Check-In Post - May 1st 2025

[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: Do you change crafts with the season or stick to the same crafts year round?


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]

It's hot and humid and thundery, but no rain yet. Hoping to get some.


Killed around 130 caterpillars, cut up some ivy, cleared more dead leaves and stuff, started collecting surplus stones because I don't want them ending up on the compost heap. Started sweeping some of the souil ftom the concrete and I think I have a rough idea of where the edge of the concrete should be. The soil is overlapping it by about 20 inches., and there's a piece of flowering currant growing there so I'm hoping I can pot that up and clear the rest. Then the salvaged piece can be planted somewhere more suitable.

[wiseheart]

Wow, you really have elaborate plans about the garden! Good for you!

Also, hurrah for more dead caterpillars!

[badly_knitted]

Not really, just trying to reclaim what's already there and has just got buried the way the path had before I uncovered it last year.

[darkcedars]

Sounds like excellent progress. Good luck transplanting the current.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! I already tried with one piece, but there wasn't much root so I'm doubtful that one will survive Just got to find or empty a big enough pot for its temporary home. There are plenty of them, but they tend to have large hairy spiders in residence, so emptying them is fraught with terror.

[peaceful_sands]

Ew! Spiders and caterpillars (am I giving away one of the reasons I'm such a bad gardener...)

[badly_knitted]

I generally like caterpillars, most do little harm, but the gooseberry sawfly ones are decimating the gooseberry leaves. As for spiders... I don't mind small ones, especially the garden kind, but the ones that take up residence in plant pots... No thanks. I tipped out one pot yesterday and there was a big, fat black spider in it. They're not so bad, they don't move fast. The other pot had a massive house spider type in it. I managed to move the pot, but didn't empty it. I tipped the contents out this morning, just hoping the spider moved elsewhere overnight, or that a bird got it.

[peaceful_sands]

I'm not good with any sort of creepy crawly in the garden and do my best to avoid them. (To be fair - I just leave most of them be unless they're actually a significant danger to the plants or other wildlife or they're in a particularly problematic spot e.g. the spiders who make webs across the front and back doors for example - why do they do that? *sigh*). The one type that completely freaks me out is an earwig - but I think that was aggravated by either the start of a film or book that I happened across in which one actually went in someone's ear - needless to say I didn't finish the book/film.

In fact combine my urgh with the small wildlife and my allergies that if I come into contact with the sap or get scratched or the pollen I can inhale and they can all reduce me to a nasty mess in a pile of tissues or a big red swollen and sore lump - it's amazing my garden is ever done. I pulled a couple of weeds the other day as I passed the front garden on the way back from a walk - literally pulled them out, in the bin, unlocked the front door and washed my hands and one arm ended up swollen. (On a bad day, I even get it from preparing fresh flowers for a vase!)

[badly_knitted]

Ugh, what awful allergies! I can swell badly from mosquito bites, but your allergies seem like they can come from anything you come inro contact with. So sorry =(

I'm lucky that most creepy crawlies don't bother me. A good thing considering how much I love garden work.

[peaceful_sands]

Wow! Very determined progress!

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! And last night there was a storm with heavy rain so I'm glad I did what I did yesterday. The soil will be too wet today for scrabbling around on the ground.

[nagi_schwarz]

Congratulations, Conqueror of Caterpillars! You've done amazing!

[badly_knitted]

Trying my best to beat my foe!

[wiseheart]

I set aside the unfinished pincushions because, frankly, I was bored by them to the death, and decided to make these penguin pencil holders instead. Aren't they adorable? I still might have to do something about the upper rand, perhaps trimming it a bit, but otherwise I'm very proud of the outcome. The sticking-out wings are a new addition to the design; I believe, though, they'd have looked even cuter with a little heart in the place of their beaks, like here. Ah, well, there's always a next time; we eat lots of canned veggies, after all.

Of course, I intend to make some Santa-shaped pencil holders, too...

[darkcedars]

Those are cute, will be a good project to go back and forth with.

