The Sick Chick Crafts

The update: My dad is still in the hospital in Tampa, but due to schedule conflicts Mom and I came back to North Carolina this weekend.  It was a long drive but there are lots of craft stores along the way  She’s flying back on Thursday for the long weekend but I can’t handle that much flying so I’ll be here on my lonesome with a huuuuuuge stash to play with!  We’ll have to go back to Tampa again to pack up his apartment by the 26th and move his stuff to NC, while he is being transferred to an Army hospital at Ft. Benning in Columbus, GA.  We may or may not be visiting him there, the schedule is tight as it is since I go back to the UK on the 30th.

Organizing: I have bought so much stuff!  I had ordered more fiber from the Homestead Wool and Gift Farm before I found out that I would be able to attend Convergence 2008.  No, not the goth one, the biennial conference of the Handweavers Guild of America.  I was only able to go for one afternoon at the exhibit hall but oh my, what a wonderful experience!  I don’t weave much yet (although that’s something I want to do more of in the future) but the vendors included sooooo much for spinners and dyers.  Dyeing, too, is something I have only toyed with really, but I hope to take a natural dyeing course through a lovely SCA lady in the UK if she is ever able to resume doing the courses.  Plus there was plenty of “weaving” (read: knitting) yarn for me to buy  So I loaded up a lot on fiber and yarn and got two new spindles, a nostepinne, a new lucet, some wooden bobbins, a sock loom from a company I’d never heard of before and several books for spinning on spindles. It was fabulous!  (And many thanks to Mom for financing it all )  Mom really, really fell in love with the Ashford Elizabeth 2 but I have yet to make up my mind as to whether I prefer a double treadle or a double-wide single treadle (like on the E2).  I just don’t know which is better for my knees.  And anyway, I want to get a drum carder before considering a wheel!  (Plus I am holding out for a reasonably-priced electric spinning “wheel” to appear in the UK, alas I can’t just get a US one because of the power/voltage issues :/)

We also stopped at 5 scrapbooking/stamping stores and one quilt store plus Michael’s had a big sale on scrapbooking stuff while we were down there and we hit a Hobby Lobby.  (No Serenity looms though, do they still make/sell those???)

So as a result of all of this wonderful stash enhancement, I’ve been spending most of today trying to organize everything so that I can get the most out of what little crafting time I will have available to me this trip.

Advance!  On to bigger and better things, I say!  I’m really gunning to get crafting, I just have several more chores and a few doctors appointments this week and then I can hopefully get my pics off my cameras to post them and also get back to making stuff!

Hope everyone is having a great week, and happy 4th of July to those who celebrate it.

PS. Don’t miss today’s episode of Yarncraft (the podcast by Lion Brand) which is on Loom Knitting!  I’m bummed that I never really got the chance to call in for it but oh well.  I’m going to go listen right now!

I have a computer with all of my stuff on it.  Admittedly, it’s still not MY computer, but that’s because we had to leave for Florida before mine came back from the shop. We’re still in Florida, we still don’t know when or how they are going to transfer my dad (who is back in the hospital after being so miserable he couldn’t take it anymore) or even where to.

I do plan to start posting and reading blogs again but I am taking today off to rest as I’ve been pushing it too hard for the past week and my body is not coping well.  But hopefully from tomorrow we’ll be able to settle into a new routine for a while, until they medivac him either to Georgia or (ideally) directly to North Carolina.  Then we’ll be driving back pulling a trailer with all of the stuff he has accumulated in the past seven months and will if all goes well be back in NC by the end of next week.  Fingers crossed!

I haven’t done much crafting while we’ve been away but we have found some really nice shops that I plan to write about tomorrow.  Until then, I have a lot of CraftTVWeekly.com to catch up on!

My computer is still dead, the hard drive died entirely and after almost two weeks of trying to get life of it (and luckily getting all the data) I had to admit defeat and take it to get a replacement.  It should be fixed sometime this week.

Meanwhile, my father is back in the hospital but still in Tampa, Florida.  They can’t figure out how to physically transport him without risk.  So Friday (or possibly earlier if he gets worse), Mom and I will drive the lengthy route down there and if we’re lucky be able to bring him back with us or at least take him to the next Army staging point which is one of their hospitals in Georgia.  I will have my mom’s laptop with me but she has problems getting onto his internet down there so it may be dialup for us.  (And anyway three of us in a STUDIO apartment up TWO flights of stairs — I can’t even bring my wheelchair as we’re all too crip to get it up and down the stairs — may drive us to murdering each other.  At least we’re a stone’s throw from the beach!!) 

So it may remain quiet around here for a while yet.  Thankfully I have had a lot of crafting time and a 30+ hr round trip drive (maybe more if we have to detour to the other side of Georgia on the way back) will give me plenty of time to get my sock knitting going.  If anyone reading this as Isela’s basic toe-up pattern (that you get with her sock looms) and knows how many stitches to cast on to start, I’d love to know — it looks like 18 but then peg 19 is supposed to have a loop on it already so I am confused.  I’m going to have to keep going cuff-down until I figure that out.

