The wheel turns ...

Somedays life looks sunny and bright and others the storms hit, trees are ripped from the ground, and all the lights go out.

Both those scenarios have occurred in the space of one week. Minnesota finally has sunny warm weather - coinciding with my basil getting planted and a few bike rides with my hubby. Then the storms hit, we lose power - our shower breaks flooding the basement bathroom twice, my hubby dislocates his elbow prompting all trips and bike rides to be out off, and now he's traveling for work right before we move (mostly creating stress, not disaster). The ups and downs of life.

Normally, knitting would pull me through the hard times. But summer at my job means iPads. iPads mean sitting at a desk for hours covering new devices with screen protectors. Causing a tendonitis flare up. As my husband sits with his arm in an immobilizer, I sit with my hand in a brace unable to do the hobbies I love best, knitting and biking.

Thanks for listening to the whining.

To make up for this sad post, here are two hilarious photos of my cat.

He's taken to wrapping himself around things as he sleeps on the couch, or taking a whole couch 1/2 to himself.

He is completely asleep in these two photos.

Ending with some positive: my design Incan Lily was featured in the Minnesota Knitting Guild newsletter, which blew my hand-knit socks off. I might be teaching knitting sometime this fall ... Lesson plans are percolating in the back of my brain. The camping trip to Montana has only been postponed - if all goes well we should still be able to camp at Glacier National Park in October with our bikes! Silver lining, silver lining.

Be excellent to each other!

 

Never ending story of scar tissue...

Looking back I honestly don't remember over using my hands or knitting too much, typing too much or at weird angles, gripping things too hard. But the ache and tightness in my wrist tells a different story. A recent visit to a masseuse was a telling experience. It felt great to have her work through the tough and tight muscles of my arm, and in the process she could feel how bad the scar tissue is that surrounds the tendon sheath in my right hand. Sigh.

Patterns and ideas continue to spin road in my head, taunting me with the virtue that they will be the fast and easy knit. Their design process will not be a struggle and in the end I won't have to give up knitting for a month after their completion. But that's exactly where I lead myself every design. My current project, nicknamed Tettegouche for the moment, is half designed and awaiting some inspiration to finish. It isn't a complicated design, my mind is constantly changing on how best to finish the last section of charts and design. I guess it's a good thing that I can't knit for a few weeks more. It will sit and wait patiently for me in the WIP basket. Here's the lovely yarn ...

So, I shall endeavor to let my body heal a bit and promote the healing process with ice baths for my wrist. It might even be time for the ibuprofen regime. And in the meantime I will put more strain on my arms and wrists with my summer love ... My bicycle that just received some shiny lively spoke decorations that are stars and lightening bolts. It's rockin! (Ignore the nurses bed in my office behind the lovely steed)

Off to ice the hands,

Be excellent to each other!