Check-In Post May 13th 2024

[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's the most complicated project you've ever tackled?


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 have done most of the stitching on the four tulip flowers, just one shade of pink left to do and then the backstitch... Hopefully this one will be done in a couple more days.


Also, found a set of four small bonsai tree designs that would look good on the pale lemon aida.

[wiseheart]

Your designs are multiplying at an alarming speed. Just how many square miles of lemon aida do you have? *g*

[badly_knitted]

Approximately a metre I think. I won't use all the designs I'm picking out, but I also have 18 hpi in cream and some designs wight work better on that. It's good to have a choice.

[spiralicious]

Wonderful progress!

You are just finding all kinds of designs for the pale lemon aida.

[badly_knitted]

I need a good selection so I can make the best use of the fabric. Maybe I can find some green frog designs...

[spiralicious]

This is true. Green frogs would be adorable.

[badly_knitted]

I like green and yellow together.

[spiralicious]

It's one of my favorite color combinations and, funnily enough, it was the school colors for the university I went to.

[badly_knitted]

I can't wear either colour, lol, they make me look terrible, but I do love them together.

[spiralicious]

I look good in green, but awful in yellow. Love the combo on other things though.

[badly_knitted]

We can't all wear every colour, unfortunately. I wear mostly blues, pinks, reds, and black. Safe colours.

[wiseheart]

I've finished two more tiny teddies - only six more to go. Originally had I hoped to get all three pale purple ones done, but I didn't have the energy for the third one when I got home. This is why I try to do my crafting in the early hours.

[badly_knitted]

Two more down is still good progress!

[wiseheart]

True again.

[spiralicious]

Two more done is still two less to do!

[wiseheart]

You do have a point. ;)

[spiralicious]

:D

[spiralicious]

Today, I went to Lynne's to make cards. It was very intense today. (Yes, I cut extra pieces for the stamping bits, but we didn't need them.)

So it only took us about 20 minutes to make the card I had planned, so we decided that I should walk Lynne & her son through the kit I left them when I was house-sitting and walk her son through the two cards he's missed out on making. (I had left the supplies for him to do so on his own and he hadn't had a chance.)

These extra cards did not go as well. Lynne had issues with the card kit I left for the two of them because I couldn't walk her through it by example. She really needs me to do it as she does it so she has a visual.

Then she got mad when I was walking her son through the other 2 cards because she didn't get to make them too. It did help when I pointed out to her that she already made them and we were using hers as the example. Luckily, her sister called and distracted her most of the time I was helping her son through the two cards. I did my best to include Lynne in the process when she wasn't on the phone and she liked that the supplies were finally put away, but things were fairly tense between Lynne and her son. They are once again (still?) fighting over whether or not her son is allowed to socialize with other people. It's complicated and I'm staying out of it.

Lynne was in high spirits though when I left because the birds she feeds showed up.

[badly_knitted]

Well done for negotiating the minefield for another week. It does sound very stressful, and as though Lynne resents her son getting your attention. Maybe she resents him being there at all. It's tough to be stuck in the middle of someone else's fights. *hugs* Been there myself.

[wiseheart]

The son is not to be envied either, though.

[spiralicious]

Thanks. It really is. I think she both resents him getting my attention and him being there and a few other things. Like, one of their biggest reoccurring arguments is the amount of time he spends on his cellphone, usually reading or texting. She threatens to kick him out over it, while simultaneously admitting that he only does it during downtime, it doesn't interfere with him taking care of her, it's his only social outlet, and he still does everything he needs to and she wants him to do. And also acknowledging that he never gets to leave the house, except to do her grocery shopping, with her along, and that she forbids him from speaking to anyone who comes to the house (except me & the occasional family member that shows up). At first, I thought a big part of it was the cellphone itself, as she has always been a bit technophobic and getting increasingly more so, and I do think it's part of it, but the more I watch them fight, I realize he could be doing anything with his free time, even things she wants him to do like read or work on his art, and she would still be mad. There is a sense that she feels like he should be standing at attention waiting for her orders at all time. She also doesn't like the way he's been keeping the house, despite it being clean by anyone else's standards, her also having a housekeeper that comes in every other week, and him being damn near legally blind. But I was also her housekeeper for a couple years, like 15 years ago, so I know a big part of that is her standards are impossible to live up to, even by her own admission. There also seems to be a layer of her son being the "family scapegoat." There are a lot of layers. *Hugs*

(Sorry that was a lot.)

[badly_knitted]

I feel for her son, it's so hard taking care of someone full time and there's precious little gratitude from the one being cared for. That Lynne has such high standards means that nothing he does will ever be good enough. It's a difficult situation for him to be in.

[spiralicious]

Yes, to all of that. I worry about him, but there is also nothing I can do that I'm not already doing. I really hope they can get some professional help in, at least occasionally, to give him a break, but I don't see it happening.

[badly_knitted]

Professional help would be good, if she'd accept it.

[malurette]

Finished the sample for my next jumper. Now I have to do MATHS at the data it'll give me crossed with the knitting pattern!

[badly_knitted]

All those calculations are annoying but necessary. Good luck!