And we’re not even going to talk about the mountain of crafting supplies I’ve bought since I have been here.  My luggage is going to hate  me!!

But enough of that, I have my diabetes classes this week so have to be up bright and cheery, plus the CFS/Fibro self-help course starts tomorrow too, so I need my beauty sleep!

I haven’t read blogs since I got to the US but I hope everyone and all their loved ones are healthy and happy.  Best wishes to you and yours.

Just a quick note to say that I am safely arrived in America (despite an unusually gruelling trip). However, my computer did not arrive intact and needs to go to the shop to fix (or worst case replace) the hard drive. I have my data backed up so this is more of an inconvenience than emergency. But still, I may not be online much until it gets fixed — or maybe I will as Mom’s work is loaning me a MacBook Air until my Mini is back from the shop, wheee But I may still have problems accessing Mail and the like depending on how much I can recover from that hard drive before it goes into the shop as my backups are in the UK and will take some time to get here if needed.

Have done a ton of crafty shopping today, mostly books, magazines and second sets of supplies that are going to live here at my parents house so I don’t have to keep dragging things back and forth across the ocean (beading pliers, Knifty Knitters, etc.). And 10 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun, at last! Now to find a Serenity loom if we make it to a Hobby Lobby (sadly, an hour or so away from here), or to ponder an afghan or prayer shawl loom from somewhere else if it would get here in time before I leave (which may be as soon as 9 weeks from now). Meanwhile I have the Fine Gauge double rake from Decor Accents to play with and 15 balls of Peaches and Creme so many dishcloths are in my future! Still waiting on the DA single rake and sock loom which should get here in a week or two.

Oh and did I mention that mom gave me a yarn budget of $200? (Not counting the Homespun or anything else that is being made for her.) Yaaaaaaay! I love being a spoiled only child!!

BTW the trip to Tampa, Florida is back on but Pennsylvania is still cancelled. My dad’s colonoscopy is on the 29th so fingers crossed that the news is good. They did find that he had a massive infection of the intestines requiring IV antibiotics so maybe, just maybe, that was behind the mass they had seen on tests before. *hope hope* It may be something like Chron’s or Diverticulitis but those are very manageable and certainly less life threatening than cancer. So he’s not coming home for the summer and we’ll have to go visit him. He retires from the Army in December so will finally get to come home for good then, no more tours of duty!!

But first up I have to finish the item for the Functional Felt Swap and mail my ATC for the Creative Mom swap. And get my computer fixed. So until tomorrow…

First, thanks to those who donated for my Fibromyalgia walk, I am pleased to announce that I exceeded my goal thanks to the help of Denise Layman talking about it on her blog and offering a raffle prize  Pictures will be forthcoming once I steal them from t’s Flickr.  

My dad’s health is getting weirder.  They couldn’t find the mass/alleged tumor on the CAT scans so now he’s scheduled for a thorough colonoscopy on the 29th.  Maybe the mass went away?  It’s a medical mystery at this point.  But until we know what it is, the Army is keeping him down in Florida, so it looks like I will be headed to Tampa after all.  Don’t know for how long.

My health — which I try to avoid talking about too much for fear of turning people off — is getting worse in a number of ways and my mom and t think that since I’ve already cleared my schedule for four months it might be worthwhile me staying in the US for some private treatment that I can’t get here on the NHS and so that we can do family weight loss efforts together since it’s getting to be life threatening for my dad and so I’d still be there to support/harass him (if they let him come home or I go to him).  I’ve only managed to lose 8 pounds in the 10 weeks since I was diagnosed with Diabetes so I need to step it up more too as there’s still 40 more to go to be officially in the healthy range.

So it’s still unknown just how long I will spend in the US, what part of the US I will be in when (NC or Florida) and whether I will be over there for my treatments or my dad’s or both.

Thus I may be fairly quiet here until I get to mom’s house on the 25th.  I have swaps to make stuff for, packages to get out and the gargantuan task of trying to pack for 2-4 months in one suitcase and one carryon.

I just got off the phone with Mom and it looks like it is cancer and they may not be able to operate because of his problems with blood clots in the lungs a few weeks ago.  Even if it’s *not* cancer (we will hopefully find out next Tuesday), he’s still having major problems and they still might not be able to operate.  It’s so serious that the Army is considering sending him home as he’s going to need care.

So my summer of getting care and giving t a carer’s holiday is turning into me looking after me dad and my mom looking after us both. I may also need to stay indefinitely, probably at least through September. So I guess I need to lay in a lot more craft supplies.  Send sock yarn  There’s going to be a lot of sitting in hospitals waiting around this summer, no matter what :/  And lucky me has to remember how to drive again as I’ll have to be the one to drive him to radiation, chemo or whatever they decide to do as Mom only has limited time off.  I haven’t driven anything bigger than my power chair in 5 years so this will be a challenge :/ Mercifully I still have my US license and insurance.

