Hello 2015

An update, after all this time! I made a little mistake reading from my vanilla socks pattern—The row count for the sock was sized for my size instead of Jason’s, so after binding off the toe and trying it on I was both pleased and saddened to know that they fit perfectly. It spent a good week waiting in the project bag to be frogged and reworked, I needed to muster up the strength in me to make sure I wasn’t going to keep this pair and just make him some plain grey ones instead.

Up top you’ll find a condyle order I’m knitting for Bapsicrafts—this one’s gonna be on its way to the East Coast this Friday. Oh, and a bar of handmade soap by Daffodil Gems, a local seller I met during a show this past fall. Keeping handmade soaps in my project bags was a good idea. My knits smell amazing.

A lot of things have gone on between my last post and now—I made some effort to connect with more old friends and improve my health, and all knitting that wasn’t for Bapsicrafts orders fell off the map. I didn’t make nearly as much progress as I hoped I would for Jason’s Domino socks, but he seems okay with it not making it in his hands by Christmas (for a pair of painstakingly hand-knit gift socks, he better be okay with it).

My yarn stash isn’t shrinking at the rate I initially wanted, but I’ve taken the time to really enjoy other aspects of the crafting process. Things like fine-tuning the knit-object washing/maintenance process, handling tool storage, and even design. It’s helping me deepen my love for the craft, and I’m looking forward to what 2015 will bring.

By the way: NaJoWriMo is right around the corner and I’m planning to participate. If you’ve heard of NaNoWriMo, you may have a gist of what it’s about. NaJoWriMo is a month-long challenge for you to journal every day. The goals and limits are all up to you. You can click here to learn more about the challenge, and maybe join me this January if you’re up for it! Linking up with KCCO at Frontierdreams.

I'm Alive!

Yes, I'm still alive! It's been a slow recovery, and my knitting been a bit slower but I'm still at it. I'm currently finishing up the last touches for my one-of-a-kind Condyle wristwarmers which will be available in the first week of November online. It's exciting to see these go from the shelf to needles and (soon) in the Etsy shop.

The domino socks for Jason are about 75% done as well too. I think they may be in his hands by Christmas! I'll write again soon, it's been a real pleasure to read everyone's knitting blog posts this summer/fall and I'm excited to jump back into craft and shop blogging soon.

wip: domino socks, and oh, cubital tunnel syndrome!

So I've been bad. Remember that nagging wrist/elbow pain I've been complaining about lately? Turns out it's Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. My ulnar (read:funny bone) nerve has been compressed for so long that it's inflamed. I often can't feel my pinky and ring finger anymore, and sometimes it's meant dropping mugs full of tea from the numbness. GAH.

I can owe this to my fulltime jobs--my day job of digital painting, exacerbated by my 8+ hours a day spent knitting for the shop.

Ok, here's how I've been bad. I've been sneaking a few rows in anyway. I know I shouldn't, but I guess the painkillers have made me a little bit brave(You warned me, Michelle, but it's so tempting!). And thanks to that, (my elbow is cursing me) this little sock has grown, just a little bit more. It really can't be that bad anyway, right? Given the right posture, less pressure on my inner elbows and a looser grip it's can't be as bad as it was before. I'm going from 8+ hours to 30 minutes max(punctuated by breaks), that's got to count for something.

On the other hand, I've also been pretty good! Besides following through shop and concept design commitments (with my good friends Ibuprofen and frequent breaks), I've had to practice filling my day with things other than my businesses.

Part 1 of my July reading list, Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, was finally finished. I'm not gonna lie, that book fucked me up. Even from the get-go, when I realized I was going to care about Kath, Tommy and Ruth, I knew I was in for it. If you're down for being devastated, this is definitely the book for you.

What I'm getting through now is Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone. What is known so far is that there are some very complete and relatable female characters(at least for their time) to look forward to, as well as a juicy mystery plot. Beyond that I have no idea what I'm in for, which is exciting.

And tv shows! Hannibal S2 is compelling but often hard to watch, and Stargate SG-1 is UGGGH FANTASTIC. Some more marathons of friend-recommended shows are on the horizon as well. I just have to lock up my WIPs so I'm not tempted to 'make use of my hands' while watching.

Overall, I'm trying to feel pretty optimistic about this RSI. It definitely dispelled my dejection to have learned what I've got before it was any worse. Nerves take annoyingly long to heal, but I'm grateful to know that a behavioral recovery is within my currently weak, numb-pinkied grasp.

Linking up with Ginny's Yarn-Along.

wip: jason's domino socks

So the current work in progress now is this happy little ribbed cuff for Jason's domino socks. I know it's a good sign when I stop every now and again just scrunching and admiring the yarn ball. I should have bought another to make myself a sock! GAH JUST LOOK AT IT!

The way each of those greys just flow into each other, how brilliantly that ball is wound to show it all off..I think I'm smitten with Crazy Zauberball. (Like my improvised knit marker? I should consider buying some proper open markers, but for now this will suffice.)

My wrists are on fire again, so I've been forced to take knitting (and drawing, typing, and anything else for that matter) much more slowly just to try to heal. Every row I manage to slowly complete has been savored like a fine dessert. I think I'm gonna go ahead and take this project as a lesson to slow down and enjoy the little details of hand-making socks.