Check-In Post - July 4th 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: What do you like to listen to / watch while crafting?


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've completed all three shades of blue on the border of the fifth seashell design, and part of the brown inner border. Still got to stitch the yellow parts of the border, which in this design are across the top. Making good progress on this one, since I got my writing done early and settled in to cross stitch an hour earlier than usual. 4.5 hours of stitching!

[wiseheart]

Wow! That a lot of stitching! I'd have my hands in cramps; but again, my hands are big like shovels, not best suited for delicate work. Go you!

[badly_knitted]

My tiny hands manage okay, except the left thumb can cramp up from holding the fabric. There's a lot of stopping and starting with changing colours, re-threading the needle, putting a new audio cassette on... It gives my hands frequent breaks.

[wiseheart]

We're still being cooked alive over here, so we're trying to do as little as possible and in the early morning if we can. For my part, I was making some labels for my ginger syrup bottles in the last two days, so I wouldn't have to bother with that in November or so when I'm going to make the actual ginger syrup. I also scrubbed glue residues from the 100 ml vodka bottles I'm planning to use for the syrup. I must say, the lady in the Chinese grocery and household shop looked a bit funny at me when I asked for four bottles of vodka. *g*

[badly_knitted]

Heeee! I don't drink so people would give me funny looks if I did that.

Well done on all kinds of label progress, making and removing.

Hope things cool off for you soon.

[wiseheart]

We aren't big drinkers, either. I poured those 4x100 mls of vodka together in a bigger bottle; it will last us at least half a year... if we'll have visitors who actually drink. It's black currant flavour, so actually rather nice, although I'd prefer it without the alcoholic content. But the little flat bottles are very handy, so I often reuse them for other purposes. I even pick them up from the street when I find them, boil them and disinfect them and put them away for later use.

[badly_knitted]

Small glass bottles are always handy!

[fadingfootsteps]

working on row 24 of scales. closer and closer to the 27/27 mark, where I put in the I-cord drawstrings and it's done.

[badly_knitted]

So exciting! It's growing well!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today I've filled in a few low spots in the south lot prior to our fireworks show tonight, and did my best to restore a trough pot that got knocked over.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

Well done. Hope you enjoy your celebrations!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yes, we did. Here is the fireworks report. :D

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

Marvellous!

[malurette]

The blue shirt now has more breathing room but is still a tight fit across the chest. I took a few stitches off of the seam at the bottom of both sleeves so they're slightly split and give more room to my upper arms. Also took off the military-style decorative tabs on the shoulders that I thought were classy ten years ago and I'm more "meh" about nowadays--that'll give the illusion or more wiggle room around the shoulders... and also gives me two scraps of fabric that I could, theoretically, use to insert under the sleeve should I dare to split the seam further?
(Of course I could just go buy a new shirt... I hate shopping for trousers, shoes, underwear and sleepwear but I love getting new shirts. But somehow toying with alterations is so satisfying!!)

[badly_knitted]

As long as you're enjoying making the alterations, why not?

New shirts are fun too though.