So whoosh, this is kind of heavy and I’m in a weird headspace at the moment. We’re trying to save so that t can go to Australia to see HIS dad, who is still waiting for a kidney transplant, and now my dad has gone from having a minor little cancer that was mostly in remission to possibly having a big huge cancer that they might not be able to treat very well.

This totally sucks.

My walk is tomorrow!  Please consider donating!  I lied about wearing my sequinny All-Stars, it’s a bit too hot and t managed to fix my broken Z-Coils (sandals with springs in the heel, much easier on the back) so that’s the plan.

I’ve started making thank-you cards.  Not quite satisfied with the design yet but I’m still working on it.

I’m also starting to make my packing list for my trip.  I’m trying to be minimal about what craft supplies I take — tools only — but when dealing with things like hand carders and jewelry pliers it’s starting to stack up :/  I need to be less than one suitcase on the way over and will bring three home but one of those will be mostly magazines and the two small quilts we plan to make, plus I’m stocking up on pillows as I can’t get the ones I like over here.  I vacuum seal them but it’s still a lot of bulk.

Homestead Wool and Gift Farm got another batch of new fibers today so I finally placed an order. Several pounds of fiber, about half raw and the other half roving.  That should keep me for most of the summer for spinning and felting, I don’t know when I will find time to dye, quilt and embroider! My beading stuff is mostly going over to do the annual repairs on mom’s substantial collection, including re-knotting all of the pearls this year.  

But I’m worried that we may spend a few weeks in Florida in the hospital if my dad doesn’t get better.  He has a mass that is squashing his intestines that they don’t know what it is yet. I think it’s a hematoma like Helen has, but there’s a chance it may be cancerous  Anyway I may also be stranded in NC when I first arrive as Mom may be down in Florida with Daddy. (Remember he’s only in Florida because of the Army, he’s due to retire any day now but they are keeping him down in Florida until this health crisis is over which may be many more months. So Mom goes to visit as much as she can.)  So I need a lot to keep me busy as my looms may not be in by then!

I also have a ton of beading work to do for her before I go. I don’t want to take beads over if I can help it, so all of the stuff I have bought to make things for her needs to get done next week, ideally.

Plus I have two swaps to do (already started on both but need to finish) and two care packages to send out (Project Superstar and Purlpower).

So I am a very busy bunny the next few weeks!  But unfortunately my body has other ideas and is making me rest a lot so I’m just going to have to prioritize.  But just right now I have cards to make and emails that need writing, so I’d better be off!

I’ll leave you with a picture of some of the fiber I have ordered, a beautiful white baby alpaca…I bought a pound but there is still more for others!

We had a nice Bank Holiday Weekend (three-day weekend) here, the weather actually warmed up — rather too fast IMO — and the sun has been coming out more than in the last nine months put together.  Which has actually made photography a little difficult, I’m not used to full, bright sun!

Anyway, important reminder: My 5K walk for Fibromyalgia research is on Saturday so please donate now!  If you are new to this blog, Fibro is one of the many diseases that I have and walking 5K is well beyond my normal limits but it was important for me to do this as it’s a very worthy cause.  You can read more about my struggle on the donation page linked above.

So meanwhile, back to other things. We went to the National History show which was genealogy, archaeology and military history all together in one Expo.  Once again I was shocked that no scrapbooking suppliers were there as that seems like a great audience.  We saw some of the Time Team members (Tim, Tony and Phil) doing various presentations and generally found out about new stuff out for the genealogy market, etc.  The only thing we bought was mead from Three Drunken Monks but then we went to the huge Whole Foods in Kensington to stock up on supplies.

I’m still recovering from that day even though I was in the chair. I also seem to have come down with some kind of stomach virus which is unpleasant to say the least.  So my crafting has been pretty minimal.  I made two coffee cozies (which I would show you but my camera doesn’t like bright sun apparently, the colours went all weird) and started a legwarmer for a friend but I started getting hotspots on my fingers so had to give it a rest.  When I can’t knit or do something productive I feel guilty or at least out of sorts while sitting and watching tv or movies but sometimes my body just needs the rest and there’s nothing I can do about it.

I’m off to lay down again and get more rest.  I need to plan the route for Saturday’s walk ASAP and just spend the week resting up that’s going to be very, very taxing.  But I have so much crafting to be done in the next few weeks that I’m already feeling the stress and need to get things done for the sake of my brain,so we’ll just have to see what I can manage in between naps!

I finally ordered my first “big girl” looms from Decor Accents — an extra small gauge straight rake for dishcloths and an extra fine gauge sock loom (will fit me and t both, yay!) to be delivered to my mom’s house. Now to find some cheap sock yarn to practice on — anyone destashing? Mom has already bought something like 25 skeins of Peaches & Creme for me (she went to the factory outlet unchaperoned and went a bit crazy!) so I’m good for dishcloths for now

I’m sure I will eventually get plenty more looms — I’m especially hoping that Duxall Inarow (love that name!) will resume producing her stunning rakes soon.