[badly_knitted]

They are so adorable! Well done!

[peaceful_sands]

Good choice to put aside something that is boring you - you should enjoy what you are doing. There's enough in the rest of life to fill the boredom slot. The penguin holders are lovely.

[nagi_schwarz]

Those penguin pencil holders are ADORABLE! I support you switching to this project. The pincushions aren't due for a long time yet...

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I managed to pot up the basils before it started sprinkling again.

Re: Well ...

[darkcedars]

At least you got one thing done off the list.

Re: Well ...

[badly_knitted]

That's good progress!

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I've gotten in a few more rounds, but it's supposed to storm this afternoon. The clouds are flying fast overhead. We'll see what happens.

Re: Well ...

[peaceful_sands]

Well done!

Re: Well ...

[nagi_schwarz]

Way to go!

[darkcedars]

Today I blocked both of the small doilies I've made recently, wove in ends on dishcloths, etc.

[badly_knitted]

Ah, the important finishing touches! Excellent!

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on your finishing touches.

[nagi_schwarz]

Ooooh, nice! You've accomplished much!

[viskozni_varhanik]

Had a bit of a lull in cross-stitching as i focused on finishing a bigger drawing first, but I am now back at the sprite thingies.

Finished the first one of the trio, actually!! Cutting it out was nerve-wracking, but it's the spikiest one i'll do so I've got the worst behind me. All the finish touches (perhaps apart from a knot above the beads so they don't move up as well, but whatever) turned out to work exactly how I wanted them to, so i'm ridiculously happy about the whole thing. Got an entire month to finish the other two so I'm excited that I might actually get to submit them as possible prizes.

Paid another visit to the specialty store, only to find out they only had a single skein of non-DMC white (look, i don't need precise colors and why should I pay premium when there's a local company making perfectly good floss). So I landed one white and several of something they call 'marshmallow'. Thankfully, one of the sprites is going to be Flareon, so I'm going to use the slightly warmer white on it to keep the pure white for Vaporeon with its blues. They also had 0 plastic canvases of any higher count. Put an order in for some they have up on their website, but it honestly looks more like a grid for something with much thicker fiber. We'll see if it works when it arrives, and if not, i'll have to dig up the order I made for my current plastic canvas and try the online-only shop i got that from and eat the shipping fee.

[badly_knitted]

Your drawing is amazing! I'm so impressed!

Also, your sprite is adorable!

Glad you managed to get a bit of white and off-white floss for the other sprites. Sucks that you're having trouble getting suitable plastic canvas. I hope what you've ordered with prove suitable so you don't have to pay shipping fees.

[peaceful_sands]

Some major achievements there!

[nagi_schwarz]

The drawing is amazing! Don't know the fandom but I love it!

Also way to go on the sprite thingies! Fingers crossed you can get the canvas you need.

[tielan]

Nothing is being done, I'm too busy prepping for Australian Election Day tomorrow.

Indicators are good broadly-speaking (ie. we won't get the Awful Party, just the Not Great Party) but I've been volunteering for my local member of parliament, so there's a bit of a personal horse in the race...

[darkcedars]

Fingers crossed

[nagi_schwarz]

Kudos to you for volunteering!

[badly_knitted]

Some things are more important than crafting. Fingers crossed for your election, I hope your parliament member does well!

[peaceful_sands]

I'm making a bit of progress with the second cushion cover but my disappointment continues - more things to complain about with the latest kit (thank goodness I did the other one first or I'd have been completely put off) - some of the packs of wool are flat and super thin - no body to them at all so I'm worried that in some spots the cover is going to look patchy (if I have any bits left at the end I may have to work my way through changing out some of the worst patches for whatever I have left at the end. Also two colours were completely missing from the kit - fortunately I had something that would work for both left over from the previous 2 kits so I've been able to keep going - it may end up a game of chicken towards the end as I'm hoping I have enough of each for all its occurrences. I will be more selective in my picking next time and go for ones from the same maker/supplier as the first two and avoid ones by this maker/supplier like the waste of money it is by comparison.

