Check-In Post June 14th 2023

[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: At the request of new member cora... In light of new members, where are we all in the world? No need for exact locations, just general country is fine!


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'll kick of replies to today's question... I'm in the British East Midlands, where summer has finally arrived!


Had another go at the euphorbias today, pulled up 100 from the banking, but I also fell over pulling one that was reluctant to come out. Landed rather hard on the paved path, so my butt is a bit bruised and so is one elbow. I'll have to be more careful tomorrow.


On the crafting front, I have assembled 5 spiders! They don't have eyes yet, I'll do those when I have a tubful of spiders so I can decide what colour eyes for each one and punch out several sets at once to save fiddling.

[yarnofariadne]

So many euphorbias! And yay for the spiders :D

[badly_knitted]

I really should have pulled a bunch up at the start, I just wanted to see what they would do... BIG mistake!

I am cautiously pleased with the first 5.

[sister_raphael]

Nice work!

[yarnofariadne]

No crafting, though I got lots of writing work done and I'm very pleased with that! But to answer cora's question, I'm on the beautiful north east coast of England :)

[badly_knitted]

Writing is good! I got some done too *high five*

Ah, the sunny north east... *grins*

[yarnofariadne]

*high five* Well done!

It's certainly sunny right now! We have finally crossed over from warm to hot.

[badly_knitted]

I was relieved when we went from Too Damn Cold! to hot. I actually needed a hot water bottle at night for over a week, and was bundled up in layers for nearly two weeks. Much happier now the house has warmed up again.

[sister_raphael]

High five on the writing! it's been a bit that way here too!

[house_wren]

Waving at Cora & reporting my location: northern USA, where today it is sunny (finally) & warm.

My knitting is put away until fall, as I don't like to work with wool in the summer.

It's not really a creative thing, but I'm going to go through a box full of inherited buttons that I previously sorted and choose what I will keep and what I will give away.

Years ago, I had to clear out my mum's House of Hoarding (AGGHHH!!) and am determined not to put anyone in a similar position. I try to get rid of something every day. It's surprisingly satisfying.

[yarnofariadne]

It's much too hot to work with wool in the summer, I agree!

I love getting rid of things - I'm like the opposite of a hoarder, haha. Good luck with the buttons!

[house_wren]

My siblings became hoarders but, like you, I became the opposite. Someone came in my house once and said, "Where's all your stuff?" ha!

[badly_knitted]

I still have a hell of a lot of stuff, mostly books and crafting supplies, but mum used to have bags and boxes piled around her bed so she couldn't get to half her cupboards. Every time I cleared some stuff from the landing trying to get to the box room, mum bought more stuff to fill the space I'd cleared. Maybe one day I'll get things sorted, but it's such a massive job. Got to sort out the knitting machine and see if I can sell it.

[badly_knitted]

Glad to hear your weather is improving!

Knitting in hot weather is a bit of an ordeal, I tend not to do much wool work, or at least not big things, when it's hot but British summertime is often chilly and damp, so I can still do a bit on cooler days.

I sympathise. I have my own buttons, my mum's collection, and somehow, my late aunt's as well. One day I should probably sort them, but I'm still clearing out mum's stuff after 8 years. Still turning up things of hers to get rid of, and trying to whittle down my book collection too. It all takes time. Good luck!

[house_wren]

When my mum died I got her buttons & my gran's too. I grew up when everyone seemed to have an old tin full of buttons; we sewed clothes and rarely bought buttons. We just went through the stash. When I was about 8 I spent my precious allowance (probably 25 cents) on my own tin full of buttons at an antique store. (My mum, the hoarder wasn't great at sharing.) I felt so rich. Funny, that.

[badly_knitted]

When I was little, if I wasn't well I'd be tucked up on the couch and allowed to play with the button box. Hours of simple fun sorting them out on a tray. Mum used to make clothes for my sister and I. Then, when anything was worn out, the buttons would be removed and added to the button box. It was only when I started knitting baby clothes that I had to buy buttons of my own, because there was nothing suitable in the collection we already had. Too big, or too tiny, or the wrong colours.

[wiseheart]

You can never have too many buttons! Besides, they are never the right size, shape or colour, so you need to get more. *g*

[badly_knitted]

Buttons always come in handy, it's true.

[sister_raphael]

I'd agree about the wool, but if we don't work off season, then winter comes around and things aren't finished.

[althea_valara]

Welcome to cora! I'm in the Midwest of the United States, where we've been having a cold streak. It's currently 72 degrees F, which is about 22 C. That might not sound that cold (I have an acquaintance from the UK who was complaining how *hot* he was at that weather) but given that it's normally mid-80s now, it IS on the chilly side. I'm wearing jeans. In June. Weird.

As for me, crafting-wise: nada. I'm having some post-goal depression. See, for over a year I had a firm goal of getting a PlayStation 5 before Final Fantasy XVI dropped, and I finally got one this weekend. Since it was such a big goal, I'm left feeling "...what do?" now. So I've been mostly sitting around, refreshing websites and napping, sigh.

But tomorrow is Stitch Club, so I'll at least do something there. Planning on working on my nephew's blanket.

[badly_knitted]

I'm in the UK and consider 22C just about acceptable although I'd rather have it a bit warmer. End of may and early June I was suffering through temps of between 12C and 17C during the day, and that was SO cold with the heating out for the summer. Literally hot water bottle weather. At night it dropped as low as 6C some nights.

Achieving goals is great, but it can result in a loss of motivation. That sucks. Hopefully Stitch Club will go some way to helping you regain your mojo.

[sister_raphael]

Hi Cora! I'm in Brisbane, Australia! I can't knit to save myself, but I do a lot of sewing and crafty things, and that's encouraged. At the moment I'm burning the candle at both ends and have finally caught up with the medieval projects blog posts (and I'll be back dating some soon to when they actually happened rather than all today and yesterday.)

I'm doing some more book work tonight and have decided that if the roses curtains don't get done in time for the big event, I will have enough done to use the portion of them as a sexy bed coverlet, so my frantic sewing won't be wasted. I really MUST finish the buttons on the sleeves of the kirtle and hopefully that will happen over the weekend when I need a break from the screen.

[badly_knitted]

You've done so much in recent weeks, I'm really impressed. I hope people will respect the 'coverlet' and not mess it up. A shame that it won't be ready for use as curtains, but the things to be worn must take priority.

[wiseheart]

Oh, goodness, I was so busy yesterday that I totally forgot to check in. Even though I did some quality crafting!

I worked on Songbook #2. I've borrowed the real thing from our vice-conductor for a few days and have been taking measures and shooting photos all afternoon. It promises to be a much more complicated piece than the first one was; not to mention that I've promised a friend to make one for her grandson as well, so I'll have to make everything twice.

To give you an impression, here are the photos. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to upload the pics to Pinterest so that I'd get them in a reasonable size, but that can't be helped. I wish they wouldn't re-wamp the site every other week. *sigh*

My animals will be a bit different - I don't really like the ones here, mine will be a bit more playful. I hope the recipients will like them anyway.


Oh, and as for the question of the day: I'm in Hungary. Ever heard of it? You need a magnifying glass to find it in the middle of Europe.

[badly_knitted]

I have days when I'm so busy I almost forget to even put the post up, so forgetting to check in is no problem *grins*

Sounds like a lot of planning and plotting before you can start actually making, but it's all important so you know what you're going to do.