How I Deal With Rheumatoid Arthritis

 
 
 

It sounds crazy, I know. But the RA diagnosis brought about some positive changes in my life along with the negative. Certainly, we could debate about how I would be better off if I had never gotten sick. I would have been able to continue with my career, perhaps go to law school as I had planned. But I don't think about the "what ifs" because the reality is that I have this disease. So I'm happy that along with the frustration of the pain and fatigue, I gained a new outlook on life. I was able to find a satisfying creative outlet I never would have otherwise. Through necessity, I learned how to become my own advocate and became more confident and assertive in general.

Early in my diagnosis I tried so many different things to ease the pain and swelling. I gave up caffeine (though I didn't drink much to begin with). I went to a Reiki Master. I got a new mattress and nice bedding - I figured as much time as I spend in bed, it was worth making it feel great. Epsom salt baths, fish oil supplements, the list goes on. I have been in remission. I have been unable to stand for 5 minutes. But the past few months I have made some major changes in my lifestyle and I am seeing great results in how I feel. For the first time in 9 years, I am completely off pain killers!

I began walking 5 days a week. When the weather was nice, I would go to a local park and walk along the river. Being outside, breathing in the fresh air, was a bonus. I started small, a mile to a mile and a half. I decided what 2 days I would have as my rest days based on how I was feeling. Before I knew it, I was walking 3-5 miles a day! I began lifting weights 3 days a week. Again, I took it slow with 3 pound weights and just a few reps and built up. I also use my compression gloves, since the weights put stress on my hands and wrists. I've since added in yoga and began some jogging intervals when I walk. While I still have pain, of course, it is much more manageable. I feel stronger and have better endurance. The one area the exercise hasn't helped is my sleep. I still sleep terrible.

My next focus is my diet. I'm caught in a vicious cycle - the pain interrupts my sleep, because I didn't sleep well I'm tired, because I'm tired I crave sugar, the sugar increases my pain, and then I don't sleep well. (I discovered the sugar connection to my pain recently.) It is going to take some serious willpower to cut way back on my sugar intake so that hopefully I can break the cycle! Plus, I still have a pesky 20 pounds I'm trying to lose. I'll let you know how it goes! As much as the activity has improved my quality of life, I imagine that changing what I eat will do even more. Fingers crossed!

River view as I walk - from March

Winner, Winner!

But I do not have the energy for a chicken dinner! I know, I went from super productive last post, to dragging ass today. After 4 hours of mindless TV and reading, I decided to give myself the day off. (Ironically, I am making chicken for dinner though.) I love the accomplishment of getting things done, so I have to consciously give myself permission to not do anything (at least as much as possible). So I've spent the evening internet cruisin' for patterns. Why? Because I finally made it to Black Mountain to pick up my Yarn Crawl prize!!! I got 3 wonderful skeins of Malabrigo yarn. I got 2 skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino (one in Green Gray and one in Madre Perla) and a skein of Rastita in Sabiduria. I love the softness of all the skeins, but particularly the silk blends. The fibromyalgia makes my skin super sensitive, so even the softness of merino wool (or *gasp* cashmere) can feel rough to me. All 3 colors go so well together. So I'm trying to figure out what I want to make! I would love a sleeveless shell, but I would A) need more yarn, and B) need more time than I have. I may be boring and go with a color block scarf. I do wear the pink scarf pictured above pretty much exclusively.

What would you make with this yarn? I would love to hear any suggestions! Now I'm off to finish up that chicken dinner.

Super Simple Throw Pattern

Do you ever have such a productive day that you want to make a to-do list AFTER you've done everything, just so you can cross everything off? Today has been one of those days for me! I love the gratification of crossing off tasks. It is that same instant gratification that draws me to knitting. You can see your project grow right before your eyes! I always laugh when people see me knitting and say "you are so creative! I could never do that." I'm very left brain, logical, mathematical. Knitting works for me because it is so much about numbers, counting, following a pattern. I also happen to be a perfectionist, so I get frustrated with patterns that are more complex than they need to be. It is rare that I follow a pattern without adapting it. This is also the reason why I just create my own patterns! So many times I look at a "beginner" pattern and it is the last thing I would have a beginner knitter attempt. (My dream is to create a garter stitch pattern book. You would be surprised how much you can create with just a knit stitch.) So to give you an example of what I consider beginner, here is a Super Simple Throw pattern.


