Former Occupations

Believe it or not, I haven't always been a knitter. Gasp! I know! Growing up, I used to enjoy all sorts of different arts and crafts. Some of my favorites included beading, jewelry making, bookbinding and drawing.

In an attempt to revive my former creative times, I dug a few of my beaded jewelry pieces out of my jewelry box to share.

My favorite piece is the washer bracelet with red Swarovski crystals which I probably made about 15 years ago. The hardware store was one of my favorite places to go for jewelry components. While my Dad was looking for something important, I would keep myself busy in the nuts and bolts aisle. I think what interested me the most about hardware components was the combination of something so hard, but pairing it with delicate crystals and beads - combining the unexpected. Although at the time, I probably just thought it was neat.

Yay for Long Weekends!

While most people in the NY/NJ area could probably be found at the beach this weekend, the hubster and I don't really enjoy the crowds, preferring a quiet setting instead. When I hopped off the train on Saturday, we decided to take a short drive over to DB's old stomping grounds - Princeton, NJ.

First we had a nice picnic lunch in a quiet park with tons of shade and beautiful landscaping.

Then we drove down the road a little bit to Princeton University. DB went to Princeton for a year or two during his college years, so he took me on a little tour of the campus. Most of the students were already gone for the summer with a few still moving out, so it was a great opportunity to get some photographs.

The architecture was just absolutely boggles the mind beautiful. I could not imagine being in such an environment everyday for school. Beats the crappy dorms at FIT hands down, but I guess you get what you pay for.

Rest of the weekend was spent watching a marathon of the Dukes of Hazzard (gotta love those Duke boys and the car stunts) and cooking and baking up a storm. Probably not the most conventional Memorial Day weekend, but for me, it fit the bill!

Slowly, Slowly

Do you know when you air a problem to the wind, how much it helps to just get it off your chest and move on? That's how I feel today, like I can finally start fresh and begin again. While I'm certainly not back up to speed overnight, I think I'm making progress.

Photo credit: Alvesgaspar Umbela of a wild carrot (Daucus carota)

I saw this picture today on wikipedia and it got the pencil moving. I am also going to possibly look into taking a digital photography class. Can anyone in the NYC area recommend a good one that isn't going to cost me an arm and a leg?

Looking forward to a long weekend of relaxation and knitting. Also going to bring the camera along and see if it helps inspire a little.

And as always, thank you for your comments. You have no idea how much your encouragement and suggestions help at times like these. Thank You!
Umbella.jpg

Seven Years Ago Today

Seven years ago today, I graduated from FIT with my BA in Fashion Design, and I can't believe how fast the time has gone by.

I've been doing a little bit of reflecting back on my experiences this week. Thinking about the things I've accomplished, the things I would love to accomplish, and the things that have fallen by the wayside - or should have anyway. Even though I've been in a creative environment for seven years, sometimes the well just runs dry. I've found that creativity isn't something that you can take for granted. You need to nourish it, stimulate it, and constantly renew it. And when you have a bit of burnout, it's so hard to just take a step back and be patient while the well replenishes itself.

Sigh. Burnout. I think I've been experiencing this for the past few months since I haven't been very productive, but I was pretending the reason was to rest my wrist and hands. Slowly, ever so slowly I'm realizing that might not be the case.

I'm trying my best to turn it around, take a step back, and look at things in a new light. What I really need is a nice, long, really long vacation but this whole work for money thing kinda sinks that idea! Instead, I can do things like drag out my old portfolio, snap tons of pictures and collect tear sheets until I'm bitten by the bug again.

Speaking of my old portfolio, just for fun, here are some shots of the stuff I used to do. After looking back at my idea book and portfolio, it makes me miss school a little....

Round and Round and Round

Just wound up my final skein of Double Sea Silk for the secret project. I'm soooooo close to being finished I can taste it! The hand has even behaved well for most of it, so I'm more than happy/relieved about that. Sorry I can't post an updated photo, but can't give away the secret! The rules are the rules.

As this project winds down, I need to start thinking what I want to do next. So many options! My yarns of choice will be either Sheep Shop 3 or Be Sweet Bamboo. Anyone out there have a preference? Both yarns are so pretty, it's so hard to choose! I guess whichever one inspires first gets the nod.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

With all of the rainy, dark, dismal days in NYC lately it's hard to believe that it's May. Isn't the old saying "April Showers bring May flowers"? The flowers are here, but I think this clearly states that the rain is for April only. Right?

Yesterday was a pretty good weather day though, and not only that, but I received my Spring Cleaning Swap package from one of my knitting buddies, dobarah from JH! The package came all the way from Montana and had a nice local theme going. I felt like a little piece of Montana arrived at my door in NYC.

