Check-In Post - Jan 26th 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]

The last of this batch of bees are sewn up and stuffed, just needs their wings sewing one, and their eyes stitching.


The two for my neighbour's daughter are completely finished, but I'm too tired today to trek across the road. It's been one of those dull, dreary days that make me sleepy. Need to wake up enough to check out prompts at threesentenceficathon.

[wiseheart]

Wow! That's serious progress!

[badly_knitted]

Still wings needed on 72 bees, but I'm getting there.

[darkcedars]

Next is epic wing manufacturing!

[badly_knitted]

The wings are already made, so it's just a case of sewing them on!

[darkcedars]

Oh I missed that part! Assembly time.

[badly_knitted]

They were made some time ago, so now with luck I should have enough for all the bees... I hope.

[wiseheart]

I've attached the tail of the teddy bear plushie. And that was about it today.

[badly_knitted]

Some days there isn't the time or the energy for much. It's still progress.

[wiseheart]

That's what I keep telling myself. ;))

[darkcedars]

Some is still good. Especially when it's cold.

[wiseheart]

Not that cold over here, thank God. We've climbed above zero again, so it's quite pleasant at the moment.

[ebrillblaiddes]

Fahrenheit or centigrade? Trying to choose between "about the same here" and "yiiiiikes!"

[wiseheart]

Celsius here, in Middle-Europe.

[ebrillblaiddes]

OK so yeah, fistbump of watching slush and icicles get soggy.

[darkcedars]

We moved the huge curio cabinet from my grandparents' house into the foyer. Really wasn't room where we had it before.

I also went to the craft store for a yarn sale. Should have realized that with the storm they wouldn't be restocked! Only got 4 skeins of black wool (was hoping for 6 and more colors).

[wiseheart]

That's disappointing. I've been hunting for simple red stitching thread all morning and found none.

[darkcedars]

How is there no red?! Sheesh.

[wiseheart]

The entire brand I use vanished from the supermarket. I hope to find it in the sewing supplies shop, where it will be considerably more expensive but hopefully still available.

[badly_knitted]

Well done moving the cabinet.

Fancy having a sale when they didn't have much stock! Bad timing on their part.

[ebrillblaiddes]

They probably scheduled it way before the storm's schedule was figured out or even thought of. In modern supply chains that are scheduled out according to the just-in-time principle (things get delivered to each step as soon as possible to when they'll be sold or sent along so they take up space for as little time as possible, for example: grocery stores have about three days' worth of food that gets topped up from the warehouse every day or two, or multiple times per day at larger stores, when things are working smoothly), shortages can hit really fast when deliveries get blocked either from the warehouse to the store or from the manufacturer to the warehouse.

[badly_knitted]

Yeah, that's true. I just never think of things like that.

[ebrillblaiddes]

Yeah, most people don't. My father's an over the road truck driver (and I do mean in the present tense despite him being 70) and my younger sister and I used to go along, so supply chain logistics is one of my native habitats.

[darkcedars]

Yeah, I only thought of that *after* I'd driven over and saw shelves were a bit bare.

[badly_knitted]

That's so cool, and thanks to your dad for his efforts!

[ebrillblaiddes]

1) Finished 1/9 strips for the new afghan project.
2) Seaming in progress on the shawl. Pretty sure I have to do some little squares yet, but I want to be able to spread it out and see for sure what I've got plus not have them go missing.
3) Working on organizing a list of projects, to track my goal of finishing more than I start this year. Didn't love any of the "project journals" I found, so I'm trying out bubble-mapping it in SimpleMind since it's free because I already own it. Finding half-forgotten WIPs tucked into various nooks and crannies in my craft room/office as I attempt decluttering is definitely going to be a factor in this goal, so I need to be able to add another project into it at any time and with any relevant details.

[badly_knitted]

Well done on the first strip!

Good luck with the shawl seaming. Definitely a good idea to see what you've got before making any more little squares.

Also good luck with getting all your projects and WiPs listed so you know what you've got to finish.

You've been very busy!

[ebrillblaiddes]

As for being busy, I'm a "yarn is cheaper than therapy" person, trying to lean into what works so my spiraling is the crafty kind instead of the other.

[badly_knitted]

Writing tends to be my therapy, I get to be in someone else's head instead of my own, but crafting is also very good, especially when I have to focus on what I'm doing. May whatever you're working on prove effective!