I’m also going to try my hand at crocheting dishcloths this summer as I’m feeling a lot more confident wielding a hook now after using it so much for casting on and finishing things on the loom. I sooo need a light-up hook for the road trip, methinks (Oh yeah, forgot to mention we’re driving to PA — I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be many quilt stores on our route!)

Sorry I’ve taken so long with getting all of the Paris and spinning class stuff written up but t and I have a stomach virus right now so we’re behind on everything — except our tv watching

[crossposted]

As many of you know, I suffer from a condition called Fibromyalgia among many others. Fibromyalgia — called fibro or FM for short — is believed to be a disease of the central nervous system. People with this condition suffer intense, widespread pain and crushing fatigue. It can completely disable a person and destroy their lives. Up to three percent of the population may get this disease at some point in their life, although many go for years without obtaining a proper diagnosis. There is only one drug so far (approved in the US only) and that only works for a percentage of the population and only dampens some of the symptoms. We usually have pain every moment of every day and can find it difficult, perhaps even impossible, to find the energy to get out of bed, dress or leave the house. It is not a lack of willpower, but a chronic, permanent illness. It is like having the worst case of the flu you have ever experienced and it never goes away.

On the 10th of May, the National Fibromyalgia Association (US) is hosting a walk to raise awareness and funds for research. They have called for others — yes, even in other countries — to help them as Virtual Participants, and I am organizing a team. Walking for me is still a painful process, but I am committed to giving my all in support of this cause. Please honour my pain and hardship (it will take me at least a week to recover) with your support.

London Crawling is a pub crawl through the West End on that Saturday evening. We’re going to walk our 5K (hopefully, fingers crossed!) but take regular breaks to sit down, rest and perhaps have a half. (Alcohol not required, indeed not recommended for many on certain pain medications!) It’s social but socially conscious all in one! We’ll also be pointing out things which are hazards to the mobility impaired along our route for those who have never had cause to notice such things before.

Join our walk, either as an official Virtual participant (Cost: US$35, a non-tax deductible donation, you get an official t-shirt and your name on the virtual walkers roll) or just come along and make a cash donation. Perhaps you can match the pounds spend on beer with pounds given to Fibromyalgia research?

If you’re not in London, I urge you to become a Virtual participant anyway. You (apparently) don’t have to even walk. Maybe just walk virtually Second Life anyone? You can still be on our team even if you can’t crawl with us in person. Join in and help raise funds for this very worthy cause near and dear to my heart!

If participating doesn’t appeal, then I beseech you to consider donating. My personal sponsorship page has some more details of my personal struggle. You can join our team at the London Crawling page. You can donate either to me or to the team. And if joining the team, you can walk in my honour or anyone else you know with fibromyalgia. Let me know if you want more details for that part of the form.

Please spread the word!

I know the fad now is to offer prizes draws to those who make donations but I am not in a position to offer anything special. But I will promise a hand-made thank you card to any donor who requests one. These take my time and energy and can be a bit painful in the making so I hope that this gift will be as meaningful to you as anything else on offer.

The NFA has already helped make my life better and continues to search for ways to improve the lives of allof us with fibromyalgia. Please contribute today to keep the ball rolling and fight against this dreadful disease! I believe that donations are tax-deductible within the United States.

So we’re back, and yes we had a lovely time.  Mostly because we abandoned all plans except eating (hitting many of our old favourites) and shopping in what craft stores I could find.  We had some problems with the wheelchair not liking the steep hills (it drained the battery very quickly) so t had to push a lot, and it poured down rain for two days, but in general it was a pleasant and relaxing holiday.  It’s going to take me a while to recover.

Paris has changed a lot in the four and a half years since our last visit.  We used to visit annually when we could afford it (this is not that grand — remember, it’s just the next major town over and only 2.5 hrs by train so it’s one of the cheapest possible vacation spots for us) but I guess the changes seem a lot more pronounced when more time has passed.  I’d read that many French people think that the city is becoming a museum rather than a living, vibrant center of life.  I didn’t want to believe it but I’m afraid it is true.  Maybe models find  places to party but it’s becoming a tourist trap; there are more tourists than locals in most of the city center and the shops and venues have changed to reflect that.  It’s a little sad, really.

I certainly won’t say don’t go if you have never been.  I won’t even say that I won’t go — I’m always researching the history of Paris and/or using the museums as resources for other historical research.  But just to chill out and mellow, I think we’ll go to Provence or back to Italy (where I lived for a while).  Or who knows, maybe somewhere out there is a city that really is wheelchair friendly. I’m not holding my breath on that one though!

We’ve got about 500 photos to sort through and tag, but I’ll try to post the crafty ones (shops and my purchases) as soon as I can.

