Currently on the Needles


Good morning!!

This week my knitting has been minimal but I keep trying every day to add a few rows.  As I mentioned in this post my RA flare up is STILL hanging around.  I am off prednisone (yay) and am now managing with Tylenol, icing my right hand and wrist and wearing the wrist splint religiously.
I am improving every single day while waiting for long term med adjustments to kick in.  Call me an optimist but I think any day now that will happen!  It must.

So while I'm taking care of myself, I have added a few rows to the baby blanket each night and I add a repeat to the lace shawl ever so slowly.  I'm celebrating what I can do and know this is all temporary.

My reading has been fun.  I'm still reading The Tavern on Maple Street as my night time reading.  I'm enjoying the story and the cast of characters.  At the library, I picked up a bunch of creativity books.  I've read Big Magic in a few days, I'm glad the library had this book and the writing was nice. However, I felt that the information was thin and sparse.  So give the book a look through and see what you think.

I started reading Dancing on the Head of a Pen yesterday and it's too soon to say anything about the book.

What have you been reading and knitting this week?

Joining Ginny and Frontier Dreams

Comments

  1. Tracey ~ CloverJune 8, 2016 at 7:53 AM

    I am glad you are taking care of yourself! I know it WILL be any day now and you will feel 100%! {Positive thinking, always].
    I finished reading The Border of Paradise last night, ahem. Not what I expected at the end.

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  2. BonnyJune 8, 2016 at 8:26 AM

    Sending prayers and good thoughts for good long-term improvement - soon! I have Big Magic on hold at the library, but I'm fairly sure I will have found books I want to read more by the time a copy is ready for me.

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  3. JaneJune 8, 2016 at 8:31 AM

    Sending healing thoughts to you, dear Karen! Optimism is always good and I am sure the mind over matter helps. Take care xx

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  4. AlinaJune 8, 2016 at 8:56 AM

    The blanket is growing so fast! It's amazing that you are reading books on creativity - this is the subject I can't stop thinking about all week!

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  5. Caffeine GirlJune 8, 2016 at 8:56 AM

    I am glad that you are taking care of yourself and feeling optimistic. I'm sure this flare-up will subside! The baby blanket is looking bigger, so you are making progress!
    I bought Big Magic, so I hope I'm not disappointed!

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  6. mamasmercantileJune 8, 2016 at 9:06 AM

    I am praying that your flare up will settle down, rest and keeping warm seems to help my husband. At the moment his knees and feet are swollen out of all proportion so walking is difficult but the meds are keeping a lot of the pain at bay. Reading seems to have taken a back burner for me at the moment, I seem to be on the go with one thing or another. The baby blanket is beautiful, such a special gift. take care and look after yourself.

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  7. AnonymousJune 8, 2016 at 9:17 AM

    I'm glad you are still able to indulge in some knitting even if it is just a little bit.

    Hope your flare goes away soon.

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  8. Andrea @ This Knitted LifeJune 8, 2016 at 9:25 AM

    I am assuming you have already tried the various anti inflammation herb blends for the RA? I usually gawk at those, but have actually heard of a few success stories... I am feeling for you! Take good care!

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  9. azwoolgirlJune 8, 2016 at 9:27 AM

    It's good to hear that you're taking care of yourself Karen. There are quite a few herbal remedies that might help too, it's worth a try. I take Turmeric pills and it has helped me quite a bit. Lovely knitting going on. Take care :)

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  10. CarolineJune 8, 2016 at 9:28 AM

    You are doing a great job of taking care of yourself in the way that you need to in order to get through this flare up - my very best thoughts for you that it will be any time now that the relief will come and you can carry on as normal. Your prescription of a bit of gentle knitting and lots of reading should always be prescribed along with pharmaceuticals :-)

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  11. SharonJune 8, 2016 at 9:32 AM

    Its amazing what can be accomplished just by keeping at it and doing a bit every day.
    The blanket looks lovely. :-D

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  12. MonicaJune 8, 2016 at 9:35 AM

    Hope that medicine kicks in soon so you can get back to all the things you love!