Yarn: 5 skeins Lion Brand Homespun Thick & Quick (Pictured 3 skeins Pearls and 2 skeins Coral Stripes)

Needles: One 32" circular needle in size 15 (We are using circular needles due to the width of the project. Pass the stitches from side to side like you would with straight needles.)

Gauge: 9 stitches = 4" in garter stitch

Cast on 90 stitches. Knit in garter stitch (knit every row) until you reach the end of the first skein (make sure to stop at the end of a row). If you are making a striped throw, switch colors, and knit the full second skein. Continue until you have knit all 5 skeins. Finished dimensions will be approximately 58" long by 41" wide.

 

This is a good project for cold days, as it will cover you up as you knit it! It is easy to just keep knitting while watching tv or chatting with friends and family. Because each stripe is a full skein, You don't have to count rows. Lion Brand also makes several self-striping colors in the Homespun Thick & Quick yarn, so you can let the yarn do the striping for you, if you wish.

 

I will be heading up the mountain to Black Mountain tomorrow to pick up my prize from the yarn crawl. I will let you all know what goodies I pick up!

2014 WNC Yarn Crawl

It was a rainy day, but I ventured back out yesterday to continue my yarn crawl adventures. Even more fun, my husband came with me! We only made it to 6 of the 11 participating stores before we threw in the towel, but we had a blast and got to explore new (to me) areas of Asheville. I will include links to all the participating shops below so that you can check them out!

My modest haul. I really worked hard to keep myself in check. But pink sparkly yarn is my weakness! It is a cotton/acrylic blend, and after some brainstorming on the phone with my mother, it has been decided that it will become an open-knit shrug. I purchased the yarn on Friday at OSuzzanah's.

Our first stop Saturday was at the Black Mountain Yarn Shop. I'm in there fairly often and it is my go-to yarn store in the area. While I recently found out there in a town closer to me, I have yet to visit it (it was not part of the crawl). So this is closest yarn store that I was aware of. The owners are wonderful. I picked up the pink snips there (because, as you know, I always lose mine).

I love how they bag your goodies at Black Mountain Yarn Shop. It feels like a present! And I was excited to find pink snips. 'Cuz, you know, pink. I love HiyaHiya brand needles, so I'm sure these will be great. And I can attach them to my bag so that I won't lose them!



Our next stop was The Knitting Diva. This took some hunting for us, as we weren't as familiar with the area. The store is huge! They have a great selection of yarn-themed gifts, along with all the other necessities. This is where we picked up the pottery button, made by a local potter. The button is actually for my husband - we both play tabletop miniature games, and the button will become the base to the model of the captain of his army. We really are a unique couple!

I think our next stop was my favorite. We stopped at the Echoview Fiber Mill! We were the only people at the shop at the time, so the woman took us on a tour of the mill. It was so cool to see the huge machines that make all the wonderful yarn! She was so friendly and helpful. I would love to go back during the week to see the machines in action! They also have a farm to supply a lot of the fibers and they have baby goats! I need to find a way to invite myself for a tour of the farm too.

We continued to criss cross around the Asheville area, stopping at Asheville Homecrafts and Friends & Fiberworks. At this point we were tired and hungry, so after a stop at Buffalo Wild Wings for food and beer, we packed it in and headed home (after a stop to the local comic shop, because our nerdiness knows no bounds). Next year we will plan our route and hit all of the shops! But we both had a great time. And I won the raffle at Black Mountain Yarn Shop! I don't know what I won yet, but I will let you know as soon as I find out! Not bad for my first crawl.