I’m trying to catch up on everyone else’s blogs so bear with me!

I know I have been very remiss in my blogging endeavours, but I have to plead illness.It’s been a very hard month+ for me and talking to people is one of the most difficult things at times so I’m afraid I have just been hibernating away. But today, perhaps because of the spring weather (oh how I wish it were going to last!) or perhaps because I saw mallard ducks in my back lawn (why I have no idea and sadly I didn’t have my camera with me) or because I have a lot of announcements, I have finally felt like talking to the world at large.

But before I say more about what has been going on, here are some piccies for your entertainment:

That is a scarf that I made for my mother last December, didn’t photograph until February and am only managing to post about today. It was made using Trendsetter Yarns Blossom using the Alternating rib stitch (5 rows each direction) on the Knifty Knitter long yellow loom. At least, this is how it looked before I washed it and sadly it is far more anaemic looking now I’ll try to photograph it again to show the difference. t says he can’t tell and looking at the scrap yarn I can’t tell differences in the strands individually, but it just looks less fluffy I’m very mad at myself for chancing a machine wash (delicate cycle) on a handwash yarn, even though I know my mom will only machine wash it anyway. I feel like I screwed up US$45 worth of lovely yarn and am really beating myself up about it

Beating myself up about things is sort of the theme lately, as that’s part of what happens in my depression cycle. The big D is what has been making life  miserable lately (mentally and physically as it increases pain levels). I’m not really going to talk about it much here as I know people don’t like hearing about that very much and so I’d rather save your illness attention spans for when I may need it in the future But I’ll just say that it has been the worst episode ever but finally my meds are adjusted and things seem to be on an even keel again. I still don’t feel that my meds are quite right, but I plan to study the meditation course for the prevention of depression relaspe so hopefully the meds will become less important in time.

The big news is that I have decided to go to America for a while this year. Normally this wouldn’t be news as I spend between 5 and 10 weeks a year there but I had actually been planning to *not* go over this year and have my parents come visit me instead. But my dad got sick (another reason I have been silent online is being stressed over him being in the hospital, etc.) and can’t do a long haul flight for a while and now my health problems are just getting to be more than t can handle. We’re going to have to look into getting me a carer but to do that I need to get disability benefits and that’s going to take several months so the temporary answer is that I will be going to the US to stay with my mom for two months to give t a break, then she will come over here for a few weeks to get some stuff organized so that we’re in a better position for the future.

SO: I’m going to be going to North Carolina from late May (ish) to the end of July (ish), with stops in Pittsburgh (and maybe Philly) and Tampa to see my dad (and maybe Disneyworld, that would rock!). I’m going to work on my knitting, practice spinning and maybe do some re-enacting. Also probably doing some scrapbooking and maybe a bit of quilting (Mom’s a big time quilt freak). And buying craft supplies. Oh yes, the best part!

All that comes after our trip to Paris next week though

I have more to talk about but I must rest my hands, my spinning class is tomorrow so I can’t afford to be crampy! I’ll try to post again soon, really!

Thanks to those who have written me with encouragement in the past two weeks.  I’m coming to terms with everything but things got delayed as my father was in the hospital most of last week with blood clots in the lungs.  He’s fine now but since his father died from blood clots unexpectedly, we were all more than a bit nervous.  And it may be another genetic condition to which I may be predisposed, so I’m awaiting the results of his testing almost as much as he is. Since I have so far gotten every single disease known on either side of the family, and often younger than the “normal” onset, I’m starting to become a little obsessive about knowing just what may becoming down the pike. (And desperately praying that I miss out on Alzheimer’s!)  I’m not crazy enough to think that I will get everything, but my odds are batting 1000 against me at the moment so I want to know what to be screened for.

Anyway, all of this has sent my mental health into something of a spiral.  I normally have a depressive episode in February each year so it’s probably just a slightly delayed reaction combined with family illness (father inlaw then father) and the upheaval of my new diagnosis.  It’s not that diabetes is a problem per se, it’s that I’m having to give up several coping mechanisms and unorthodox (but working for me) treatment strategies so my symptom load is going very high and I just feel like things are still very chaotic.  Well, in fact they are, as we’ve yet to decide on new treatment regimes so I’m kinda of flying blind.  Hence the “doldrums” part of the title.  The grey, rainy weather isn’t helping any and knitting with my brightest yarn isn’t helping there either.  When not even beading magazines can cheer me, I know it’s getting bad.  So I have a med review this week, one of my four appointments this week when I don’t have the energy to get out of bed let alone trek to the doctors and hospitals.  It has to be done though as I can’t handle much more of the way I am feeling…

But enough about that, let’s talk socks I have been wanting to order a sock loom but have been put off by how many sizes there are (so if I make socks for myself and my mom I’d need a different loom for my husband and dad) and how long of a wait it is to get a loom.  I think I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and order one though as I know that with diabetes foot care is important and that means wearing socks all of the time.  I generally try to escape socks as much as possible and right now can only cope with toe socks or part cashmere (luckily I got a bunch of lambswool and cashmere at TJ Maxx last year for $5/pair).  I’m hoping though that hand-knit socks will be every bit as amazing as everyone says. I also know from trying to get people to make hats for me that I won’t just be able to lean on folks to get some socks either so like hats I’m just going to have to make them myself.  So if anyone reading this has sock looms and likes or dislikes them, please let me know which one(s) you have!  I am hoping to use proper sock yarn (and do not like slipper socks or anything bulky!!!).

