Check-In Post - Jan 17th 2026

[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 are your crafting goals for 2026?


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]

12 more bees stuffed.


Decided I need to make some larger wings for the last 14 overstuffed bees. The first 14 will have to make do with the smaller wings, they're already sewn on, but I'll try to do something more in proportion for the rest.

[wiseheart]

At least people will be able to choose their favourites. :)

[wiseheart]

I've finished the shelf for laundry room #2. Now both laundry dooms are on the same level of readiness. On to the ironing boards and the laundry baskets.

[badly_knitted]

Yay, that's great progress! Well done!

[badly_knitted]

We can hope, if the shop will accept the overstuffed, overlarge bees.

[wiseheart]

Well, the goal is to have well-fed, sturdy bees for the good of Mother Nature, isn't it? *g*

[badly_knitted]

Well fed yes, but these are clearly OVER fed, they can't get off the ground...

[ebrillblaiddes]

Considering setting a goal for the year of finishing more projects than I start, which is ironic because of my crafting situation at the moment:

Currently, stitching together tiny little squares for a shawl based on this afghan https://www.yarnspirations.com/products/red-heart-crochet-modern-patchwork-stars-blanket?variant=45490992251195 , which I am sooooo tired of working on (wanted a project that would be smaller pieces for bringing along, but these were too small and prevented zoning out). Fighting the urge to start working on this instead: https://herrschners.com/herrschners-dash-of-elegance-throw-crochet-kit/ (it's made up in nine long strips, which I'm hoping will be a good balance between portability and not having to start and stop all the time). So basically I'm in the jealous girlfriend meme, staring at the new project's backside, LOL.

Arguably, the irony is why that goal would be a useful one.

[ebrillblaiddes]

Maybe they just need some bee vitamins.

[badly_knitted]

Both designs look like they'll be great when finished, but a lot of small squares would definitely be annoyingly fiddly.

Good luck!

[badly_knitted]

*snicker* I do love terrible puns, thank you!

[ebrillblaiddes]

Yes, exactly! Sooooo many little fiddly squares, and so much starting and stopping in making them. Also a bonkers amount of ends still to tuck in even though I buried them as I went for the mid-round color changes other than the outermost round of each fiddly little square.

If I were doing it over, I'd *at least* make the two-by-two part in the middle of each star block as a single eight-round square.

[badly_knitted]

We always figure out better ways of doing things when it's too late to change tactics. Maybe you can do an occasional square or two between other projects.