Participating shops:
Asheville Homecrafts www.ashevillehomecrafts.com
Black Mountain Yarn Shop www.blackmountainyarnshop.com
Earth Guild www.earthguild.com
Echoview Fiber Mill http://mill.echoviewnc.com/
Friends & Fiberworks https://friendsandfiberworks.com/
Kniticality http://kniticality.com/
The Knitting Diva http://divasknitting.com
OSuzannah's Yarn on Union http://osuzannahsyarnonunion.com/
Purl's Yarn Emporium www.purlsyarnemporium.com
Silver Threads & Golden Needles http://www.silverthreadsyarn.com/
Yarns to Dye For http://www.yarnstodyefor.net/

Knitting Bag and Yarn Crawl!

This has been quite the busy week! My husband and I (and our 3 babies - I mean cats) recently moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina from Richmond, Virginia. It has been some adjustment living in a small town! We are about an hour outside of Asheville, so we plan our trips in advance. Yet this week we ended up making the drive "up the mountain" 3 times in 6 days! That can take a lot out of a girl. The sudden temperature increase is making my joints unhappy too. The past few mornings I have woken up with swollen hands and feet. Thanks, weather! So don't think I have forgotten about you. I promise, you have been in my thoughts!

To continue with the busy theme, the Western North Carolina Yarn Crawl is happening this weekend! I hit the store in Morganton, NC today. I will wait and do a whole post on the yarn crawl after I visit more stores tomorrow. But you can check out O Suzannah's Yarn On Union on Facebook. It was my first trip to Morganton and I had a great time! I will head in the opposite direction tomorrow and stop in the stores in the greater Asheville area. There are 10 more stores participating in the yarn crawl. I'm not sure if either me or my wallet are up to visiting them all, but I'm going to try!

For those of you who follow my business page on Facebook, you may have seen the pictures I took of what is in my knitting bag. I thought I would go into more detail here. This also offered my the opportunity to clean out my bag! I have a tough time getting rid of scraps and ends. I always think I may be able to use them for something - even if I only have a couple of yards left!

 

The mess that is my bag (it looks better now, I promise. I will not admit that I stashed some remnants in another bag...). The bag itself I picked up at a yard sale for $4. I think it is actually a laptop bag, but it does wonderful as a knitting bag! It sits up on its own, it has great pockets, and the leather is easier to clean than a cloth bag. Plus it is pink! I really have a pink problem. I have all kinds of half-finished projects, partial skeins, and random needles inside. And yes, the needles should be in their needle case.

 

To keep my smaller notions in check, I have a zippered bag I picked up in Berlin years ago. It is made from a plastic candy bag (but it has been treated to keep it from breaking down). The compression gloves help keep my hands going. If you have any difficulty with your hands (arthritis, carpel tunnel, etc.), I HIGHLY recommend these gloves. I use them for knitting, typing, I even sleep in them when I'm having a flare. Finding gloves with finger support (while leaving the tips of my fingers bare) was difficult, but totally makes the difference. These came from Amazon. The newest addition to my bag is the small notebook I use to write down my patterns. This is a new habit of mine, so I still have to remind myself to take final measurements to put in the book! It was made by a local artist (and purchased at a local independent bookstore) and says "Follow your dreams, they know the way." I love supporting local, small businesses whenever I can. As one myself, I know the difference every sale makes in my life. I like to pay it forward. Plus, I find more unique and fun items that way! Now, what is missing from this bag? My small knitting scissors. I keep losing them! These paper scissors are getting the job done, but I really want a pair from Slipped Stitch Studios. They have a Velcro strap, so hopefully I can stop losing them!

The problem with cleaning out my bag is that suddenly there was room for someone else to move in! This is Ay (he has an almost identical twin brother, Bee, and they both terrorize our female cat, Maya). He decided that I had cleaned it out just for him. Needless to say, I latched the bag shut after I pulled him out!

Phew, I had better go to bed so that I have plenty of energy for fiber fun tomorrow! I hope you all have a great weekend. And I would love to hear what is in your knitting (or crocheting) bags!