(As an aside, if anyone has single socks languishing without mates, my husband refuses to wear matching socks so will happily give them a good home ;)  He also could not care less what gender they were meant for or even if they fit him properly or not! So if you have second sock syndrome but can’t bear the thought of frogging the one you already made, he can put them to good use.)

In other news, I’m finishing up the mate to the Lagoon legwarmer. I had hoped to have it done by today but I was getting hotspots again so I am taking it slower.  Then I need to really get cranking to finish my afghan for Tricot du Coeur as that is due this month.  I made a hat inspired by Annie Modesit’s rasta hat but have yet to photograph it.  I think I need to order a styrofoam head form for better hat photos plus I can use it for making felted hats.  So another thing I just need to get off my rear and order!  I’m just being a bit stingy since we’re going to Paris next month and always waaaay overspend there so we’re putting off nonessential purchases as much as we can just in case.  Ooh, I should start looking for the Parisian yarn shops…

Oh, and I shall need to buy a spindle as my spinning class is very soon and I’m sure I will want to keep going at home!

Well I have to go, I’ve got an appointment to attend and miles to go before I sleep….

Elevator troubles

Originally uploaded by naughtypixie

Sorry I am still not doing well, but I thought you might enjoy seeing the complete ragdoll accessories set (which I have yet to blog about) in this picture my husband took last week.

Apologies that I’vve been quieter than usual.  This time it’s not out of forgetting to blog, just life getting in the way. I’ve added another disease to my portfolio, which has meant tests, lots of GP visits, angst over the changes required for management (which as usual sound trivial but when put into the jigsaw puzzle that is my other disease management are far more profound), plus the new symptoms to cope with.  So it’s been a crazy week.  I’m very tired and emotionally worn out and I just need to take a bit of time out to get the lay of the land.  I’ll be back to blogging as soon as I am up for it.

Lene of The Seated View has just posted a wonderful entry entitled Thoughts of Pain & What Comes With It. I encourage you to read the whole thing, but here is the bit that moved me the most:

Chronic pain teaches you that pain isn’t the worst thing that can happen. Not living your life is the worst thing that can happen. And so, you develop filters that mask the pain, block your perception of it and get on with your life. I once tested this - convinced that making a cup of tea in my microwave didn’t hurt, I decided to pay attention and discovered that it indeed did hurt, but on the days where I have adequate pain control, isn’t loud enough to make it through the filter. One of my favourite barriers to pain is the fun filter – you’re out, with friends, dancing, talking or whatever floats your boat and you are fine. Absolutely fine. You’re so fine that you may stay out having fun for longer than you should, but you ignore this, because the music is playing or you are about an hours worth of debate away from solving the world’s problems. It is not until you come home and close the front door behind you that the fun filter abruptly falls away and in a nanosecond, you go from an entirely manageable level of pain to wanting to curl up in a fetal position, whimpering in a corner. It usually takes days to recover from something like that, but what you quickly learn is that it’s worth it.

That is not only 100% true in general, it’s also exactly what is going on right now. I spent all weekend getting up in the wee hours, sitting outside in the 27F cold for over an hour each day waiting for trains and buses, having a truly fabulous time at the feltmaking course — and then I came home and SPLAT! I had rubbed my hands so raw (and bloody) that touching anything was excruciating agony. I can’t type or move or even cough without high levels of pain. I laid down for a nap at 6 pm and woke at 6 am. I’m gonna be paying for this all week. And it was worth it.

But it’s going to be a few days before I can type enough to do justice to my writeup of the course, so I’m afraid that you shall have to be patient. As shall I, as t says I can’t wet felt again until my hands heal up. And I have about 20 hours of sleep to squeeze into this week else my body will not be as forgiving as I insist it must be. After all, the Stitch & Creative Craft expo is next week, so I’ve got to rest up! (Bunnies to pet there, ya know..)

I’m still pretty much  keeping up with my thing-a-day, but I haven’t been posting anywhere. I’m still in a fibro flare and making my thing is about the oly thing I am doing some days.  But we did get out for a day to run some errands, I’ve  knitted several items and photographed them, I just need to get myrear in gear and post things here.

