RSI - Yarn Withdrawal

I am suffering terribly from the need to stop knitting and crocheting. I have had severe RSI since I made those shawls for my friends for gifts. Oh my. My hands wake me up constantly at night with tingling and pain. I took a few days off when we went up to Anacortes, WA this week and that seemed to help. I used ice and tooks NSAIDS. Coming home it is much harder - my gorgeous yarn is all around me. My UFOs tempt me incessantly.

Since I've been home I've done quite a few rows on the afghan I've been crocheting, trying to pace myself - only a few rows, icing in between... but I also have had to work, I have scripts to write and some fairly heavy computer/mouse work these days. And today my hands hurt hurt hurt and it is advised that I take more than four days off ... I should take a week or weeks! Oh my god - this has been such a huge part of my life - writing blogs, reading blogs, researching yarns and projects etc. Lately I've been considering making an afghan for my best girlfriend - who is allergic to wool. Any suggestions of yummy non-wool afghan yarn? I've been price Berrocco Plush and Softy (quite expensive) and wondering if there are equivalents from Bernat etc. The planning is so much fun and now I am wondering what I can do -- here is a pic of the afghan I've been crocheting - I am so close to the end. I do wonder if crochet is particularly bad for the hands - I can do it so quickly and it is very RSI likely.

The good news is that I am close to finishing the scripts I've been working on - about ethics and sexual harassment. And I just learned that two of my videos have been selected for special consideration and discussion by the American Psychological Association at their national conference in August - the videos I did about grief and loss, and harassment and bullying on the internet. So once I finish those scripts I can do a little less computer time -- I was so looking forward to sitting on the beach and working with yarn, watching my kids play in the waves. Guess I'll need to get off my butt and jump around with them instead! That's the positive side of my yarn withdrawal -- oooh this is so hard... Any support or suggestions are welcome!!!

Also, to update on the whole Kitten Rescue thing: the snowshoe kitten purrs and is relatively affectionate, however she can't wait to get back to her buddy, the tuxedo, who is very skittish - still. This whole mange thing has been terrible since it means we have isolated the kittens and limited contact.
It has not been the experience I was hoping for, and now my family (hubby in particular) is so soured on the experience that I don't know if I'll be able to foster the kitten babies that I was hoping for.

Any suggestions of what to do when you can't knit!!! I am really at a loss.

Here is a pic from our Father's Day brunch - proud Daddy with Beautiful First Son, Grant. We had a great day.

Hello, it's me

I've been remiss in posting due to work deadlines primarily. Also maybe a bit of discouragement in the knitting front. I haven't been able to make the rest of my sock series classes, and have missed the last two afghan squares as well. This has allowed me more time for other projects. Here is one of two shawls I made with Schaefer Yarn's Elaine. These were quick knits and came from kits sold by the woman who closed the knitting store near me. I have one more to make, a gift for my grandmother. Problem is, I see now why people prefer using smaller needles. I was used a 13 for one and a 15 for the red one pictured here. And my hands hurt!!! I have been having pain in my hands that wakes me up at night every night ever since I started these projects. But I keep going.

I then started a crochet project from an afghan kit that I bought at the same going out of business sale. Instead of knitting, I thought I would crochet - I wanted to see if it would be easier on my hands (it isn't). At least it is very fast and uses up a lot of yarn; I really want to reduce my stash!

I have made some progress on my Amazing Lace project. I had a scare where I realized I was messing up in the second lace pattern after completing the frill, and I tried to rip it out. Oops, I did a bad job and picked up stitches in the wrong row and it was pretty scary - fortunately Master Knitter Anita repaired it for me and I was able to move on. I need to see if working on this will go easier on my hands since it uses smaller needles (size 6).

Have found some new knitting groups near me but haven't had much time to partake. I expect to have more time once I get my "paper cut" done on the two scripts I am writing and get my editor busy. Of course it is a busy time right now with Father's Day, end of the school year etc. And we are going to Washington State, Anacortes to be precise - next week for a long weekend - getting the boys some face time with their paternal grandparents!


The other big distraction from blogging was that I got involved with Kitten Rescue, and am fostering a pair of female kitties - a snowshoe and a tuxedo that we named Sugar & Spice. These kitties are very timid and it has been a challenge to get them warmed up to us. They are still not but there has been incremental progress. One challenge is that we learned they have mange which limits handling and integrating them into our household (releasing them from the "cat bathroom"). I have been advised to withhold food so that they are REALLY happy to see me and that does make some difference though I don't think they are really that hungry - I am a soft touch.

And the other venture I got involved with was registering for an "Out of the Darkness" Community Walk. It will take place in Santa Monica in November. It raises funds for suicide prevention. It is very meaningful to me to get involved with this cause and I am excited about the opportunity. It has been strange to get virtually NO response to the fundraising emails I sent this week, which could be symptomatic of the whole weird vibe people have about this subject. I am going to try to not let that bother me, and I will keep pestering people!