Check-In Post - May 23rd 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: We all probably have multiple WiPs, but which of yours has been hanging around longest, waiting to be finished?


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]

More stitching was done. I've finished the greys and started on the final stage, the yellows and peach, which means I still have almost a third of the design to complete, but it's progressing.

[wiseheart]

Progress is always a good thing. I hope you'll never again have to work at such a tight schedule, though.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks! So do I. It really was all my fault though. I should have started sooner, and checked the date of my friend's visit. I thought it was later in the month but it's right at the start. At least I had the fabric cut and prepared already.

[darkcedars]

You're doing great.

[badly_knitted]

Thanks!

[nagi_schwarz]

Sounds like excellent progress, and you're past the halfway mark! Way to go!

[badly_knitted]

Well past now, which is good considering I have less than two weeks left to get it done...

[wiseheart]

I actually started decorating the felt stripes that will go around the little sewing boxes. Three (more or less) done, nine more to go. The fact that I invested into a special felt glue (that wasn't exactly cheap) didn't help as much as I hoped it would. They make such weird flagons with even weirder caps for these wet glues, they are so frigging hard to use, and I often get more glue on my fingers than on the actual things I want to glue together. At least it is definitely a much faster process than sewing on every single piece - although I might make a few sewn ones as well. That's more fun.

[badly_knitted]

That sounds like a very sticky, messy part of the project. Good luck, hope the glue at least works well.

[wiseheart]

Reasonably well. I hope the effect will be lasting.

[darkcedars]

I'm just imagining glue everywhere now.

[wiseheart]

That is the actual case, yes.

[nagi_schwarz]

Sorry the glue isn't as helpful as hoped, but glad it's speeding up the process all the same. Way to go on the sewing boxes!

[wiseheart]

I still think everythind would look better if I had sewn on the pieces, but I will continue with the glue for better speed.

[darkcedars]

Making just a little progress on the mantle scarf. Lots of chores, I've also started scraping paint for the great house painting summer!

[badly_knitted]

Oof, the pain scraping sounds like a chore and a half!

Well done on mantle scarf progress despite all the chores.

[darkcedars]

I started on the ceiling of the porch. It's rainy off and on so that's the only consistent dry area.

[badly_knitted]

Sensible move.

[nagi_schwarz]

Sounds like a massive summer project. Way to go you! And kudos to you for making progress on the mantle scarf.

[wiseheart]

Chores are evil. Good luck with the scraping.

[nagi_schwarz]

Wrist is still hurting (I am annoyed by this), and after a busy and exciting day (Boo was very excited for her sixth birthday, and Little Sister was quite excited to share in the new bounty of toys, mostly from the grandmas), I needed some crafting to decompress, so I did another thread on the punch needle kit. The colors are sorted into pre-cut lengths of embroidery thread, so I can just do a single length and call it good. It's sort of color-by-numbers, so I'm doing one color at a time to make things easier for myself.

[badly_knitted]

Sounds like you need some wrist physiotherapy exercises. I injure my wrists a lot, they're weak, so I have exercises I can do that help. Maybe you can find some online.

Yay for a good birthday for Boo. Also yay for punch needle progress!

[wiseheart]

What is a punch needle kit?

[nagi_schwarz]

https://youtube.com/shorts/AdBC2opywgg?si=kME5U54LY4JQByIv

It’s kind of like embroidery? Or making the loops for a rug? Large hollow needle, yarn/thread, making a picture on a canvas

Done!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I got a lot done today!

* Pulled most of the weeds from inside the septic garden.

* Filled 2 big clay pots on the patio and planted them with flowers. One palettte is purple-and-white, the other a very artistic purple-and-yellow.

* Filled the last 3 big taupe pots, put them on the north side of the new picnic table, planted one with crosne knotroots, sowed the other two with goldenberries and ground cherries.

* Replaced the broken grass shears, got mosquito dunks, and picked up 2 bags of potting soil and 2 bags of composted manure.

* Put a mosquito dunk in the trough pot to kill the mosquito larvae in there. It uses a disease that targets mosquitoes and blackflies, so it should be harmless to other wildlife. Important since I put the trough pond there for the tree frogs who like to hang out in the container garden once the plants get bigger and the weather warms.

\o/

Re: Done!

[badly_knitted]

That is a lot of garden progress.

I wonder if mosquito dunks are available in the UK... I've been bitten twice already this year.

Re: Done!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Amazon UK carries them. My package says that each one lasts about a month.

For defense against adults, various types of insect repellent are available. At night, mosquito netting around the bed is highly effective.

Re: Done!

[badly_knitted]

Not doing netting, not practical for me, but I'll look into the things to kill the larvae. I hate Amazon, but if that's the only place...

Re: Done!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Check your local home and garden stores first. We got ours at a farm store. Places that serve pools, garden ponds, or birdfeeding / birdbaths may also carry mosquito dunks. In places with a serious problem, sometimes health agencies hand them out free. Online, search "your town or locale name" + "mosquito dunks." The same categories of stores will probably carry them online as on foot.

Re: Done!

[badly_knitted]

Thanks for the advice, I'll do some searching around, see what I can come up with, now that I know such things exist.

Re: Done!

[ysabetwordsmith]

There are some other options too.

* Plenty of pesticides will kill mosquito larvae, but also kill or harm beneficial creatures. I don't want that but YMMV.

* Mosquitoes prefer still water for reproduction. So a fountain, skimmer, filter pump, etc. will discourage or eliminate them.

* I also found this fun project for a Mosquito Bucket of Doom. Even if you can't find dunks, you can set up a bucket trap and simply pour out the water every few days into your garden. I have buckets, and a bunch of extra dunks, so I may try this.

Re: Done!

[badly_knitted]

No pesticides, I've never rolled that way.

That's great! I've bookmarked the page. I can certainly try that, with or without the dunks.

Re: Done!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm happy I could help.

I just don't see mosquitoes as being useful creatures. :/

Re: Done!

[badly_knitted]

Neither do I. I'm always happy when I kill one.

[malurette]

Scarf is still going and I've found my seam-ripper (plus a handful of pens, two safety pins, and a fork. Please don't ask.)

[badly_knitted]

Not asking. Definitely not asking *grins* Things get everywhere. Yay for finding the seam ripper!

Keep it up with the scarf!