I’m sorry I have  been quiet in commenting and replying to comments, it’s just that typing is hard at the moment.  I’m going to try to catch up when I can.  Meanwhile I think I will shut up and start posting pics

In the 4 days since my Colinette arrived, and bearing in mind that I didn’t knit any of it on the first day, I have completed three objects.  Not a bad track record at all, IMO.  Proves that when you have exquisite yarn it motivates you to great speed ;)  I’ve even got a design that I think might sell (well it’s terribly similar to a lot of other things that are selling).

Unfortunately, a trip to the hardware store has not provided the material I want for a nice light tent, so we’re going to have to improvise.  Because this blog is pretty boring without pictures of all these things I am making!

I have a ton of more insightful posts to write, but my health is not doing too well right now so sitting and typing are alas not among my top efforts at this exact moment.  Soon, I hope.

OK, only hotspots.  But still, that hated Bernat Soft Boucle is such a pain to work with, the nubby bits just get caught on each other and so trying to do a K2P2 ribbing (which I am doing for t’s wristwarmers — sadly, he liked the first one so I am having to do another) is nightmarish.  Hoping to make it end quicker, I worked for 2-3 hrs on them yesterday and got *hotspots * (pre-blisters/swollen hot areas) on my thumb and forefinger from constantly yanking at the yarn to close the loops properly.  I think it might be easier with needles but the way that you do a purl on the loom involves lifting it off the loom, putting the new loop on and then tightening, so that’s a lot of manipulating the yarn.  Owwie!

Yesterday my Colinette order came through so I am taking a day off the blasted boucle and making a neck warmer to match my Ragdoll hat.  I’ve yet to figure out how much “fringe” I want, but I have plenty of yarn this time!

Pictures are a bit of a problem with the utter lack of light in London at the moment, but we’re building a light tent this weekend so hopefully I’ll be able to take decent photos whatever the weather.  Blistery fingers crossed!

WordPress.com has spam filtering by Akismet, and I think it has eaten every comment made on this blog since 13 January.  I can’t find a way to turn Akismet off, and it is malfunctioning — it is supposed to save the “spam” for me to look at first, but instead it just deletes them.  The problem is that every comment that it has let me see was *not* spam, so I think it’s eating legitimate comments too So if you have left a comment here in the past four days, please email me instead. My email is thesickchick at gmail dot com.  Sorry for the trouble!!!

I’ve not been posting because I feel so bad about not having any pictures to show. I want my packages to arrive from the US *NOW*!  (Not the least because I have 18 gallons of yarn on its way…whiiiiiine. But the camera to computer cable is in there too…)

 On the 2nd, t and I went to the I Knit London’s New Years event at the Royal Festival Hall.  We both were taught how to needle knit by Yvonne but as anticipated, t did great with it and I just wound up with a mess.  Oh well!  I now know that I want to use circular needles for everything and that years of attempting (and failing) to crochet has warped my brain so that I really want to hold the yarn in my left hand.  So sometime I shall get some circs and have another go!  We met quite a few other people there, such as GhostKnitter and PixelDiva and many others whose names escape me now. (I’m horrid with names/usernames, please forgive!) The yarn we had to play with was very yummy, Sublime which has lots of cashmere and silk and other fantastic things.  I will definitely be getting some of that in its chunky range.

  Speaking of getting yarn, I went to Loop in Islington for the first time yesterday and managed to score some yarn at the sale price even though the sale doesn’t officially start until Saturday (I think, I only overheard that). Must try to go back on Saturday although I’m already pretty booked for that day :/  So I got 6 skeins of Colinette Prism (not sure if that link will work) at 40% off and it’s already all spoken for with projects!  Only problem is two of my long looms have gone on walkabout and those are the two I need most so I’m having a good clean today to find them.

 I keep wondering if it is worth it to add projects to my queue on Ravelry when few of the loom patterns are on there anyway.  I haven’t made anything out of Isela’s book yet and that’s the only loom book on there so far, I don’t know about individual patterns.  I guess I should post on the Loom Knitters and Knitting Without Needles groups, eh?

 I’ve been spending a fair amount of time lately reading more sick chicks who craft and blog, deciding what my criteria is for writing about them here.  I think I’m only going to talk about blogs that are primarily upbeat, because that’s the kind of person and blog I want to have. While I *totally* understand the need to kvetch about ill health, if that’s the primary purpose of the blog and crafting is only a minor element, I won’t list them here.  I’ll probably still read it but….well, you get the idea, I hope. 

Just a quick note to keep myself in the habit of posting.  We’re in Newcastle now for the holidays but knitting isn’t going as quickly as planned. I made another magic scarf, this time out of the Sirdar Frenzy, started a rib stitch sampler/wrist warmer on the train up and am about 6 inches into the first (of two) panels of my children’s afghan.  So not much accomplished yet I’m afraid  My hands have really been hurting which has made me slow down.  However, our hosts do have micro USB cables so if I remember I can take some pix of my works in progress and actually get them uploaded. I’ll do my best to remember!

