Frozen Shoulder, Spring Thaw

Along with the lengthening and warming days comes the thawing of my shoulder. Recently I noticed I couldn't move my right arm, (my knitting arm!!) with the same range of motion as my other arm. I also was experiencing aching pain. I won't go on and on but after a visit to my internist and a referral to a physical therapist the diagnosis was: Frozen Shoulder!!!! It turns out it is VERY COMMON in women of "my age"!

My first question to the physical therapist was, " Do I have to give up knitting?" Fortunately, no. But no "hunching" my shoulders so I have to hold my knitting way down in my lap.

All I can say to my fellow knitters is: beware! Read about frozen shoulder here and this book, The Frozen Shoulder Workbook and DVD, Frozen Shoulder are useful, too.

The therapy is slow but I am told the success rate is high and I haven't stopped knitting!

;-D

Macaw Socks

First sock! I love the yarn.

This yarn... (click to see details)

I didn't come to this lightly. I read Knitting Rules!. I watched, Knitting Sock Techniques 1, Lucy Neatby a Knitter's Companion. Then I watched Knitting Sock Techniques 2, Lucy Neatby a Knitter's Companion!

It was a cold and rainy afternoon with the fireplace cranked up and a husband working in the other room. (These videos are really good). Lucy Neatby has so many good ideas, tips, techniques, and the video is clear and easy to follow. Watching her use those blunt birch needles (I am a devotee to Knitpicks' very pointy needles) was something else. And besides, anyone with raspberry and blue hair can't be anything but GOOD!

It's amazing how much fun it is to watch someone else knit!! I think my husband thought I was watching grass grow but it reminded me of watching cooking shows ;-D.

I also read Getting Started Knitting Socks, Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles, Socks 101, knitty's tutorial socks101, and looked at lots of sock patterns.

I purchased the needles, I purchased the yarn, but I just couldn't get started. Finally I started doing gauge swatches and that took an number of tries (this poor yarn probably got knitted 10 or 15 times before I was satisfied). And then I realized that I didn't know how to do the long tail cast on (a-r-r-g-g-h) so I had to find a website with a video to show me how to do THAT!!

This one worked for me: http://www.knittingatknoon.com/longtail.html

So, after much reading and thinking and fiddling, I decided to stick with the basics and used Knitting Rules! (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the Yarn Harlot) basic sock pattern and the fun began...