Check-In Post - April 16th 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: Does your crafting change with the seasons, certain crafts at certain times of the year?


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]

My friend who does my shopping tackled the rest of the hedge, although there's still a lot of tidying to do because there are random twigs sticking out. The garden waste bin is full now. I wasn't feeling up to much so I just let him get on with it, then swept up afterwards.


After that I knitted two more bees.


Then I had a huge pile of dishes to wash. There are always more chores to be done.

[althea_valara]

Chores, ugh. They're a necessary evil but we hates them precious, yes we do.

Well done on the bees, and yay for the hedge! That was nice of your friend.

[badly_knitted]

I don't mind washing dishes these days, I slam a CD in the CD player, turn it up, and dance while I work, which makes it more fun. Usually I sing along, but... New CD, hadn't listened to it before, only know the first two tracks, so I mostly just danced, lol!

Thanks!

My friend loves using his power snippy tool, I swear he's been itching to play with it again and my hedge was ideal. He always leaves a terrible mess though, which is why I spent more than half an hour sweeping up. While I was working on the hedge, I took the wheelie bin to the hedge and cut everything up into it as I went. He hauled everything to the bin, shedding bits all the way *shakes head* Still, I was most grateful that the bulk of the job is done.

[nagi_schwarz]

Dishes, like laundry, are a chore that never ends. Just finished washing a big pile myself.

Yay for progress in the garden and knitting more bees!

[nagi_schwarz]

Dishes, like laundry, are a chore that never ends. Just finished washing a big pile myself.

Yay for progress in the garden and knitting more bees!

[althea_valara]

MORE PRETTIES from Stitch Club! Yes, more destashing was happening, and I ended up with some single fingering weight handpainted yarns, some bulky alpaca mix, and a bunch of crochet thread. Whee!

I tried working on my crocheted tee swatch during the club. I thought I had made it plenty big when I did the initial chain, but reader, I did not - it is less than 4"/10cm wide. I'm also losing stitches at one edge, and not liking how it's turning out. It's just a swatch, though. I will likely rip and retry a bigger swatch, then WASH it to see if that evens out the stitches. Because if it doesn't... then I don't know if I want to spend all that time and effort making a crochet tee with #10 thread if it's going to look sloppy.

[badly_knitted]

Woohoo! Wonderful!

Sucks that you're having so much trouble with the swatch. I hope you can sort it out.

[nagi_schwarz]

Those handpainted yarns are so pretty!

Sorry the swatch isn't turning out well.

[nagi_schwarz]

Finished round one of the second swan. Also took a trip to the craft store and lucked out that they had some more skeins of yarn for my sweater scarf, because it became quite clear that I would lose any attempts at yarn chicken.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

This week I've been collecting free plants from Whiteside Garden. Today I got a holly, which I have planted in the Midwinter grove. I bought a tiny ceramic owl pot from the gift shop too.

I also picked up some plants at Rural King, of which I have planted the two poppies by the barrel garden. And I planted two potted plants that came in the mail, a patio peach and a blackberry.

Yesterday we bought 12 concrete blocks. Today I finished hauling the last of them out of the car. I'm going to make a planting bench.

I was excited to discover that last year's marionberry is still alive and putting out leaves. :D Also both my pawpaw seedlings from last year have survived, which is super exciting.

Re: Thoughts

[badly_knitted]

Yay for more plants! I definitely approve of the owl pot. I love owls.

A planting bench sounds a great idea. Shifting the concrete blocks must have been a tough job though. Those things are heavy.

Great that your plants survived the winter!

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>Yay for more plants! I definitely approve of the owl pot. I love owls.<<

We have a great-horned owl who likes to hang out in our yard. :D

>> A planting bench sounds a great idea. Shifting the concrete blocks must have been a tough job though. Those things are heavy.<<

It was only after I got the damn things home that I realized they are a lot thicker and heavier than the previous ones I had. I can just barely move these. But that's okay since they're meant to make a planting bench that will have heavy things on it.