Slow Going

I was hoping that my hand would be fully functional by now. Not quite. If I over use it, I take backward steps. So I am slowing things down and not rushing things.  I am still at baby steps. 

Baby Steps

I am making very slow but steady progress with my hand post surgery.  Tonight at dinner I managed to use a fork in my left hand for the first time since surgery. It was so nice not to have to worry about the food going every which way. I also used less napkins too. My hand was sore for a couple of hours, but no pain no gain.  

Eric also let me bring weaving into his room this afternoon. I made it 3/4 of the way through a mud rug before my hand needed a rest.  The mud rugs seem to serve two purposes right now.  The first is that it is keeping my hands and mind occupied. The second, that it is using up some hand spun yarn that is not soft enough to go next to the skin, but that I do not have enough to weave a full sized rug or a full set of placemats with. This is a very portable weaving project.  Did I mention that I also get to show off one off my cool handmade baskets too. I did not weave the basket, but it was made by another artist. 

I know that I should be sleeping now, but I woke up at 2:30 am with the headache from he double toothpicks.  As I am writing this I am waiting for the aspirin to kick.  I am also enjoying the rain and lighting show.  We are approaching the 3/4 of an inch mark since the rain started around dinner time last night.  

The Bumpy Road

This has not been the month that summer dreams blossom around here. The road to recovery has been very slow. My hand is still not healed enough for therapy to start. It seems to me that I just finished therapy for the car accident in December a few weeks ago, and here it is the end of July and I am waiting to begin again. Patients is not my virtue this month, I want my hand to be all better and to start knitting and spinning again. I find that I can do about 30 minutes of weaving a day. Hardly enough time to get my 35 grams of fiber per day. Heck, I would even settle for being able to fold laundry again.

Between Eric being sick and staffing shortages at Eric's day program, Eric has been home all but a few days this month. He will also be home the rest of this week and into next week. If you know anyone who would like to work with Eric and his friends please give them the information in this link. Taglit Day Program, Eric and his friends like to have a good time as they explore the world around them. I am also not sure who has the most fun, the staff or the young adults. You would also be doing this mom a great favor.

Well tomorrow is going to be a very long day. I need to unwind before bedtime.

Breaking the Rules

Today I tried a different way to finish warping my loom.  I have always struggled to get the warp tight and even. I have been taught to warp from the outside to the middle and keep adjusting the warp.  It is very hard on the hands.  So I tried wrapping from the center out. It was easier on my hands. I also did not have to do one adjustment to the warp. I am also getting a better weave. I think it will be a good way to continue to break the rules.  

No More Stitches

The good news is that the stitches came out today. The so-so news is that my hand needs more healing time.  The not so good news is that my hand needs therapy to get my hand in better shape. Knitting and spinning are still on hold until my hand feels better.  Although I can do as much weaving as I want.  John and Eric are happy with the weaving because I will use yarn faster.

So my plan is to take the small loom when I go hang out with friends and use the new bigger loom at home. I don't want to put extra strain on my hands right now. I am a little sad because this is my peak hat knitting time for the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank and I can not knit the hats I so love to knit for the kids. If you knit or crochet I ask that you consider making 1 or 2 hats for the kids.. They need sizes from preschool through high school. A lot of the kids come from very low income homes.  You can drop the hats off or mail them to the Superintendent of the school district at the main office.  Other new clothing items and school supplies will also be accepted. 

My Wall

Today I hit my wall.  There is not a break in sight until August 5th.  Eric is home the rest of the week. I am hoping that with the stitches coming out tomorrow that things might ease up a bit.  I am not sure how long it will take for my left hand to be the new best it can be.  To cope I did a lot of weaving and 1 handed cleaning, I am not sure why this helps but it does. I will make it through this 5 minutes at a time.  

Teri Got a Book Published

The first thing that I would like to say in this blog tonight, is that if you don't want to read about a very proud mom bragging about her child come back tomorrow.

