Yopping Update #43 - Portuguese Knitting

I worked a wee bit over the week on my amigurumi Monkey.  Head, body and one leg done.

It is slow going to crochet with my left hand but it is coming along.

Then yesterday I had an epiphany.  What about Portuguese Knitting? I went to my trusty friend YouTube and after looking at a couple of videos I gave it a try.

I got out the felted slipper pattern I had, and I made myself a pin to hook the yarn to the left side of my shirt.  The whole idea is that all the action, and tension is happening with the left hand.  The right arm just has to hold the needle, and the tensioned yarn is held around the middle finger so no opening and closing of my thumb.

It took me a few tries to get the knit stitch, but the purl stitch is super easy.  In fact purling is so easy that if you want to have a garter stitch project you purl every row, rather than knitting every row.

Even though it is called Portuguese Knitting it is a common way of knitting in Turkey, Greece and other countries.  Who Knew?

In a funny coincidence Liz (highlandhefflump) sent me an email that I received this morning suggesting I give it a try.  Great minds think alike!!

I knit for a few hours, on and off last night, and my arm is no more the sorer for it.  I will take it slow.  I did get my ultrasound results and I have a 9 mm tear in one of my rotator cuff tendons.  It is what my physio suspected but when I see her on Thursday I will take her the report and we will continue our work together.

I had a better week mentally this week.  I went to the gym a couple of times and the pool once where I walked in the river current without using my right arm at all.  I walked to my 12 step meeting yesterday because it was so beautiful out, apple and cherry blossoms everywhere.  Beats the snow my son was getting one province over!

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Yopping Update #42 - To the left, to the left

Happy Easter!

Spring Cleaning seems to be happening here - trying to do so with my left arm (this takes longer and is not as efficient).  Yesterday I took apart our bedroom fan (looking forward to hot July days) and cleaned all the dust and muck that has accumulated over - oh, I don't know - twenty years!!

I re-potted my Aloe Vera plant which had enough new babies to now have four pots!  I cleaned out the flower boxes and I will buy more hummingbird flower seeds to keep those dear little birds around.

I worked this week on learning to crochet with the hook in my left hand.

I finished the skein of cotton and frogged it, and now I am trying to learn the basket weave stitch.  

I narrowly avoided buying a set of knitpicks interchangeable needles (darn knitpick catalogue), but as my uncle would say - common sense prevailed.  I don't NEED any more needles, but I feel so lost
without my knitting I just want to buy something knitting related.  I wandered into a local wool shop Thursday and perused the crochet needles (I also don't need these), and again came to my senses before spending any money.

I did, though, buy a crochet pattern that has been in my queue for a while, for the Rainbow Amigurumi Monkey, and I am using the yarn I bought at Michael's at the end of March.

This will be a slow process, but it is on my Year of Projects to-do list.

I got home Monday night - and have not been doing any walking because I have been feeling sorry for myself.  I put my arm in a sling on Friday, which I think helped me be aware enough not to use it all the time for this and that.  I have my ultrasound on Tuesday, and also a physio appointment. I have been sleeping better because I am taking ibuprofen as I head to bed, which seems to make a lot of difference.

I have been reading this amazing book called Tides, by Jonathon White.  I picked it up from the library to read as prep for the course I am teaching this summer, but it is more than just that - it is such a good read, accessible in its scientific explanations, and the story telling of the different unusual tides around the world is very engaging.

I went to my Croatian lesson on Thursday and we got through another chapter of my textbook.  Yay us!

I went to my CoDA meeting yesterday morning and was late because I had slept in.  Then I sat in the corner quite weepy for the first part of the meeting (see above about feeling sorry for myself).  However by the end of the meeting I was feeling much lighter, and more hopeful and that probably explains the fan cleaning and plant re-potting yesterday afternoon.

There has been some difficult news this week of two dear friends who both have been recently diagnosed with Cancer.  F&^k Cancer!

I have set up my daughter's painting easel, and I plan to start painting again - since I can't knit or swim.  I will keep you posted on my progress but I am looking forward to getting my paints out once more.

Here is another message from my son:

And when all else fails I just play this video over and over:

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Now I have a chocolate bunny to eat.....