Yopping Update #44 - Left isn't Right

Monkey - "Hello, I am over here.  A stuffed head, an unstuffed body, and one leg.  Hello??? Anyone, there?"

Mary-Anne - "Shush Monkey, I am trying to figure out this whole 'crocheting with my left hand thing'.  I have realized two things.  One, you are annoying.  Two, when you crochet with your left hand, the pattern is reversed. 

Monkey  - "Hear no evil"

Mary-Anne - "No, really look at this."

Leaning to the left

Leaning to the right

Monkey - "See no evil"

Mary-Anne - "Come on, you have to see the difference"

Monkey  - "Speak no evil"

Mary-Anne - "Argh.  You are so annoying.  Also my tension is much tighter with my left hand.  What's up with that?"

Monkey - "I need another leg, just sayin', plus I have been crocheted only with your left hand, so who cares!"

Mary-Anne - "You are such a nag, so now you are being put away in the time-out bag.  Bye-bye!)

Monkey -"Nooooooooo" 

Monkey - muffled words, probably not family friendly.


So yes, I am on my 4th left-handed square (this blanket was started last fall some time) and I suppose blocking will help the size difference, and I have decided it will be a design element to have four of the five squares leaning a different direction.

So no, left isn't right.  (But I still believe in DOG)   - little dyslexia humour.....

There was a Michael's incident a few days ago, but, hey, I got 40% off this crochet hook set and case.  The coloured hooks came with the case, and the rest are mine.

And I got two more skeins of the Loops and Threads Joy DK yarn to finish the above lefty/righty blanket.  (also 40% off)

I love this yarn - it is very soft and lovely to work with (and at the sale price 3.99 a ball!)

I continued a little with my lopi slippers using the Portuguese knitting style, but because I seem to also knit with much tighter tension with this style, and because I am knitting with roving - it also aggravated my arm. Still, one is done waiting to be felted and the other will be slow going with only a few rows a night.

Looks like it would fit a hobbit, but hopefully it will felt to the correct size.

I have painted a little this week which felt good, and today I am off to a craft fair with my Croatian teacher - so we shall see what I come home with.   Retail therapy and time with friends is almost as good as physio therapy for my arm, right?

Some of you have asked if surgery is in the future - It doesn't look like it.  My doctor and physio believe that physio and time will get me going again.  It is a partial tear, which means there is still some tendon attached to the bone which is a good thing.  I also talked to my physio about swimming and she suggested I could side stroke, or kick on my back.  Duh.  I am such an all or nothing thinker at times.  Of course I can still go to the pool and propel myself through the water - so I am working on that and made it to the pool three times this past week.

Okay - I am off to get my haircut before the craft fair - wishing you all a good, healthy week!

To follow the other intrepid yoppers as we head to the finish line of July 1 - check them out here. 

I am enough

I have not had an easy month (or two).  I have been wondering "What is the point?" to this thing called life. 
I have raised my children.
I have retired from my job (sort of).

What do I offer the world now? 

What is my purpose?  Yes, that is the question.  What is my purpose now?

Last week I spent a few days at the High School evaluating two teachers - so there is some purpose there.  During one of the lessons a student asked me for some help with their homework - and I did help - so there is that.


I go to my Coda meeting and my meeting at Hope Centre and I have some input sometimes and perhaps what I have to say helps someone. 

I think my question is bigger.  My purpose in life - what is it. 

I got up late today - and had to hurry off to Coda so as not to be late.  Still, everytime I go there I seem to have an epiphany either while there or on the way home.  Today I walked home from the meeting.  I passed a few other walkers and nodded, said hello, acknowledged their dog, or their child in the stroller. 

And the thought hit me.

Maybe my purpose is to just be me.  To smile at those I pass on the street.  To acknowledge the lost and lonely, or the triumphant and proud.  To meet human to human if even for just a moment - to let others know they are not alone. 

To let myself know I am not alone. 

When I get like 'this' I don't want to answer the phone, or the door, and if someone I know pops into view at the pool or grocery store I want to hide. 

But maybe, just maybe, if I think of the other and stop for a moment to say hello and exchange a few pleasantries it will be enough.  Baby steps towards not feeling so lonely - even though my loneliness is self imposed. 

I have been trying to find the Why, in the What which I do everyday.  The swimming, the knitting, the gym, the work, the walking and even the eating and the sleeping. 

I have been in almost chronic pain for the past couple of months - and the sleeping hours are the worse.  I usually wake up in alot of pain, but it does ease up considerably during the day as long as I don't aggravate it. 

Of course - everything aggravates it - dishes, sweeping, reaching, driving, lifting, and don't even mention knitting, or swimming. 

My other epiphany today was to stop.  Just stop all the things that aggravate it - because I can't knit just a few minutes and I realize that texting or doing crosswords on my phone also aggravate it and doing those things left handed is too hard. 

So except for watching you tubes the phone will only be used for - wait for it - phone calls.  To use whatsapp, or facebook messenger I will use my computer because typing with two hands doesn't aggravate the tendon like using my thumb to text does. 

So that is today.  I did take another try at painting the bleeding hearts that are blooming outside my front door.  I was happier with today's effort.

And then I spent some time on my Croatian exercises because there is definitely a purpose to that.  

Moja Unuka! Ona je lijepa.  Ja sam njezina baka. 

It is not that the pity party is totally over.  But it is winding down I think. 

And that is a good thing, no?