Check-In Post - October 17th 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: Have you ever made something and then had no idea what to do with it?


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]

Today has not gone to plan thanks to my freezer. Went to get some bread out this morning and the door wasn't shutting. There was ice everywhere, so I don't know yet if the door seal has given out or what. Anyway, I've been mopping up all day and clearing out the contents while it's defrosting, which means I didn't have time for much else. I did manage 12 arm warmer rows while watching a bit of TV, but that's it.

[illariy]

Oh no! What bad luck :-(

Any hopes of getting it repaired? If not, even more bad luck and all the extra expenses (on the spoiled food replacements, the repairs or the new freezer) surely cut into your craft supplies fun budget. :-(

Good on the arm warmer, though! I admire the fact that you did a little knitting after this long and exhausting day you had.

[badly_knitted]

Yeah, this time last year I had to replace my fridge, and now I have freezer trouble. It's 14 years old though, so...

I don't know yet if I'll have to replace it. Not much is actually being waster, I salvaged some food that's in a neighbour's freezer now, and what had to be thrown away isn't too much, mostly defrosting veg. It's a small freezer, doesn't hold much, but I live alone so it's plenty for me. Once it's defrosted and cleaned out, I'll see if the door seal is working or not. There's a slim chance that the problem is just ice build-up because I didn't defrost it last year, so it hasn't been done in a couple of years. I was going to, but I had the fridge problems, then a lot of health issues over winter, and I kept putting it off. If the seal is definitely gone, or if the freezer won't freeze, I'll have to replace it, but I don't know yet.

I don't need more craft supplies anyway, I've got more than I'll ever use, so I don't mind.

I needed a bit of down time, even for half an hour.

[wiseheart]

So annoying when household machines gang up on you! I hope the freezer is still salvageable; getting used to a new model is almost as bad as the costs themselves.

[badly_knitted]

Thank you. Fingers crossed... Almost all the ice is gone now. There was a lot because it was desperately trying to keep the inside cold even while the door wasn't properly shut. That won't have done my electricity bill much good, but maybe it will balance out if the freezer isn't being used for a few days. I plan to leave it until Monday before seeing if it still works. That will give me time to give the inside a thorough wipe down and test the door seal.

[spiralicious]

I have my fingers crossed for you. If it is just the seal on the door, replacing the seal is at least a relatively simple repair.

[badly_knitted]

The seal seems to be working, while she freezer isn't on, so I'm hoping the problem was an ice build-up. We shall see.

[spiralicious]

Fingers have been crossed for you

[badly_knitted]

Still haven't turned it on, too much to do getting ready for Halloween, and STILL trying to finish writing the spook_me fic of doom. Plus, no point having the freezer on when I've got nothing to put in it. Everything that WAS in it went in the bin.

[spiralicious]

That makes sense.

[wiseheart]

I did a bit of work on Card #34 in the morning (still haven't finished) and a bit of writing in the afternoon, after having made lunch and candied lemon peels for the Christmas baking. I also took a long nap and decided to postpone the second half of the crazed cleaning to Saturday as I'm still tired from the first half that was done yesterday. So, not a completely wasted day but not a particularly well-used, either.

[badly_knitted]

You needed to rest a bit to regain your energy. Well done for card stitching and writing!

[illariy]

Lots done and a delicious nap, yay! Hope your Saturday crazed cleaning goes well. It sounds tiring LOL

[wiseheart]

It is. I hate housework with a passion. But there's no-one else to do it, so I'll have to bite the bullet and get through it.

[spiralicious]

Resting is important! And it sounds like you've been making some definite progress.

[illariy]

It is Friday, 18th here and 18:08 in fact. But yesterday on the check in post's date I didn't craft and I very much suspect I won't today, either. Busy days with uni, the usual deadline on Tuesday early in the morning (so effectively Monday night) and 5 days of work within the 8-day period spanning this week plus next Monday. Had my first shifts of 4 in a row today and am exhausted. Now I have to study some more. The bad thing is after work and/or uni/studying I am usually too exhausted to craft and only watch Youtube, read Reddit, go on Facebook and Instagram. I suspect if I could get myself to craft at least a little, at least while watching some talking-head Youtube video or listening to a podcast, I would feel better in the long term.

Any tips on how to get myself to craft after a long day when I know that passive hobbies such as watching Youtube, browsing social media etc. are not as restorative as more active hobbies would be once I got the courage to start?

[wiseheart]

I think you simply need to rest. Get more sleep; then, after a few such days, try something easy. That should help.

[badly_knitted]

That does sound like an exhausting schedule, but perhaps once you've settled into it a bit you'll feel more enthusiastic about fitting in a bit of crafting.

Maybe keep a suitable crafting project by wherever you sit when you're watching youtube videos and train yourself to pick it up and do one row when you start watching. With any luck, once you get through one row you might just carry on for a bit. Good luck finding your motivation.

[spiralicious]

Like others have said, it sounds like you need rest until you adjust to the schedule.

I require something to listen to while I work, so I usually have YouTube going while I knit or whatever it is I'm working on, if I'm not watching a movie while I work. I'm not sure how one would turn that into a habit though.