An Update

I apologize for the lack of contact as of late. You would think that having a lower extremity being injured would give you lots of time to knit and post to your blog.

However, you'd be wrong in that regard. Right after the surgery, some things got a little painful that didn't leave me with much brainpower to knit, watch t.v. or read. I slept. With my foot propped in its new splint (post surgery)

Eventually, after a few days, they removed the splint and put me in a shiny red cast. And I stayed in my shiny red cast for two weeks. I was able to move around and walk, but they advised that I keep my leg elevated as much as possible. I attempted to go to work one day, and was hurting by the end of the day.

Yesterday, they removed the cast and put me in a boot, where I will stay for a month or two trying to get back into two regular shoes.

Honestly, it would have been easier to break a bone than rip my achilles.

Unfortunately, I still had to "work" even when I had to keep my foot elevated 90% of the time, because if I don't work, I don't get paid. There's no sick time or disability available to me as an independent contractor. DH set up a tiltable desk, propped me up with pillows, propped my injured foot with pillows and I set about working. There are certain perks to telecommuting. There are also a lot of drawbacks into not getting into the office.

However, sufficed to say, I DID get some knitting done. One cannot work 100% of the time.

* a new pair of socks
* my cashmere silk cowl -- which I love love love and haven't taken off since I finished (okay, I've taken it off, but only for short periods of time like sleeping.)
* two sock squares for my left over sock-yarn blanket
* matawa silk handwarmers
* one sock (working on the 2nd sock now)

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to take decent photos of them, because getting my photography gear required getting up out of bed, and DH was having none of that pre-boot. He was like a mother hen, clucking at me, anytime he heard the Click-Click of my crutches. So, I had to make do with my camera phone whenever I had proper lighting. As such, I will leave with a single photo of my matawa silk handwarmers that I took with my camera phone.

I loved working with the silk hankies. It was like working with spun gold.

A Case of Start-itis (or More Time = Less Time)

You would *think* that with so much time on my hands, I would finish projects. You are only partially correct. Oh, I have finished quite a bit -- I finished hand-stitching the top of waist cincher. I've stared and finished two crutch bags (some handsewing was required).

And I even started working on a oh-so-nummy yarn (cashmere & silk) as part of my "injury" knitting. I mean, it's so soft and delicious that I keep burying my face in it. HECK, it went with me to the hospital and I knit on it until they wheeled me off to the surgery room.



You would think that working on such lovely, beautiful drapey fabric would be enough. But nooo..... Even while working on it, I have a severe case of start-itis. And it's overwhelming my need to finish something.

I want to start on at least 3 new different projects (a new pair of socks, maybe a cast cozy, a new costume piece). I mean, I have a sweater already started, and that I love working on, but I want something new, shiny.....****

This is the type of situation that gets me in trouble. When I don't have time, I'm more disciplined about time. When I have all the time in the world, I get nothing done. You'd think it'd be the opposite, but no....

****(HELL, I started looking e-spinners just because I can't use any of my double treadles and I want to spin! Not that I'd actually BUY one, but still...)

Fasion & Necessity

Despite knitting (quite a bit), I find myself *still* a costumer at heart. A true** knitter would have knitted a solution to the problem. Me? I sewed instead. LOL

I'll be going to a convention later this month, and much of the costuming I had planned to do (and had even created) kinda fell apart as I realized that crutches + current costuming = bad idea. (One costume has a 2 foot train with 4 foot long sleeves. This does not bode well with crutches).

However, being a costumer, I can make my crutches 'accessories'. I did some searching on the Interwebs for crutch costuming ideas, and found one that sold little "saddle bags" for crutches. Being the crafty sort of person, I went ahead and made some myself (because I had the fabric & accessories and the time.)

First, I made a prototype using some left over fabric & the necessary materials, and within 2 hours (only because I had to hobble from table to sewing machine and finding everything took forever...) I had my first prototype.

It's pretty, very functional, and was immediately very useful to carry around my phone or a bottle of water as I hobbled from place to place. BUT, I also immediately noticed how I could make it better. So a day later, I made another one (in the theme of the convention) that had more options.

a) it's slightly bigger
b) has segregated pockets on the inside
c) it's fully finished.
d) has an outside pocket
e) has a backstrap so that it's secure to the crutches.

It's made from leftover material from the kimono (with 2 foot train & 4 foot sleeves) that I *had* been planning on wearing at the convention. And what's nice is that I'll be able to use it long BEFORE the convention and AFTER the convention.

And once I no longer need the crutches? It becomes nifty knitting project bags.

Now, I just have to completely rethink my costuming options that include crutches.



** I use this term facetiously, and generally poking fun at myself.