Again, the package was chock full of all things Montana: Mountain colors yarn, goat milk soap, local candy and tea, magnets from a local artist, and a wee little sock knit by dobarah herself out of Castlefiber's Give Em' Hill sock yarn.

Thanks again secret buddy! I'm looking forward to digging into the chocolate and tea tonight!

Last Hurrah

Went down to The Point yesterday for a last hurrah. So sad to see one more yarn store close in NYC, we've lost 4 of them in the last 3 months or so.

I didn't want to spend too much and was a knitter on a mission - to find the Claudette Hat pattern. It was a house pattern, and while there was the chance that the designer might offer it up on her own later on, I didn't want to take that chance. And I found it, all the way at the bottom of the bin. It could very well have been the last copy even. Score!

The line was long, so of course I couldn't just wait in such a long line to buy one measly pattern, right? So I picked up some circular needles. Not very exciting, I know. But I needed some size 3 circulars to make Little Birds when I get the chance. I have been planning on knitting this for awhile, but I had the chance to try on Ysolda's sweater when she was here and I need to make it now. Right now. But it's gonna have to wait until I finish this deadline project. If you go to Ysolda's blog and scroll down a little, you'll see me modeling it. Cute, huh? I'll need to do a few modifications on the bottom rib, but other than that, it fit perfect!

Back to Work

No more personal knitting for me! Next design project was officially cast-on on Friday. Don't feel too sorry for me though, I'm using Handmaiden Double Sea - silk and sea silk.

This yarn is just so shiny, soft and gorgeous! However, I am finding that it is a little rough on the hands. The pattern I am working right now takes a bit of manipulation, so I can definitely feel the tendons on the top of my hands tightening up a bit. I just have to make sure I keep stopping for rest and to continue doing my stretching and strengthening exercises. Thankfully the deadline is also more than 2 months away, so I don't have to work my little tendons to the bone.

And in other news, where did Spring go and who told Summer it could come early! It was so hot in NYC this weekend! 83 degrees yesterday and I think it was supposed to be almost 90 today. Yesterday I ventured out with a few of my knitting buddies and took in the view of the East River in Astoria park. We got a little sunburn, but I think it was worth it. Didn't even bother to venture out today other than a few errands. The shade and the breeze from an open window suited me just fine. I even had time to do a little yoga today to try and stretch out the old back. I'd like to get back into yoga for the stress relief, but not sure how committed I am. Especially when I'm so tired when I get home from work and waking up early is just not an option.

A Lovely Day in NYC

Today I had the pleasure of hanging out with Ysolda and Connie in NYC for a bit of button shopping. Our first stop was M&J Trimming where the never ending rows of trims boggle the mind and of course you can't forget the buttons. Then it was onto uptown to the main attraction - Tender Buttons.

If you haven't been to Tender Buttons and you live in the NYC area or are planning on visiting, it really is something you should not miss. They have a very nice collection of vintage buttons at fairly reasonable prices - at least not much of a difference from M&J. Connie and I resisted the urge to buy (barely), but Ysolda picked up some very nice finds. I'm sure Connie and I will be back to purchase soon, our saving grace was we didn't have any sweaters or yarn to color match.

Next, after wandering around for awhile trying to find an empty table at a coffee shop that wasn't Starbucks, we met up with Veronique who joined us for dinner in Union Square. We didn't get much knitting time in, but we did have a lovely chat and it was nice to just relax with friends.

Connie also gave me this very nice thank you gift today - a beautiful shawl pin from Designs by Romi. I have admired her pins for sometime, but never got around to purchasing one for myself. It will be perfect for my Desert Sun Shawl that is almost finished! Thanks Connie!

Still Enjoying My Break

I'm still enjoying my break from designing and am making very good progress with my Desert Sun shawl. I only have about 5 or 6 repeats to go and done! Never mind that each repeat takes me about a week to accomplish. This shawl started off as a yarn-along with two knitters from my Astoria knitting group, but I got sidetracked with deadlines for awhile. Might not matter too much though, one ended up ripping hers out completely and the other is still knitting along between projects.

My hand is still aching very slightly so it too is enjoying the break. I'm still doing my stretches and trying to see the Chiropractor as regularly as I can. It doesn't bother me when typing or using the mouse anymore which is a big improvement. I just need to keep stretching out the tendons on the top of my hand which seem to be the cause of the slight aching now. I just want to be back to normal, I know it just takes time.

Zickzack Tunic on Knitting Daily Gallery

Check out the Knitting Daily Gallery for some Zickzack tunic shots on a few different models :)

One Row Buttonhole Tutorial

Since most of my designs are cardigans, I thought it might be nice to share one of my favorite buttonhole techniques. I've been told by some knitters and tech editors that it that is not used too often. Or maybe it's just one of those secret knitting techniques people just don't talk about. Either way, it is too nice of a buttonhole to have it languish in the cold, dark, overlooked world of good finishing techniques. Enjoy!