I managed a little gardening on Tuesday - not much but I'm still struggling a bit with my recovery and had already done my walking and had worked for most of a day (my return to work is supposed to be staggered! Ha ha!). I spent my time pulling weeds - a bunch from the ground and then some from in some of the pots when bending down was beginning to strain too much. Some of my pots are at higher levels, so didn't involve any bending.

Looking at doing some online training courses which may put a real damper on my crafting endeavours (there's about 31 modules that are about 2 hours long and 8 modules that are 6 hours long - so a bit of a commitment - I don't have to do all of them, but then part of me thinks if I'm self-funding then I should do as much as I can in the cost - but they're also all in my own time. Trying to think whether to try and timetable it so I commit to a couple of hours maybe twice a week and the rest of the week is mine to do with as I wish).

[darkcedars]

You're busy! Sorry about kit #2 not being that great.

[nagi_schwarz]

You've got so much going on! Sorry recovery is a struggle. You're doing a lot and accomplishing a lot and I am super impressed.

[badly_knitted]

That cushion cover kit sounds really poor quality, what a disappointment! Definitely avoid that supplier in future. I hope you manage to complete the kit with what you've got.

Well done with the weeding, but definitely don't overdo the bending or do anything too strenuous. Surgery recovery can take quite a while.

That's... a huge time commitment, good luck with the training courses. Timetabling does sound like a good idea. You can always do an extra session now and then on top of the ones you've scheduled time for, if you feel like it. The six hour long modules sound tough though.

[nagi_schwarz]

Only managed a bit of crocheting first thing in the morning before people awoke. Today was pretty non-stop.

[badly_knitted]

With a family to care for, I'm always surprised by how much crafting you manage. There are bound to be days that are busier than others.

[innitmarvellous]

This is my first time posting in this community and I don't know if it's fine to just hop onto these posts, so apologies in advance. ^^'



Anyway, this is my latest crochet stuff. I'm almost done with one scarf in a rather ugly colour scheme (unfortunately I noticed how bad it looks when it was way too late, so I didn't want to frog it haha), and then I'm going to work on another scarf. Well, I'll try. I don't really like the pattern, but my mother said it would be a waste to frog it...so I'm going to try it for a bit longer.

[badly_knitted]

Totally fine, most people do exactly that, although members are also free to make their own posts to the community. Welcome, we're very happy to have you here!

As long as a scarf is warm and comfy, appearance and colour scheme don't matter so much. You made it, so be proud of its ugliness! *grins* We've all made things that on reflection might not have been the best idea.

Good luck with the currant scarf. Even if the pattern doesn't appeal, it's good practice, and who says you have to stick with the pattern? Change it to something you like better, get it close to the length you want, then do the other end to match in the pattern you're not keen on. Voila, a unique scarf with patterned ends.

[innitmarvellous]

Yeah, but unfortunately I tend to feel terrible about the waste of yarn, so it kind of annoys me either way, haha.

Thanks! I'm not sure I could actually do that (never really switched the pattern in the middle of a project), but it would be an interesting idea!

[badly_knitted]

I hate wasting crafting supplies too, using some for one thing then realising I could have made much better use of it on something else. It's frustrating.

Now might be a good opportunity to learn. You never know what you can do until you try.

[readera]

On the knitting front, I finished the knitting portion of my poppy the chicken. I did the body and the two wings. I still need to get or make stuffing. We don't have good craft stores in town so I may end up ordering some online. If I make some, it will probably be fabric & yarn scraps.

So I want to start a new project or pick up an old one so I have something to knit.


I'm also having a big urge to do spring cleaning. I started a new job a few months ago and I have been slacking on cleaning in favor of cooking, cleaning immediate messes & sleep. I may try to take a day off work so I have the energy and time to do a proper deep clean.

[badly_knitted]

Well done with chicken progress! Hope you manage to sort out the stuffing for her.

Congratulations on the new job, a d good luck with the cleaning. Sometimes other things, like food and sleep, have to take priority.