Socks!

I have signed up again for Southern Summer of Socks. Last year I didn't finish a single pair in the six months the KAL ran due to being diagnosed with a frozen left shoulder in October [no knitting for eight weeks] and a frozen right shoulder in January [no knitting for five weeks]. Gripping those tiny needles [2.25mm] is still very difficult and causes me a great deal of pain if I knit for too long. People have suggested to me that I learn to knit without moving my shoulder - I can and do but most people are not aware that the shoulder is involved even if you think it's not. I can't, for example, roll my hand over to face palm upwards due to the restriction in my shoulder. One would think that involves only the elbow and the wrist but it doesn't. I'm much better now than I was at the beginning of the year, then it was almost impossible.

Enough of the frozen shoulder problems - as I said, I've signed up for Southern Summer of Socks. Socks are great for summer knitting, they're small and light for hot weather and easily portable for travelling. I just have to remember not to knit them for too long. My sock yarn stash seems to have multiplied greatly this year; I have enough yarn to knit at least twenty pairs of socks! Even at a sock a week I can't use it all this summer!! And a week to knit a sock seems reasonable given the stress to my shoulder and forearm from knitting with small needles.

On Saturday, I ripped out a sock that had been finished for several weeks [except for the toe grafting]. I had mistakenly used provisional cast-on instead of invisible cast-on and when I pulled out the waste yarn I lost several stitches [sock yarn is so fine!]. I couldn't remember the vital statistics [no I hadn't written them down; how often do others think "I'll remember that" and later find they don't?] so I pulled the whole sock out and started again with an invisible cast-on. My Fair Lady screened on television on Sunday afternoon [man, that’s a long, but enjoyable, movie - 3 ½ hours with ads] so I spent a leisurely day in front of the television knitting about half a sock. But I paid for it later; my left forearm was so sore I could knit no longer and since I'm left handed, I couldn’t crochet either [boo-hoo]. But, here it is - the first of my Moda Vera socks. They're charity knitting - possibly for the homeless, possibly for an Aboriginal community. It depends which charity comes up first on our 2009 calendar.

This afternoon, we are off to visit the parents in Bingara [north-west NSW]. We are staying in Nundle tonight and spending the morning there tomorrow which includes a trip to the Woollen Mill [my second in six months]. Last time we went, it was only DD and I; she wants to spend more time looking around the town with her dad before she gets married in January [one last family break, so to speak]. My dad turns 80 this Friday but is having a low-key celebration. There are some jobs that need doing around their place so my WM has taken a couple of days off work to do them - that's one reason why he's a Wonderful Man!

See you when we get back!

We interrupt the knitting to...

Yes, that's right! Interrupt the knitting! So, what's the big deal? After four weeks of "no knitting, no crochet, limited computer use" my specialist said:
"Yes, you can knit. Knitting won't make your shoulder any worse than it is!"

Yay for the specialist, yay for the knitting! Not yay for the still frozen shoulder!

See you, I'm off to knit! I have only 990 stitches to complete the entrelac rug I started in March! See you soon with my FO!

Used stamps

Does anyone know of a charity in Australia that collects used stamps as a fundraiser?

Shoulder update
Still undergoing physio, slightly more mobility but still having to take it easy, hence short post!

No knitting! Again?

The pain of the cortisone injection is fast becoming a distant memory but this pain won't go away so quickly:

Physio: Limit your time on the computer. No knitting or crochet, or anything like that!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Cortisone injection today - right shoulder

Involuntarily screamed during the procedure [usually I have a high pain threshold] - it made me cry and then I got into trouble for moving! Most painful thing I've ever experienced, including childbirth! Doctor didn't inject any fluid at all - my shoulder couldn't handle it!

Sore arm, stiff, will post when feeling better later this week!

Different shoulder, same diagnosis

About a month ago, I began to have restricted movement in my right shoulder. A week or so later, I had very little movement in my right shoulder. I spoke to my physiotherapist [who I was still seeing in relation to my frozen left shoulder] and he referred me back to the specialist.

Last Thursday I had x-rays and an ultrasound. This Monday I saw the specialist - you guessed it: frozen right shoulder!

Yesterday I saw the physiotherapist then had a deep tissue massage. Today I can barely move my arms: there probably won't be much knitting done here in the next twenty-four hours!

The good news is: the three medical personnel involved don't think knitting is the cause but knitting for long periods doesn't help! I'm back on a restricted knitting time diet! *sigh*

Good news! Great news!! Stupendous news!!!

I'm allowed to knit!!

Only for short periods and only if I sit on a straight back chair with my shoulders back [no slouching allowed]!

After 36 days with nary a stitch - nix, nil, none, nada...

I'm allowed to knit!

Cortisone injection

I had my cortisone injection under local anaesthetic this morning [with a CT scan] - it hurt more than I thought it would. Right now the anesthetic is still working so I'm not in pain but my left arm feels very heavy. If I don't post in the next couple of days, you'll know why.

Hang in there, I'll be back!!

I'm allowed to dye!

Not much happening here. Apologies to all visitors who've found this site a little boring of late!

I've been diagnosed with frozen shoulder and my specialist has told me not to knit! I'm so fed up - I'm also not allowed to crochet, embroider, draw, write, paint or do anything else that causes pain to my left arm! This explains my silence on this blog - no knitting, no news!

However, I am allowed to dye - it puts little stress on the muscles. I will continue with my experiments in dyeing acrylic yarn which were put on hold over Christmas while my parents were visiting. Mum and dad left yesterday and I am able to return to dyeing. This knitting blog will become a dyeing journal - at least for a little while! I hope and pray that I soon will be able to knit the yarns I'm dyeing!