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  13. DonnaJune 8, 2016 at 9:37 AM

    I'm glad your RA is getting a bit better. Taking good care of yourself will get you back on track with knitting. I have been a knitting slacker these days. I have Big Magic on reserve at the library. There seems to be a long list for it though!

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  14. HeatherJune 8, 2016 at 9:46 AM

    I hope you feel better soon! I am only knitting a few rows here and there, but mainly because my kids love to interrupt me as soon as I sit down. Perhaps I should start knitting standing up...

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  15. AsKatKnitsJune 8, 2016 at 9:47 AM

    I am glad that your RA is improving, and that you are resting. Your knitting is always gorgeous, and this rest time is giving you a huge boost on the completed column in reading! I am working finishing up a Knitty project and I am almost done with The Goldfinch!

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  16. SarahJune 8, 2016 at 10:13 AM

    Oh Karen! I am just catching up on your blog - I get more knitting done these days but the price is less time keeping up on my favorite blogs. Six years without a flare up seems really amazing to me, and I know it is probably so stressful and discouraging to face one that lingers like this after all that time. Those autoimmune disorders are so challenging to manage and I'm praying that the medicines dosages will be exactly what you need to overcome with as few side effects as possible, and that your hand and wrist will recover quickly. Lovely knitting- even on your slow days you probably get more churned out than I do on a regular day. Ha!

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  17. sustainablemumJune 8, 2016 at 2:46 PM

    Well for someone who is not knitting much your projects have grown massively! They are looking great and I am so glad to hear that you are finding distractions as I know how much your knitting means to you. Hope you are back to your usual knitting pace soonest ;)

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  18. Kim June 8, 2016 at 3:13 PM

    Look at those projects, just beautiful. Glad you are feeling better, and hope you are back to 100% soon.

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  19. AnonymousJune 8, 2016 at 3:47 PM

    I'm sorry the RA will not let up for you, but glad you're managing well and able to get in so much knitting every day. Thank goodness for reading for variety.

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  20. GraceJune 8, 2016 at 4:12 PM

    Karen, I know that any day now those meds will kick in and you will be knitting away! I'm keeping you in my prayers, my friend! I enjoyed Big Magic but understand what you mean when you said that it was lacking in practical guidance. I'm currently working my way through two books, Rising Strong and A Man Called Ove. I'm not as enthralled by Rising Strong as I thought I would be but I am enjoying A Man Called Ove. xx

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  21. kathy bJune 8, 2016 at 4:19 PM

    Knitted a cute winter hat Capucine. So fun. Start on two needles end on four.
    reading blogs......

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  22. CathieJJune 8, 2016 at 5:05 PM

    It sounds like the meds are slowly working. I wish you well. I'm glad to hear you can get at least a little knitting done.

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  23. stephJune 8, 2016 at 6:00 PM

    Hoping you are soon back to 100%. It's always great to have a couple books in reserve for just these kind of times away from the needles. And it sounds as if you found some goodies.

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  24. All Knit Up DesignsJune 8, 2016 at 6:50 PM

    Good luck with your flare, my mom has RA and we all hate when she flares. Hopefully you'll be back to knitting soon!

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  25. ZauberflinkJune 9, 2016 at 6:48 AM

    Your blanket and shawl look beautiful!
    I wish you all the best for a quick recovery!

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  26. ZetaJune 9, 2016 at 1:28 PM

    Nothing can beat a positive attitude! I'm also sure that day will come! ;-)

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  27. Amy at love made my homeJune 9, 2016 at 4:01 PM

    Take care of yourself and enjoy the little bits you can do. At least reading is still possible!

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  28. TahneeJune 11, 2016 at 6:41 AM

    Take care of yourself, sending you some healing thoughts!

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