Monday, February 22, 2010

Cease and Desist

So, I have apparently knitted myself into a corner: my hands are killing me. They are numb and painful at the same time, something that came on very suddenly. I blame the socks; last week I started working on a totally cute pair, on size 2 (cold, metal) needles, and now I can't even make a second pot-holder on size 11 (warm, bamboo) needles. And the first one looks so lonely!



Keyboarding is a problem, too, which is why I haven't been my wordy, commenting self on my favorite blogs over the weekend.



I am an addict, denied my two key habits.



I've decided to give myself a few days to let the nerves settle down. Then, once I have some feeling back in my left hand, I will give knitting another try. It goes without saying that, while my blog may be less typing and more photos, I'll keep at it - I would miss my bloggy friends too much to stop!



Here are pics of two projects recently finished:







These slippers are the first project I've done on double-pointed needles. Once I got the hang of it, I enjoyed knitting them very much. The lower pic is them before felting. They looked like cozy slippers for Andre the Giant.





Finally, about a week ago I finished this vest, from 25 Gorgeous Sweaters for the Brand-New Knitter. While some of the projects in the book are dated, I still found a winter's worth of relatively easy things to make. Here's a close-up:





Anybody have advice to fix hands? I'd really appreciate it...

12 comments:

Lise said...

I hope your hands heal soon!! The vest is gorgeous; as are the cozy slippers.

jugglingpaynes said...

You see? It's always worth it in the end. :o)
I'm reading a book you may enjoy if you haven't read it yet. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. I think the boys would like it too (tell them she has lots of brothers and it's about her relationship with her Grandfather). Marina was tickled when I showed her a passage from the chapter "Knitting Lessons."

Peace and Laughter,
Cristina

Rana said...

Cute socks, and I love the sweater. That color is beautiful. I'm sending an award your way. Come to my blog and you can see.

Rana

Anonymous said...

SO sad for you...but admittedly giggling just a LITTLE at my mental picture of you with your hands in a big aluminum pan of ice water and looking longingly at your yarn and your keyboard. Time to give those hands a BREAK, woman! All your bloggy buddies will make a pact not to do anything excessively interesting until you are back in business. K?

Karen said...

Lise - thanks :-)

Cristina - at least I can still read! I'm reserving that book asap from the library.

Rana - thank you!!!

Topsy - you are pretty close, my hands are permanently wrapped up in fingerless gloves instead of soaking in ice water, but as for the longing looks at yarn and keyboard, you have hit it right on!


And, you all promise not to do anything interesting until I can comment on it? Good. (Heh)
:-)
K

Luisa said...

Can't wait to try the apple cake! The slippers look so cozy. Hope your hands heal soon. Sleep with wrist braces sometimes helps for 1 or 2 nights. I've gotten carpal tunnel syndrome from too much crochetting lol.

Susan said...

I love that sweater! Gorgeous. So sorry about the hands. Do you wear carpal tunnel braces at night? I see Luisa mentioned them, too. They really help. I used to have to wear them when Clem was a baby and it made me feel like Edward Scissorhands. That was back when I was trying to learn to play piano. In the end I had to choose between piano and typing and you can guess what I chose. I hope you don't have such a terrible choice in your future! Those socks almost look comfy enough to give up blogging for, but please don't!

Julie B said...

I'm new to your blog after TopsyTechie suggested I check out your felting which is beautiful. Love, love, love handmade things. Here's hoping you are back to the needles soon. Do you use bamboo which might be kinder on the fingers? Also, you might splurge in a paraffin bath -- you can soak hands and feet in warm, melted paraffin. It feels divine.

Jena said...

Oh yes, that's what you get for loving knitting so much! I've had this problem a lot over the years. A physical therapist friend suggested these things:

Put your palms together, fingers pointing up, now come down with your hands together. This will bend your wrists. Stop where it hurts. Eventually you'll be able to move further down.

Next, do the opposite with the backs of your hands together.

Luisa's suggestion of sleeping in wrist braces is also good.

When you get better and start knitting again, take periodic breaks where you move your wrists around and do those little exercises. Also, analyze your motions and try different things.

Hope you feel better soon!

Karen said...

Luisa - I'll look into the braces. I find that knitting or typing while wearing my fingerless gloves really helps, the gloves might help even more.

Susan - I am so glad you chose the keyboard :-) I hope that I won't have to make a similar choice - but you know which one I will choose if I must.

Julie - I loooove my bamboo needles, in fact I think part of the reason I'm having trouble is from working too much on metal double-pointeds. I am sticking with the bamboos for now.

Jena - thanks for the exercise recommendations! Along with Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, I have been doing the first that you mentioned. I will now add the second into my regimen :-)


Thanks everybody! I know just where to turn for support and smiles.
Karen

my3ninjas said...

I had to stop knitting for the same reason! Carpal Tunnel, baby. I had it while pregnant and it was subsiding this last time around...until the knitting. And the blogging. I feel your pain, man. Now it's worse than ever. It's numb and tingly almost all day long. I have tried the braces, they are awful. Or maybe I just don't know how to properly put them on. My doc appt is next month...we're going to have to have a talk. Getting old-ish stinks.

Cheryl Henderson said...

Wow! You do beautiful work. I wish I lived closer so that you could teach me and my girls. It's so difficult finding someone willing to teach knitting these days (at least in my area).

I look forward to seeing more of your work (and posts) once your hands start feeling better. :-)