. Too bad tomorrow is forecast chilly and wet so I won't get to finish the job for a while.

[yarnofariadne]

Goodness, that sounds like a lot. No wonder you're tired!

[badly_knitted]

It was a far bigger job than I expected, mostly due to the roots and the sheet of corrugated plastic. It's 6 foot by maybe 2.5 foot and I didn't have a lot of room for manoeuvre, so getting it out was difficult. I've dumped it on what used to be the double compost bin for now. I'll deal with it later.

Fishy progress

[wiseheart]

Now I've got 7 Big Fishes(TM), in various stages of readiness - aside from the prototype, of course. Some already have their scales and eyes sewn on, others only the heart-shaped applique on their tails. The fins are all done and only need to be sewn on. When all 7 reach the same stage, comes the really difficult part: the mouths. But I have no deadline for this project, I'm only doing it for fun.

Re: Fishy progress

[darkcedars]

You'll be able to just sprinkle fish around various future gifts.

Re: Fishy progress

[wiseheart]

It seems so, yes. :)

Re: Fishy progress

[yarnofariadne]

Delightful to hear of more fishy progress :D

Re: Fishy progress

[wiseheart]

Sometimes small achievements can give one great satisfaction.

Re: Fishy progress

[badly_knitted]

Your fishes are coming along well! It's good getting to do something you don't have to rush.

Re: Fishy progress

[wiseheart]

Indeed, it is. I like working on small sewing projects while watching crap telly with half an eye.

Re: Fishy progress

[badly_knitted]

Having something on in the background is good. I seldom sit and watch TV, it's usually just something to half watch while doing other things.

[yarnofariadne]

Did quite a few more rows today at the expense of more editing, though I got some of that done, too. For my next trick I will spend equal time on both projects in one day! (Kidding. Probably.)

[darkcedars]

Sounds like good progress! I figure equal isn't needed. I just like to do a little on various so nothing stagnates and I forget what I was doing. :D

[wiseheart]

That is a practical method indeed.

[badly_knitted]

You never know, you might find a way to split your time equally between both things.

Well done on your progress!