A Cautionary Knitting Tale

I would like to regale you with a cautionary tale of knitting needles and multi-tasking.

I've been crocheting now for about 5 years.  The apartment is often littered with crochet hooks as I work on different projects throughout the day.  In January I began knitting, which presents several challenges to this crocheter.  I am a perfectionist ONLY when it comes to my crafts.  I will tear out my creations many times before they are finished, and sometimes scrap projects all together, winding the yarn back into a ball.  This is more difficult for me while knitting and I have mostly just made practice items until my skills are of a higher quality.

Also, where in crochet you can create anything using a single hook.  In knitting you need at least a pair of needles and sometimes extra for things like cabling.  I've mostly been using my grandmother's knitting needles that I retrieved from my parents' basement.

Currently I am working on leg warmers on a new pair of circular needles.  I am making cables and using an extra double pointed needle to hold my stitches.  This is where my story takes a turn towards the strange and perhaps nauseating.

New Items at Etsy

I've recently posted bunches of things on Etsy! Check them out here:

What I Made Today: Amigurumi Owl

I have been incredibly restless lately.  I have not been getting proper restorative sleep which is a common problem for those who live with Fibromyalgia.  Often when I feel like this, a lot of mental energy without the physical, I start to feel discouraged.  I feel like I should be contributing so much more than I'm currently capable of.

I thought that I would post something here today so I would feel that I had contributed.  I hope it at least makes you smile.

This little amigurumi owl came to me after Ryan's alarm had gone off and I had yet to fall asleep.  He hooted at me till I turned the light on and gathered the yarn I thought would be perfect for this project.  I rarely use patterns for anything.  I get more satisfaction out of paying attention to how the yarn responds to different combinations of stitches and shaping it whatever I am making.

My amigurumi owl is made out of 100% Peruvian wool with acrylic accents.  I love the rustic look the texture of the yarn creates.

I will certainly be perfecting my design and make more of these little guys.

Ear Infection Mania

Often when I've been down with a general flare of my chronic conditions or some illness for awhile, I go through a period of time which I can only describe as creative mania.  It happens after I have been unable to do things for many days and I begin to feel a fraction better.  I get ideas about things I want to create and it is impossible for me to sleep or sometimes even rest until I can see my ideas in some tangible form.  This process is often counterproductive as I spend many hours, sometimes staying awake all night, creating. Lack of rest and sleep allows my flare or cold to get worse again.  It's hard to control, but it usually produces some very lovely things.

On January 3rd I woke up not being able to hear out of my right ear.  By the 4th it had started to hurt and was clear that I had an ear infection.   After visiting Urgent Care and starting antibiotics, then visiting a specialist and receiving ear drops the infection still seems to be clinging on.  I go for another specialist appointment tomorrow in hopes of getting some more answers.  

Late one night when the pain in my ear was still unbearable I treated myself by purchasing some wool roving on Etsy.  I found beautifully colored Polwarth roving form Greenwood Fiberworks.  I was so excited when it came in the mail that I wanted to spin it up immediately but I already had another project on my spindle (green and yellow yarn).  So I finished that one, and spun 4oz. of my new wool.  I still have 4oz. left that I'm brainstorming about now.  

After I finished spinning on Sunday night I started (and finished) a great crochet beanie with a cute heart pattern.  There are other things I want to be working on now too, but my body has put a stop to that feeling achy but I am sure I will be back at it in a few days.

Handmade Love for the Special Olympics

The 2012 Special Olympics USA Scarf Project has put out a call for donations of handmade scarves for the participants, coaches, and volunteers of the 2012 Winter Special Olympics.

I jumped at the chance to do something that I really love for an organization and event that I know makes a difference in the lives of many people.

The scarf project was born in 2009 with a call for scarves for the World Winter Special Olympics, and in 2011 the project went nationwide.

Handmade scarves given out to 2012 Special Olympics participants, coaches, and volunteers serve to provide unity, empowerment, pride, and demonstrates the support of the community for the Special Olympics.

I love when two of my passions come together like this.  In 2004 and 2005 I worked in a group home for adults with developmental disabilities.  I've witnessed first hand how programs like the Special Olympics bring joy into people's lives.  I also know that receiving a handmade scarf while participating will instill a great deal of pride long after the event.

I will be making my scarves for the Ohio State Winter Special Olympics.  The goal for the state is 625 scarves due on January 18th.  I'm almost done with my second scarf and plan on making at least one more with the left over yarn.  One of my scarves was my first knitting project, it's not perfect but I'm pretty excited that I've now learned a new skill.

I encourage you to participate in this great project.  If your state isn't participating there are several states that are still in need of a large number of scarves.  You can find all of the information at the 2012 Special Olympics USA Scarf Project webpage here.  Be sure to check the project guidelines for the official Red Heart colors, measurements, and mailing instructions.

Are you participating in the project?  I'd love to hear from you, leave a comment below.