A Hug!

From this:

to this:

to this!:

It took quite a while for me to get my Hug finished. You may remember that I ended up knitting far too many rows initially. So I ripped it back and followed the instructions, only to have it... too short! So I ripped and reknit, and again it was too short. By now I was pretty irritated, till I realised that I'd actually knit the first half wrong: instead of increasing at the beginning and end of each row, I'd increased only at the beginning, and so had to work twice as many repeats.

However, I think I much prefer the longer look of the over-hand sleeve:



And it can be rolled back nicely:



I love this pattern. If I can ever get to the stage where I can be a free'n'easy knitter again then I'd like to make loads and loads. As simple as a scarf but a lot more fun! And it's by the same designer as Blackberry.

So. I made this using an unravelled shrug from a charity shop. I haven't used all the yarn up, but it did suck up quite a bit. I can't remember what needles I used - probably Denise 10.5US. It is a little tight - I couldn't seam the sleeves all the way up to the underarm otherwise I couldn't get it on! However, the little gap I left makes it curl nicely around my arm, as if it is supposed to do that. And the pick-up-&-bind-off thing along the back edge forms a really nice plaited effect - that was an instruction that didn't seem to make sense until I actually did it.

If anyone feels daunted by this pattern, don't be! I agree that when you read through it it feels a little complex, but it really isn't. I do hope that I get to make more :)

A little update

Well, Hug is finished! Photos to come soon.

I've also made a start on these Lace Up Opera Gloves, using the same yarn as Hug, but I didn't bring enough with me to finish them.

Mr Bee's grandmother died last week, and his mum has given me her old knitting needles, which is very sweet. I may see whether his sister is interested in them, but I don't think she knits.

We are going away today, to stay in a converted cotton mill in the Peak District! I've brought Tempting with me - let's see whether I can actually get it finished or not!

@!*?#{&,£$"!

And breathe. And relax.

Not only have I just caught Mr Bee standing on my Hug (apparently it is very comfy on bare feet) (!), but I've just realised I've knitted 72 rows too many!!!!!!!!!!

SEVENTY-TWO!!!

This would be my fault for assuming that I knew the pattern off by heart. It's very frustrating that I'd not only have it finished by now, but I'd not have wasted so many hours of hand movement.

*Sigh*

Off to frog...

More stash and some whoooooooooorls

I was in Newcastle-upon-Tyne at the weekend. I was thrilled to see an Oxfam Superstore - in this version of Oxfam everything is a set, cheap, price. There used to be one in Manchester and it was great, but has sadly changed into an overpriced Oxfam Emporium. Sadly, the Oxfam Superstore in Newcastle was not great. I was hoping for lots of great jumpers to frog, but there were none! No knitwear at all. I began to worry that maybe now it is April the charity shops are putting their knitwear away for most of the year.

So today I went round the charity shops near me:


From the top:

• Navy bloke's jumper; thick gauge; 55% ramie, 45% cotton (I don't actually know what ramie is); £3. (I think this may well become my brewing idea - I had planned it to be 100% cotton and black, but that sort of jumper is thin on the grounds right now).
  
• White bloke's jumper; thin gauge; 100% cotton; £1.99. Hopefully might be suitable for using to dye with.
  
• Long-sleeved, roll neck, burgundy/ plum, size 14 top; very very fine gauge; 100% silk; £2.75. Maybe suitable for lace - I didn't realise how shiny silk was! There was a black top as well, from the same company. Once I'd left the shop I thought I could've got it and spun the two colours together, but it was an extra pound (£ not lb) with short sleeves and a regular round neck. I'll look out for something else.
  
• Black size 16 chunky cardie; chunky gauge; 70% acrylic and 30% wool but so snugly!; £4.50. Quite pricey but I need some black yarn ;) Plus it's got great giant press-studs and looks hardly worn.

Other than the Oxfam disappointment, Newcastle was fun. We went on a trip to Housesteads on Hadrian's Wall, and I took a photo of the spindle whorls they had in the museum.



They're tiny! Teeny teeny tiny. Kinda brought home just how thin the thread they would spin was - I'd fill one of those spindles in about 5 minutes ;)

Anyway. I've been knitting slowly - Hug is over half done now. I've done a little more on Tempting as well. At the moment I'm getting ready to go away for a little holiday and I need to decide what knitting to take. Maybe all my UFOs!

Diagnosis

I saw my new doctor yesterday, and she was very very nice. She said I had accurately diagnosed myself with RSI, that at the moment there was nothing much to worry about but if it got worse I could have physio. Of course it was no wonder: after resting my hand for two weeks I had no pain in my arm when I went to see her - typical!

I will of course continue to rest it, although I am now occasionally using my left hand to type with (like now). I've also done some spinning and more knitting - I keep my wrist as still as I can while knitting and appear to be getting away with it. Must not overdo it though!

Hug is almost half done though :) I need to unravel the next sleeve from the original cardie to carry on with it. Or perhaps I'll work a little more on Tempting...

(Yes. I am aware that I am being totally naughty and should still be resting. But but but but but, etc.)