One row buttonhole tutorial

1. Work to the point of your first buttonhole and with your yarn in front, slip 1 stitch purlwise.

2. Move yarn to back.

3. Slip 1 st purlwise from the left needle to the right needle.

4. Pass the 2nd st on the right needle over the first st as if to bind off.

5. Repeat slip 1, bind off 1 for as many stitches needed to fit your button, I am binding off 4 total.

6. Slip the last stitch from the right needle back to the left needle.

7. Turn the work.

8. Using the cable cast on, begin casting on for the top of the buttonhole.

8a. To work cable cast on, put right needle between first and second stitch on left needle.

8b. Wrap yarn.

8c. Pull yarn through between 2 stitches.

8d. Place new stitch on left needle. Be sure not to pull too tight when making new stitches! You want the tension to be close as possible to your bind off edge on the bottom.

9. Cast on one more stitch than you bound off. In my case, I'm casting on 5 sts (4+1).

10. Turn the work, slip the first stitch on the left needle over to the right needle.

11. Pass the extra stitch from the cast on over the stitch just slipped to the right needle to close the buttonhole.

Completed buttonhole

Work in rib, stockinette or pattern until you get to your next buttonhole and repeat.

So Close!

I'm so close to finishing up my last deadline project and can't wait. I even brought some personal knitting with me to work today. I had forgotten how nice it is to enjoy my knitting and not have to speed knit!

I also had my second Chiropractic adjustment last weekend and the wrist is still on the mend. I had a little bit of a relapse on Sunday, even though I didn't knit a stitch, and I was a little scared. It seems to be ok now and I'm only having a little bit of discomfort after knitting for about an hour or so. Usually I knit about 3-4 hours per night, so it would be very nice to be back to normal.

In other news, my poor Hurry Up Spring armwarmers are starting to unravel. It started with the right hand a few month back and spread to the left hand. I had every intention of fixing them up with a small amount of leftover yarn, but haven't gotten around to it. I suppose they had a good run - they were knit 4 years ago and used constantly. It would probably be helpful if I stopped wearing them, but I love them so much! So I just stuck some safety pins in the raveling stitches and hope for the best. Lazy, I know.

One Down, One To Go

With my IK fall project out of my hair, now I just have one other to deal with before I can truly rest my hands. Luckily it's about half done, but I only have a 2 week window to complete and mail off. So far the hands have been really good to me and am looking forward to my second chiropractic adjustment this weekend. Now I just have to stay focused and make sure I keep a steady pace and don't fall behind.

So after April 1st, I'm possibly looking at some downtime. Thinking about some downtime made me start planning what I'm going to knit next. I have it in my mind to finally start Little Birds with the yarn I received for Christmas. How exciting, knitting for me and no deadlines!! Well, when faced with that, I did what any designer would do, and rushed out a new submission.

Maybe I'm crazy, I don't know. I complain about not being able to knit for myself anymore, but I think I'm addicted to crazy deadlines. There are so many things I want to knit for myself, but I've gotten so used to sending things away after I've knit them, it's become the norm.

And without personal knitting projects, quite frankly, the blog is quite a bore without any happy progress pictures. Help, I think I need an intervention!

I Survived

Well, the monster is done and ready to be put in the mail to Interweave tomorrow. It turned out well I think and I hope you guys like it come Fall. And if you don't, just lie :)

But I could not have made it without the help of 2 very gracious knitters! Kimberly swatched her little heart out, but knit a little too loose and couldn't get gauge. However, she was still able to help the cause by knitting a lovely belt.

Then Ivete came to the rescue out of the blue and helped out with the sleeves. She cranked them out for me in 2 nights and I couldn't be more grateful.

Thank you ladies!!! I seriously could not have done it without you both!

Don't Want to Jinx it but......

Well, I definitely don't want to jinx it, but I'm feeling a lot better. Not 100% yet and maybe a day on the computer will change my mind about this, but feeling pretty good. I went to the chiropractor on Saturday and we're thinking it might be more of a pinched nerve causing the discomfort. Tendinitis wasn't ruled out, but a definite diagnosis wasn't made. From the adjustment, I'm a little sore and my muscles are still a little sore, but I don't have too much to complain about.

I knit all weekend with little discomfort and rested quite a bit. Even took a little drive to the shore to get some fresh salt air.

My deadline project has now become too large to carry with me on the subway, so I brought my sport weight project along. The difference is definitely noticeable.

The doctor still prescribes rest, but he knows I won't be resting much until I get these projects done. He knew better than to press me on it! He said to just keep doing the exercises and icing when needed and I should be fine.

Btw, I never linked to it before, but this is the link for the video I've been using for my exercises. It's very sales pitchy, but for me, the 30 bucks was worth it.

