I've had pesky RSI/Carpal tunnel/hurty left arm on and off for a few months now. I'd mostly been ignoring it as I'd had similar symptoms in my right had which cleared up when I went travelling back in June (eep, just realised I still haven't blogged about that trip), but ignoring the symptoms didn't work and my hand had become more and more sore. So I decided to take a self enforced break from knitting, which seems to have worked.
Anyone who things abstinence is a bad thing is quite right. While on my break all I could think about was knitting. I'd plough through pages and pages of pattern searches looking at all the lovely things I couldn't make. And of course I wanted to make all of the things. Lots of friends have had babies over the last few months and my dark side kept on whispering "go on, just a pair of booties, it won't hurt, go on, do iiiiiit". Self control won over the lure of the knit, my symptoms have improved, and over the last few days I've done a spot of knitting. My symptoms have come back a little and I've found it's worse if I use metal needles so sticking to wood and bamboo helps. As does taking breaks and not knitting for too long. So it turns out abstinence is a good thing, if only for a couple of weeks in my case.
There's a Cranford knit-a-long happening in the p/hop Ravelry group. I didn't think I was going to join in but then found out a good friend who also volunteers at MSF is leaving. She's also a knitter and we used to work together years ago in the same hospital unit.
Anyone who things abstinence is a bad thing is quite right. While on my break all I could think about was knitting. I'd plough through pages and pages of pattern searches looking at all the lovely things I couldn't make. And of course I wanted to make all of the things. Lots of friends have had babies over the last few months and my dark side kept on whispering "go on, just a pair of booties, it won't hurt, go on, do iiiiiit". Self control won over the lure of the knit, my symptoms have improved, and over the last few days I've done a spot of knitting. My symptoms have come back a little and I've found it's worse if I use metal needles so sticking to wood and bamboo helps. As does taking breaks and not knitting for too long. So it turns out abstinence is a good thing, if only for a couple of weeks in my case.
There's a Cranford knit-a-long happening in the p/hop Ravelry group. I didn't think I was going to join in but then found out a good friend who also volunteers at MSF is leaving. She's also a knitter and we used to work together years ago in the same hospital unit.
I dithered over which yarn to use. Lorna wears a rainbow of colours so rather than plain sophistication I went for all out colour with the yarn I recently won. It's beautifully soft as it has a touch of cashmere and the wild colours will be fine in Lorna's new home in Los Angeles. The edging is in YarnYard Clan in a deep pink colour. When I ordered it it looked very red on the website but is a little too pink in real life for my liking. It's a nice colour, just not my colour. I think the rest of it will become a fine pair of socks for my mum, who does wear deep pink.
In my haste to get knitting I completely forgot about the purl stitches in the pattern, which made the mitts very quick to knit and worked well with the variegated yarn however they are less stretchy than your average, properly knitted, Cranford.
I'll miss Lorna, but she won't forget me as she now has a shiny new pair of Cranfords.
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