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

('scuse crappy typing - i'm only using my right hand)

today i was a naughty bee and did some knitting :-0 BUT - it didn't hurt! why? because i sellotaped rulers to my left wrist to stop it bending ;) this method left me pain free (i found when i tried to just keep my wrist straight on tues that my hand cramped up) though i'm not counting my chickens. i only did about 8 rows, taking it slow, and only did it for half an hour. i'll try not to make a habit of it, but wanted to know whether it would work.

typing still hurts though, and i need to baby my right hand so it doesn't get stressed with suddenly having to work so much!

RSI? PMA! (Positive Mental Attitude)

So I have now gone from:

to:


I figured not becoming crippled was better than vanity. I've had long nails since I was 17 and I've never cut them all off before. Felt weird. End of an era I guess. (I'd cut my index finger nail short a couple of weeks ago to aid right handed typing).

I haven't painted my nails for yonks, but thought this would be a good time to dig out my nail varnish case.

Anyhoo, I can now type a bit better with my right hand (albeit very slowly) - my left hand is doing nothing! I'm practising writing with my right hand too, and trying to use it more for household tasks. But I'm being very careful not to overwork it!

I've made an appointment with a doctor for Monday - kinda feel like I'm cheating on my chiropractor ;) I'm also taking the homeopathic remedy Rhus. tox. Been doing lots of reading on RSI. I want to beat this! But I know I need to take it slow and steady.

However - don't tell! - I did a little bit of knitting tonight. One row (about 28 stitches, 2x2 rib) then a 15 minute break of stretching, and I only did 4 rows... I kept my left hand perfectly straight, so it was slow going to get those stitches off with the right needle; but I had no pain in the underside of my wrist. If I bent my wrist there'd be the slightest twinge - but it didn't hang about. My hand felt a bit weird though, and I had to keep cracking my wrist. But at least I'm narrowing down the motions that affect the underside.

However, I can't see me knitting again in the near future. Maybe even long term. But I need to be confident that with rest and working on it, that I will get better :)

To that end I have downloaded WorkRave. I really recommend it - get it now! It's easy to install, it's FREE, and it has a cute sheep for a logo. It prompts you to take breaks, gives you exercises to do. When I can knit'n'stuff again I think I'll even use it for timing myself for that.

I know I'm on a bit of an anti-RSI crusade, but it's so debilitating, and so easy to catch it. I was 'lucky' in that I got it just as I was quitting work to become a student. I am fully aware that there is no way I'd be able to be doing my old job right now, and that's pretty scary. As it is, I don't know what I'm going to be capable of doing when I finish studying - assume my hands allow me to finish studying!

So download WorkRave, work on your posture and 'hand habits', and STOP as soon as you feel a twinge.

A miserable end to an experiment

So yesterday I discovered typing hurt the underside of my wrist after 5 or 10 minutes. I have a feeling the underside pain is recent and related to strain from typing from a few weeks ago. I'm sure my general RSI was mainly the upper side of my hand.

So today I thought I could try knitting - that might not actually cause any pain! So I got Hug out... Less than 6 stitches in and the underside was stinging and burning :( I finished the row (don't worry, it's short) and put it away. I'm recording this using my right index finger - left arm is being kept still.

I guess I really need to go and cut all my nails off on my right hand now.

:(

Current froggable stash

Day two of the ban is OK. Hug looks miserable, sitting there barely started, but it will have to deal. It looks like it's going to be lovely though - tighter than I expected though I do have stitch gauge. I spent today reading See Eunny Knit; I'd read a chapter of a work book, then a page of the site's archives. It was nice to alternate the horror of the witch craze (people hurting and killing people for imaginary reasons :( ) with the beauty of the knitted lace on the website. Yes: I want to knit lace now ;)

But I shall hold off for at least a week.

Today I went back to the charity shop with the needle box again, this time with my needle inventory along with my gauge, to fill in any gaps in both my straights and DPNs. So now I have lots of thin needles - just the right thing for lace knitting ;)

Anyhoo. Pics of the needlecases to come soon - hopefully tomorrow. For now here's a picture of my current stash of charity shop jumpers to be frogged:



From the top:

• Green, 100% cotton jumper; the cotton is stranded and not really spun - it's a bit like a thicker strand of embroidery thread. This originally cost £3.50, and is partially frogged and going to become the Corset Pullover


• Lilac wool/acrylic mix jumper - this looks like handspun yarn - my handspun yarn at least ;) It has thick slubs in it, but I'm sure was machine spun. Cost £1.99


• White, 100% acrylic jumper but so so so soft; I may keep this as a jumper as it is, maybe... Cost £2.99


• Varigated cream and blue (and yellow - but that only shows up when wet!) jumper, made from a thin ribbon-esque (i.e., not ribbony ;) ) yarn! I'll probably try and dye it, but it was such a bargain for the type of yarn used. Cost £2.99


• Navy, 100% cotton jumper (stranded I think like the green, but chunkier); cost £2.99


• Pale blue, 85% lambswool jumper; cost £2.49


• Dark turquoise wool/acrylic mix shrug shot through with blue sparkles!; originally cost £4. Partially frogged and in the process of becoming Hug

No black to be found ;) I have a bit of a thing against knitting in black, since I feel it won't show stitch definition well. However, most of Friday's handthing is black 2x2 rib, and obviously that looks just fine (as do all my black machine knit store bought jumpers). I probably wouldn't do excessive cabling in black, but a simple knit should be fine. I am sort of planning a top that I'd like to knit - so now I want a black jumper made of the same sort of cotton as the green jumper above to provide the yarn for it! Now I know how lovely the green is to knit I'm half regretting not buying the blue one I'd seen a while ago, but it was £3.99, not black, and lots of jumpers made of that sort of cotton appear to be common in charity shops. I just have to keep looking before it warms up too much and they stop selling knitwear!