Treatment: Day 5

Feeling pretty good this morning and looking forward to seeing the doc tomorrow. Going home to NJ tonight, so I won't be able to update til I get back. Hopefully I'll have nothing but good to say about the wrist and progress on the knitting!

It's going to take a little bit of extra motivation for the ice dips over the weekend. Going from an apartment where you are the next room over from the kitchen to a 2 floor house can make you lazy. Guess I'll be hanging out in the kitchen instead of being lazy upstairs watching movies all weekend. Boo!

I did not get a chance to knit on the subway today or at lunch, so I'm getting a bit of rest in a way. I also took the option of hand sketching at work instead of using Illustrator. Haven't had to use the brace or the pain cream today, so that's an improvement.

Alrighty, off to NJ for the weekend! Wish me luck and lots of fairly pain free knitting!

Treatment: Day 4

This morning the tendons in my forearm feel a little tight and ache (in my head) when I think about the project due in one week!

About mid-morning had to switch back to the brace for computer work and rubbed some pain cream on my entire arm. Felt good enough at lunch to knit, but I think I pushed a little hard and hand is so tired it's ready to fall off. At this point, I'm almost wondering if it has more to do with the Aran weight non-stretchy wool yarn than my tendons. If it wasn't a deadline, I'd probably pick up my sport weight project and see if it makes a difference.

At this point, I just hope than when the project is published in the Fall issue of Interweave that people like it and knit it. I would be so sad if I'm the one with 2 hearts on Ravelry. I want all this to just be worth it!

Treatment went ok tonight, not as painful as the night before. I also got to the point in the project where I split for the armholes and that also seems to be helping tons. Littler sections of knitting are much easier on the tired hands.

And thanks to everyone who has made helpful suggestions! I'm going to the doctor on Saturday, so I'm going to run all these things by him and see what he thinks. So keep them coming!

Treatment: Day 3

Not doing too bad today. Woke up with arms in strange position and they were asleep, but corrected that quickly. Very slight pain when using computer, but nothing abnormal considering the circumstances. At lunch went out to try and find some ibuprofen cream, but no luck. Went with an asprin type one that is supposed to reduce inflammation. Figure this can't hurt to use throughout the day when I can't ice.

Knit a few rows on the subway with little problem. Knit a few rows at lunch with little problem. Still trying to take it easy.

Ice dip treatments were really, really tough tonight. I was really feeling the cold and it really tired me out. I went from knitting 1 row in about 15 minutes to knitting 1 row in 60 minutes. I didn't slow down because it was painful though, my hands and arms were just exhausted.

Treatment: Day 2

7:30am: Woke up with a little tenderness in the wrist area, but nothing abnormal. Neck muscles have been stiff due to leaning over, but only related to the problem to a point. Didn't experience any numbness during the night which is a plus.

8:30am: Hot shower does wonders for sore muscles. I think the sore muscles are from me trying to readjust my knitting process to compensate for the wrist pain.

9:00am: Knit 1 1/2 rows on the train. Kept on wrist brace as extra support. Seemed to do pretty ok. Mornings usually aren't the problem though. I don't start to push myself til later on when I get home from work.

12:00pm: Little discomfort writing and using the mouse. Trying to work without the brace today.

3:30pm: Tendons in hands seem a little tight from using the mouse drawing in Illustrator. Didn't get to knit at lunch today, so no extra strain involved.

7:00pm: Started treatment. It's a little easier to take the cold ice dip today and left in a little longer than yesterday.

9:00pm: Treatment done. Knit between dunks in the ice bath and feel ok. Started to get a little tired after awhile, but mobility and range of motion seems to be improving.

And for anyone interested in how I got here, here's a little background:

About a month ago, home sick from work, I was trying to catch up on some deadline knitting. Basically, being stuck in bed for 2 days let me knit a little too much and the pain started in. I tried to knit for 2 more days, but it was painful. I bought a brace, but it only helped for another day. I then rested for 7 days. No knitting (drove me crazy) and as little computer work as possible.

After 7 days, I picked the needles back up, but started slowly. Pain started to return. I then heard about ice dipping. Basically, you fill up the kitchen sink with cold water and stick some ice or frozen water bottles in. You then dip your arm in about 10-15 times over a 2 hour period for 5-10 seconds each. I did this for 7 days and got quite a bit of relief because it took most of the inflammation away.

I say most of the inflammation because I had to keep knitting throughout the treatment due to crazy deadline I need to meet. If I had rested another 7 days while doing the ice dips, I'd probably be fine right now.

So now, in addition to the ice dips, the DVD has taught me a few exercises to lengthen the tendons and strengthen some muscles. This seems to be the key to keep the symptoms from reoccurring. Getting rid of the inflammation is only one piece of the puzzle. Getting your muscular and nervous system back in the groove is the key.