Now that that is out of the way, let me get on with being a proud mom. This is Teri's first published book. Teri and her former boss Art Neill have finally had their book published. Don't Panic; A Legal Guide (in plain English) for Small Business and Creative Professionals. You can get it in paperback and on Kindle. A link is on the side of the blog post. I am not awake enough to embed the link in the text. It is written for creative types like me. Because I could not say it better, I am using Amazon's description of the book.

"Don’t Panic! will prepare you for potential legal issues you'll encounter as a creator or entrepreneur. Whether you are a small start-up, a musician, an author, or publisher, this handy, how-to manual will be a useful resource. The book covers a range of legal situations that may arise, from the inception of your business, or the creation of your work, to that dreaded moment (that hopefully doesn’t happen) you get a nasty lawyer letter for the first time. While this book is not a substitute for legal advice, it can serve as a valuable guide to preventing and resolving legal issues. The book is organized to help you quickly jump to specific information that will help you through that stage of your work. There are short, straight to the point summaries throughout called “The Bottom Line” providing the essentials you need to know. You’ll learn how to form your business, protect your intellectual property, understand E&O insurance, and avoid problems when launching an App or internet-based service. Often, you can take a few simple steps upfront that will protect your business or creative works, and ultimately save time and money down the road."
It would also make a great gift for the artist or new business owner in your life.

I do apologize for my readers outside of the United States. Teri and Art are licensed to practice law in California; therefore all of the information in this book is based on the laws of the United States and California. There should be similar resources in your own country.

Helping Hands

Teri has been my helping hands since Tuesday. Today Teri headed home. I will miss her very much. The big bandage is gone, but my fingers are still a little bit swollen. Every day is a little bit better.  

Hitting the Brakes

I need to slow down. I am trying to go too fast back to normal post surgery. It's just that I feel better and want to do more than my hand is ready for. I tried to use a knife to cut my dinner tonight, that was a complete disaster. so I did not do any weaving tonight. Just rest time.

Recovering

The big bandage came off my hand today.  The big bandaide went on. Since the stitches go across the palm of my hand, I have decided to hold off on knitting until the stitches come out.  I decided against spinning until I get the feel of my hand post surgery, it feels a little different. Maybe it is the functionality that I lost and have regain. So I unfolded the loom an spent some time weaving. I really like the calmness that fiber puts in my life. The rythem is soothing, there is nothing like it. 

Picture credit goes to Teri Karobonik

Tour de Fleece

Tour de Fleece is a no go again today. The picture was taken by Matthew, he is just practicing. 

Recovery Day 2

Today Teri and I did some deep cleaning. Teri did all the heavy lifting, so we have one clean closet. Maybe a few more closets will be done before Teri leaves. As a reward I took Teri out for a pedicure.   I have been busy icing my hand and keeping it elevated.  I still feel very tired and out of it.  I am hoping as my hand heals I will get more energy back. 

I am taking an injury day for today's Tour de Fleece. I am not sure if I can manage to keep my hand down for more than a few minutes at a time.  I am also not sure if my hand is up to weaving or knitting yet.  So I am taking things one day at a time.  

Part One

Today was part 1 of fixing my hands. I got the 3 fingers on my left hand done today. It is my go to hand for everything.  So I feel a bit lost with not being able to use it for 8 days. It was not like the 2012 surgery where I could use my hand right away. So I think I will take a little me time and let things heal. Tonight all you can see are the bandages and puffy fingers. 

By the way Eric made it to his day program today. Every one was happy to see him. 

A Big Day

Tomorrow is a big day for me.  I am having surgery to resolve the 3 trigger fingers on my left hand. I would like to thank my team of John, Teri and Lisa for stepping up to help with everything Eric. They will also be filling in for me and helping for a few days while my hand starts to heal. 

I don't  know if I will be able to knit yet, because I have 2 trigger fingers on the right hand that need a resolution too.  After the stitches are out on my left hand we can then schedule my right hand.  Until then I will be busy spinning and weaving.  The weaving of course will use my hand spun yarn. 

Still Busy

Eric is feeling better and John is still fighting a bug. I spent the day cleaning and decluttering until exhaustion hit. Then it was nap time for me. I did not get all I wanted to do done, but 4 hours of cleaning and organizing did me in. A good nap followed. It is now time to call it a day.

