Thinking is not doing

Last time I updated I was not doing so swell. I am happy to report that I am doing much better. The feud between my arm and myself has ended and we are working together in harmony achieving knitting bliss yet again.

I have been thinking a lot about my blog. Friday I wanted to blog about my exercising.. I hula hooped and did upper arm exercises at the same time. I wanted to blog about finally using bio green clean and how amazing it worked. My bathroom looks awesome! This is a big deal since I hate my bathroom.

I wanted to blog about the new bed Marty and I got delivered and our beautiful new bedding we got as a wedding present.

Our new bed!

I wanted to blog Sunday when I was finally able to knit without pain including all that I have learned since going through the experience of hurting myself so badly. But as my blog title says... thinking is not doing.

Learning

I learned that warming up before knitting and taking frequent breaks to stretch is essential to keeping yourself pain free. I have been know in the past to knit until I have had claw like hands all for the sake of one more row. I have also noticed that the way you sit has a lot to do with pain free knitting. I would often times lean to my left when knitting causing my right shoulder to compensate for the imbalance. Finally paying attention to the little things like your neck hurting or your shoulders rising. I always assumed that it was just the way I knit or that because I was working my muscles that was normal. It's really not. My body was trying to tell me something. It was saying I need a break or I need you to just friggin relax.

Stephen West

I finished my Stephen West Mystery shawl yesterday during my pain free knit-a-thon which resulted in some knitting zen moments. The jury is still out on this one. I think a good blocking is due and perhaps some time away from it.

When it was finished I slipped out of the bedroom with it on over my t-shirt and did a little run way model walk for Marty so he could admire my work. He promptly told me he didn't like it. It wasn't "me" and that it was not "my style." He went on to say "the colors did not mesh together" and he had no idea what I would wear it with.

His bold honesty that I love him so much for actually caught me off guard. I couldn't believe he didn't like it. I also know he is right about it not being my style. But I disagree about the colors. They go together they are just not harmonizing. I usually go for color harmony and I like lace. So this project really is the anti- Melissa. If that is possible.

Baby Baby

 I finished the final baby sweater that came with the wave of babies in July. This one I am naming iBaby. One of the first pictures taken of the iBaby was with his father holding him in one arm and playing with an iPad in the other. It really did look like the baby was hooked up to the iPad.
The sweater is drying now and will have tiny apple buttons.

 Knitting On My Mind

I have been thinking a lot about designing. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner but perhaps I had a brain block. I just need to come up with blank templates and fill them in. This came to me after re-reading a post I did a while back when I first started this blog. I was using my measurements to plug into what I now know to be Elizabeth Zimmerman's EPS formula to create basic sweaters. They were all raglan I just played with the necklines. It makes sense that after I had the basics down or silhouette I would be able to add texture, color, and anything else my imagination could come up with. Why didn't I realize that before? Was it because I was just on the edge of playing with boundaries? I'm not sure. I also had an idea in my head that seamed sweaters were just puzzle pieces. All I needed to do was make sure the pieces were the same size to get the to fit together. It was a big moment for me. I hope I use this knowledge sooner rather than later. Maybe it's the weather turning colder but I am longing to make myself a sweater.

I have also started another pair of socks on two circulars. They are 8sts/In on size 0 needles using tofutsies. My opinion of this yarn is yet to be made. I like that the color is more tweed then striped or striated but it is very splity. The jury is out until I finish the socks.

I am SO HAPPY I CAN KNIT!!!

You can tell by the crazy eyed smile.