While listening to Episode 62 of the Craft Sanity podcast (my favourite crafting ‘cast!), the guest, Kristin Roach. mentioned that she bought undyed yarn and colours it herself.  It sounded like she said she bought it from “Sick Chick Designs.”  Oh no, I thought!  I had been so careful to pick a name not used in the craft world but I seem to have failed!  Would I need to change my blog name??

 As it turns out, though, I misheard.  She orders undyed yarn from STICK Chick Designs.  Whew!  And good to know, I may check them out sometime :) 

Wow, time escaped me without getting a post in edgewise. I guess that’s why I never told anyone about this blog before  I have started several posts but none were finished.  I thought about just posting them and backdating to when I started, but I decided to be honest instead.  The posts will appear in the order I *finish* writing them.

What happened?  Well, the Knitting & Stitching show was fantastic, despite the absence of knitting looms.  So great that I spent all day there and it triggered a flare that left me stuck in bed for two weeks.  I revived the day before my brother in law arrived and frantically cleaned.  Then he was with us for over a week (which turned out to be a total disaster and I am very angry at him now), and the day after he left I flew to America to spend some time with my parents.  While here I’ve been in a different state every week and when not sightseeing I’ve been collapsing to rest.

This brings us to today  I’m in the middle of the only week of my trip where we are just staying home (my parents’ house) and I am frantically trying to get all of my holiday presents and cards made before we leave for D.C. on Sunday.  Not sure it is going to happen!  At least my knitting (I did finally get looms and I love them!!!) can come with me in the car.

As I spend the next few days crafting I am going to try to catch up on my posts, photograph the many things I have done in the past few weeks and set up a Flickr account to go with this blog.  Meanwhile I shall finish the posts I have already started, but please bear with me as the order may be somewhat random just based on what I feel like writing.

Off we go!

I do a lot of crafts, but what has me fired up at the moment is the prospect of loom/frame knitting. Regular knitting I just can’t comprehend but I’ve been doing various types of frame and spool things since I was a child. I just have soooo many ideas and cravings for hats and can’t find anyone to make them for me so I have to figure out a way to do it myself. Not having hair is a huge motivation to have a huge supply of warm headgear!

Tomorrow I am going to the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace here in London. I may buy a knitting loom there if I find one at a reasonable price. If not, I am going to America to visit my parents in a few weeks (I am an expat American/naturalized Briton) and I know I can get the Knifty Knitter brand easily and cheaply while there. But I am really hoping to find one before then so I can be using it on the long flight over!

Also tomorrow I am taking classes in luceting, blackwork embroidery and batik. I know the basics in all of these but I am hoping to get a lot better.

I like to make a new item of jewelry for every major event that I attend (I am first and foremost a beader) and I’ve had some fiber that I bought to bead with some time ago and it only seemed fitting to use it for this event. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty of threading multi-ply yarn onto a suitably small (tapestry) needle, things just weren’t working out as I had planned. So I took one of the fuzzy yarns and fingerwove a bulky cord and then added glass beads using wool embroidery floss tucked and twisted around in the woven piece. The light has faded too much now for me to get a decent picture of it but I will try to get one tomorrow. I may not decide to keep the piece in my permanent collection, but I think it does a decent job of what I was going for and will hopefully make me look less of a total outsider

I have a ton to do and need to sleep early so I’d best get going! I just hope I can sleep despite my excitement. Several friends are going to be there so it should prove a very enjoyable day

I’ve blogged before, on different topics, in different communities.  Sometimes I post once in a blue moon, other times I post so much I bore myself.  My interaction with a community varies tremendously by how I am feeling — I don’t mean on a day to day basis, more like quarter by quarter. Given that none of my previous blogs have been what I would call a rousing success, why on earth am  I starting another one, on a new system, and with intentions to interact with a different community?  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a fader, and that chances are that I won’t keep up with this either.  But at least there are good reasons to try:

 1) Crafting is a big part of my life right now and I want to give it even more prominence.  I’m sick of talking about being sick, and tired of being too tired to do anything.  I want to try to push myself to do more creatively.

2) My writing needs work.  I think it’s a use it or lose it skill and over the years, especially the ones where I was unable to type much, I think I have lost a lot of it.  I want it back.  I also want bak the brainpower that comes with pondering issues, puzzling out problems and more importantly for this blog, explaining the end results.  I need to engage the verbal part of my brain on a regular basis and I think that tying it to another creative process (in this case, crafting) might help.

3) I want to give back to the community that inspires me and also to get to know more people.  This is probably the hardest for me to do as I go through long stretches of just not wanting to deal with people or having a hard time communicating.  I’m in the latter now but I want to see if I can inspire my way out of it.

I know that being accepted into a community requires a lot of reciprocation on my part — you have to write regularly and comment often to be in people’s field of vision.  I also know that I have failed in this numerous times. So right now I’m not going to really tell anyone about this blog or make my blogroll public until I am sure that I can keep things up.  There will always be some down/away periods and there’s nothing I can do about that.  But I don’t like raising people’s expectations and then being unable to deliver.