Hug-tacular

I've cast on for Hug at MagKnits, using an unravelled sleeve from the bright blue shrug. The original gauge is 9 stithes per 4", so I thought I might have to tweak the pattern. However, using the suggested needles on the pattern got me the stitch gauge perfectly - hoorah!

All I have actually done is cast on ;)

I've had a search to see if there are any handy hints, and this thread at Craftster has some information.

To bed!

Oops I bought a stash...

At the weekend Mr Bee and I went back to Manchester to visit our families, as we each had sisters with birthdays.

I was planning to go to the fabric shop I always used to frequent (to buy fabric) to check out whether they had any yarn on sale. They mainly sell balls of novelty yarn, but they had one huge unit full of packs of regular yarn, and it was cheap - plus I got a student discount!

So, from top to bottom:

• 10 balls of Sirdar Nova (50% wool, 50% acrylic) in Navy - £1 per ball
• 10 balls of Sirdar Nova (50% wool, 50% acrylic) in Hot Pink - £1 per ball
• 10 balls of 'mixed fibres' (looks a bit like mohair, but probably mainly acrylic) in a magenta shade - 58p per ball

Yes, admittedly I did have to buy a lot to make the savings, but I think it is worth it, given that they worked out to less than a ball of acrylic would be. They did have a pack of beautiful bottle green 'mixed fibres', but it was a lot thicker and way scratchier than the magenta. The Nova stuff is chunky as well, which I like as it means a quick knit!

I don't have any plans for them yet, except I'm thinking of the Spider-Web Capelet from Stitch'n'Bitch Nation for the magenta.

I also went to the charity shops in the suburb between my parents' house and Mr Bee's parents' house. Found some cool jumpers to frog as well...

From the top:

• Pale blue jumper, high lambswool content, size 12-14 and not-me enough for me to definitely frog it: £2.49
• Smokey electric blue shrug (a bit like Blackberry, but sooooooo wrong), mainly acrylic with sparkles, size 12-14 so so so bad in it's current state it's definitely being taken apart: £4
• White jumper, 100% acrylic (yet still handwash only!), size 10-ish. I haven't tried it on yet, but I do like it. I might be tempted to keep it as a jumper unless I can find something nicer for it: £2.99

I think the shrug is going to become Hug from Magknits - that's by the same designer as Blackberry as well (I should email her and tell her she's fab!). I haven't made a decision about the others, but thought I should get them as they were cheap. Both blue items were originally from Primark, so they probably didn't cost much more to begin with. I'm surprised that they have a wool content and proper sleeves to be honest, but then I imagine Primark uses sweat-shop labour :( Ah well, this way I'm supporting charity shops, not horrid companies. I think if reknitting charity shop jumpers works I will try and get all my yarn from there.

I also found a cool knitting book for £2.99. The patterns in it are mostly awful (it's late seventies early eighties), but the best part is the first half is basically a stitch directory! Can't wait to try them out.

One thing I didn't buy was what would have been the best stash-bag. It was a large red hemp 'toy bag', with snail or a caterpillar on one side and a bee on the other! It also had two inside pockets, but sadly no covering flap. Unfortunately it was £12.99 - it was in a charity shop, but as a new product. I decided not to get it, but to think it over and potentially go back. I thought about it, decided I did want it, but when we went back the shop had closed. Sigh. Other branches will possibly have it, but there isn't one in this town. There is one in the next town where we sometimes go to the cinema, so maybe I'll try there. However, after having looked at my bank balance today, maybe I don't need it after all (even if it did have a bee)!

And today my order from Wingham Wool Work arrived - now I can finish my Ultramarine project! I've also bought 150g of Petrol (a beautiful deep jewel green) merino, and 300g of their cheapest sheepy stuff to continue practising with. I'll probably spin up the rest of the Ultramarine tonight - it'll be nice to actually have a completed project!

I did work on Tempting over the weekend - I've attached the sleeves and am about an inch into the yoke. The 2x2 rib is hard going though, and I did have wrist pain issues. It's being done slowly but surely though! I also finished one blue'n'pink slipper and am quite a way into the next. I need to finish those before I can get started on anything else (and I want to swatch for the Corset Pullover! I unravelled a sleeve to make yarn for it on Sunday). The good thing about my Denise kit is that I can't have too many Ws-i-P: I don't have enough connecting cords! Admittedly Tempting is using up 3, but still I need to keep my Ws-i-P down, and this is as good a reason as any.