Check-In Post - May 3rd 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]

Got out in the garden again, cleared the leaves off my patio bit because there's been rain and wind since the last time I was up there, also cut back all the brambles that have re-grown, and pulled some weeds before turning my attention to the gooseberry bushes again and got another hundred caterpillars.


Also knitted 10 rows on the pair of unfinished arm warmers while watching Doctor Who. That's the first of the pair finished except for casting off.

[wiseheart]

Wow, that's quite the death count! Go you!
And back to the arm warmers? Now that's progress.

[badly_knitted]

More than 500 in 4 days... I got the last 100 in about half an hour.

[darkcedars]

I'm still thinking of the razor grass you described yesterday:P

[badly_knitted]

That stuff is LETHAL! I wear thick gloves when handling it, and I have to use secateurs to cut through it.

[nagi_schwarz]

Wow! Very productive day for you. Yay for finishing the first arm-warmer!

[badly_knitted]

I'm plodding along with the pair. Should get back to the Aran jacket, but that will have to wait. Can't work on that while watching Doctor Who.

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on all your achievements - gardening and arm warmer-wise!

[badly_knitted]

Thank you!

[wiseheart]

I did finish the last pincushion, and even started the next phase of the project. That phase consists of cutting out and sewing together double layers of felt circles; when that's done, I'll have to sew on the buttons that will go into the small sewing kits. At least 6 buttons per piece, and I have 12 pieces. Yes, I know. I'm officially insane.

[badly_knitted]

Yay, well done!

At least you don't have to attach the buttons too firmly since they're there to be used.

[darkcedars]

Oh my goodness 😂

[nagi_schwarz]

That is a lot of buttons. You deserve a medal when they’re all done. Way to go!

[peaceful_sands]

Well done and good luck with the next stage.

[darkcedars]

Yard work and made cookies today. It's my birthday!

I also bought some mystery tulips from the Tulip Festival people. I thought "when is the sale?" While cleaning up flowerbeds, checked, and it was TODAY. So I hopped in the car as I was.

[badly_knitted]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Enjoy your cookies, and YAY for mystery tulips!

[wiseheart]

Happy Birthday!

[nagi_schwarz]

Happy birthday!!!

And yay for tulips and cookies. Sounds like a winning day!

[peaceful_sands]

Belated happy birthday - I hope you had a good day. Mystery tulips sound exciting! Well done on all you day's achievements and on catching the sale on just the right day.

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today's plans of planting flowers have been rained out so far. :/

However! We managed to hang two pieces of art by local artists. One is "The Starry Night" diamond art that we just bought. The other is a spectacular round mandala done in shades of green, brown, and gold. We like supporting local artists.

We were going to hang a third one, a winter scene with a barn and cardinals, but that one needs hanging hardware. And we moved the week-clock from above my office door to above the stairs to make room for putting "The Starry Night" over my office door.

Re: Well ...

[badly_knitted]

Oooh, nice! Beautiful artworks are always a pleasure to have around.

Re: Well ...

[nagi_schwarz]

Sorry you were rained out. But yay for new artwork! It sounds lovely.

Re: Well ...

[peaceful_sands]

So nice to be able to get some art up by 'real people' so to speak - I love getting the opportunity to pick new art to display (it normally takes me an age to get it properly framed before I get it up on the wall).

Re: Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Exactly. I love meeting artists and talking about their work. One of them works at a local metaphysical store, so there's always something new. Last time we were there, she was just starting to explore string art. I'm hoping she'll put up something for sale in our price range and my style.

[nagi_schwarz]

While today’s three-hour drive was not entirely uninterrupted crocheting time (“Mom! She’s touching my car seat!”) I am now on row 15/55 of the new blanket. Which is radial so each row is longer than the last, but oh well. The pattern for this six-point star blanket is much more fiddly than for the seven-point star blanket so I can’t just speed along with only half a mind, but I think it’ll be super cute all the same once it’s done.

[peaceful_sands]

Well done on managing to get so far - that is the frustrating part of radial blankets that the rows get longer each time which can be a bit demoralising as your progress 'slows down' but they always look wonderful when done. Children and long journeys are always a certain kind of fun!

[badly_knitted]

It sounds like it will be lovely!

Kids, lol! They take offence at the weirdest things.

[peaceful_sands]

Continued work on the frustrating cushion cover - yet another colour was missing - had 1 last similar colour from a previous kit that I managed to use - it possibly wasn't quite the shade different to the other colours that it was supposed to be but I'm still thanking my good fortune that this is the kit I started last and I have these leftovers - I really would have been upset had it been the first as I wouldn't have dared to dip into another kit to borrow colours. I've looked down the rest of the pattern (I'm about half done now) and there are no more new colours so it's just playing chicken with what I have of the colours I've used so far. Once I've done I am going back to the website to leave a review (something I don't normally do but this is so far from being a decent kit!). I've also learned a lesson for the future that when I get a kit I should check the contents straightaway and not wait until I'm ready to tackle the project - I wouldn't be able to tell if there was enough of each colour but I would be able to tell if it's missing completely.

[badly_knitted]

So frustrating! Leaving a review will hopefully make them take more care in the creation of their kits, but personally, I would write to the place, tell them how disappointed I am in their poor quality kit with missing colours and thin wool, and see if you can get a refund.

It's definitely wise to check the contents of a kit right away though.