Check-In Post October 22nd 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: 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

[badly_knitted]

I got some work done on the birthday card earlier. Cut the patterned paper, stuck the stitching to it with double-sided tape, then stuck the paper to the card. It's slightly wonky, but hopefully no one will notice. I also stuck a Happy Birthday peel-off sticker to the front, along with 90th. They're silver, and I had hoped to colour them orange or green, but unfortunately my peel-off marker pens have dried out. Got to get some alcohol to revive them.


This evening, I knitted 40 rows on the second arm warmer while watching Planet Earth 3. Only another 60 rows before it'll be the same length as the first one.

[wiseheart]

You've seriously picked up speed! Those marker pens keep drying out, don't they? Never knew you can revive them with alcohol; I'll have to give it a try, too.

[badly_knitted]

I only have a few days to get the card finished and delivered.

The alcohol method (isopropyl alcohol) is only for permanent markers. For water based ones you have to use water. I found a tutorial on youtube.

[darkcedars]

Really going with the knitting, the documentary must be a good companion.

[badly_knitted]

I had to keep stopping the knitting every time something dramatic happened on screen! I wonder how many pairs of arm warmers I can knit before the series and Strictly Come Dancing finish...

[spiralicious]

The card is really coming together!

Well done on the knitting.

[badly_knitted]

Thank you! Just need some finishing touches on the front and to do something inside. I was looking through peel-offs again this morning.

The knitting will have to wait now until the weekend.

[wiseheart]

My orange jam set beautifully; my only regret is that it isn't as translucent as I imagined it would be. But, it is likely because of the recipe. In any case, I've prettied up the jam jars and I think they look really lovely now. See for yourself:



Other than that, it was a lazy day. I've made a few more gift tags for the fair and took a really long nap in the afternoon. I also started to type up the disjointed parts of a brand new Kindred: The Embraced story, in the hope that I'll manage to shape it into a coherent whole during the next picowrimo session - which is about to start in 10 days' time. Yay!

[badly_knitted]

The orange jam looks good. Very prettily decorated =)

#Well done making more labels, and good luck with your writing! I'm still trying to get my spook_me fic ready for posting. Only halfway through editing, and I still need to divide it into chapters.

[wiseheart]

I had fun decorating the jars; they look all warm and Christmassy, I find. :)
Next up: more surprise boxes!

[badly_knitted]

Good luck with those!

[wiseheart]

Yeah, luck will definitely be needed for such a mind-numbing job. *sigh*

[badly_knitted]

Will you be able to listen to the TV while you're working? That can help.

[wiseheart]

Not with paper crafts. I need my desk for those, and the TV is in the other room. Besides, I need to watch what I'm doing - all that measuring and cutting and measuring and cutting...

[badly_knitted]

Measuring and cutting is tedious.

[darkcedars]

It looks good to me. I've always preferred jams over jelly.

[wiseheart]

Jams are more delicious - but jellies look better in a jar. *g*

[spiralicious]

The jam jars look great!

Naps are important.

Excellent story prep work.

[wiseheart]

It is such a balancing act to get those things done in the short breaks between chores. *sigh*
Granted, there's always the night, but I find I can no longer go on as little sleep as in my youth.

[spiralicious]

It reminds me of a story I heard a long time ago. A young woman asked her grandmother what the key to a long life was, noting that her grandmother was always so full of life and active, and her grandmother told her that the secret is to get up very early and to stay up very late.

The woman tried this for awhile and found that she was tired and grouchy all the time and getting even less done than before. So she went to her grandmother to see what she was doing wrong.

Her grandmother told her she wasn't doing the most important part, taking many naps.

[darkcedars]

I started cleaning up the flowerbeds today. Didn't get as far as I planned, but we have company and I needed to help with their project more than I expected. I also tidied in the garden shed.

Mother-in-law and I looked at possible paint colors. Having trouble as the sample cards are few and the online tools for the paint company are poor. We want to paint the garage soon as a test, then the house next year.

[badly_knitted]

At least you did get some of it done, that's better than none.

Hope you can find suitable paint colours. Painting a garage and then a house... those are big jobs!

[darkcedars]

The house is very tall, it will definitely be difficult. The garage is tiny and there's only 2 bits I would need a ladder to reach.

[badly_knitted]

Just be careful if you have to go up a ladder. Ladders terrify me, especially seeing people on them 0_0

[wiseheart]

Yes, it's probably better to test on the garage first. ;))
Good luck!

[darkcedars]

The color tools are so bad, I'm half sure I won't like the first draft!

[spiralicious]

Good luck with picking a paint color.

[spiralicious]

I don't think I checked in yesterday. I remember getting ready to, but I think I fell asleep before it happened.

Between today and yesterday, I finished the mitten I was working on and am almost halfway through it's mate.

Today, I also finished dusting and decorating the entertainment center. It could use some more lights, but overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

I was hoping to do more today, but the day just kinda flew by. Between that and my brain just seeming to check out after work yesterday, I feel like I lost a day somewhere. While I have other things to do this week, I don't have to work until Thursday afternoon. I am hopeful I can partially catch up.

[badly_knitted]

Sleep happens ;)

Well done on the mitts. Are they a better fit this time?

Yay for decorating. I hope you can get everything you want to do finished during your time off.

[spiralicious]

LOL, yes

Yes, it's still a little bit tight, but they go on much easier and I figure they will give more with time.

Thanks!

[badly_knitted]

That does usually happen with knitted things.

[wiseheart]

Time can be an elusive thing - you believe you have a lot of it, only to realize that no, it's already flown by. It is deeply unfair.

[spiralicious]

So very true