Day 14

I would like to start out by quashing the rumors that Eric is in the hospital.  No, he has been home the entire 2 weeks with the exception of Tuesday's doctors appointment.  This has been very difficult cold for both John and Eric.  The medicine seems to be working with Eric, and his numbers are slowly getting better. 

I did not got a lot of spinning done today. I mostly finished plying yesterday's yarn. I washed and thwacked about a pound of hand spun yarn today.  I also got a set of coasters off the very mini loom today and had more leftover hand spun wool so I started another set. All I have to do is the finishing work tomorrow.  It's getting late so I will call it a night.  

Day 13

Today is day 13 of Eric being home sick.  The good news is that he is starting to feel better.  John still needs to kick this cold. So I spent the day spinning. I managed to spin 8 ounces of wool today.  I am in the middle of plying the yarn now.  

With all that spinning I am surprised that I did not kick the headache that woke me up at 4 am. Usually I find spinning very relaxing. I hope that this headache is gone by tomorrow.  I think it might be do to both guys being sick and me not getting enough sleep. I need to get everything back in control in the house.  

Sleep is Good

Eric and I had a laid back day. Lisa sent extra help so I got a nice long nap.  I even had enough energy after the nap to tackle a few chores and do some spinning tonight for the Tour de Fleece. I will wash and thwack it tomorrow. 

An Unwelcome Guest

Today makes the arrival of a very unwelcome guest in our home.  Eric's cold of 10 days has turned into a secondary infection and all that goes along with it. Right now I am waiting to run the first load of eyrpy laundry to finish so that I can start the second load before bed tonight.  I am hoping that Eric sleeps tonight. 

I have not had much energy for spinning in the Tour de Fleece today, I only spun 2/3's of a 4 ounce braid. I did manage to get 2 of the 3 skeins I spun yesterday soaked and thwacked.  They are drying in the garage tonight. The birds living on the patio don't like the sound of thwacking and fly away as soon as they hear me coming outside.  I am trying to keep up with the soaking and thwacking of the newly spun yarn so that at the end of the month I am not left with an overflowing sink of yarn that needs finishing.  

To tell you how tired I am. John asked what I wanted for dinner tonight and I asked for a half of a roast beef sandwich. He came in the door and announced that instead of mayo on my sandwich, he had them put on soy sauce. My reaction was, oh well I will just try something new, heck I might even like it. I was too tired to noticed that he pick up my 2 favorite dishes from my favorite Chinese restaurant, China Phoenix. I have got a very wonderful husband.  

I plan on spending the day resting with Eric tomorrow. This run of days with an average of 4 hours of sleep a night is beginning to get to me.  I really don't know if that has to do with giving up cola or not being 30 any more.  All I know is that my body has decided that it needs more sleep.  

A Little Miscaculation

Today is day 2 of the 2016 Tour de Fleece and I have spun half of the 900 grams of I had picked out to last the entire month. I spun 4 batts and 1 batch of roving that I turned into 3 singles today.  So, I went into the craft room to get more batts and roving.  Here is a picture of today's spinning.  

Tour de Fleece 2016

Today I was going to go through my fluff stash to pick out fiber to spin for this years Tour de Fleece. Instead I just took batts and rovings from the top of the pile. I pulled 900.5 grams of fiber to spin this month. That is a little shy of 2 pounds.  It is a lofty goal considering the state of my hands.  Wish me luck. Here is a first look at the fiber.  The spinning starts tomorrow.  I will even preempt Eric's programming to watch the Tour de France while I am spinning. 

Both guys are still sick. I am hoping that I don't get this crud too.  I am trying to tell myself that I don't have an itchy throat or cough. The talley just keeps going up on who is getting this bug from Eric. A lot of his aides are getting it too. This being a holiday weekend in the states it is hard to find someone that I don't have to train from scratch, so John and I are taking up the slack.  I really hope that everyone is ready to get out the door on Tuesday.  I really need a quite day.