Lace Water Bottle Holder
Well, I am back to making knitted water bottle holders for friends as we all get back into shape for the summer heat. I decided to make a revision to my original Lace Water Bottle Holder pattern because I was finding that I would drop stitches without realizing it when working the yarn overs on three double pointed needles. I would realize it when it was too late — when finished with the pattern — and I began placing the water bottle in the holder!
At first I thought it was just me dropping stitches while knitting through my pain. But, after another attempt, I decided to take another approach to my pattern. I found it was easier to switch from three to two dpns when beginning the lace pattern.
And, voila, the water bottle holder ends up with no dropped stitches. I have updated the file at the same link. The file can can be downloaded here or on Ravelry.
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The past several weeks have been filled with unbearable pain, several visits to idiot, yet award-winning doctors who gave me no options, no hope to treat my pain and made me feel like a horse ready to be shot and put out of its misery …
Thank God for Tony and my friends on Ravelry who reminded me that I am not a Horse, so you can’t just shoot me and forget that I exist. It is so important to have friends who remind you that your life is worth so much more than how you are feeling right now.
And, then I discovered that I am allergic to the medication I was taking for my fibromyalgia! For the past several months, I could not stop itching and my body was breaking out in hives, execema, and psoriasis! My kind dermatologist, who deserves an award for her compassion and understanding, said that becuse that medication is the only thing I have changed in the past several months, it is possible that my skin reaction was caused by an allergy. Of course, rashes and itching is not a side-effect mentioned in the drug insert. My body is so weird!
So, as I was grieving and wondering “what the hell am I going to do now?”, a Ravelry member mentioned that a new drug – Savella – was approved for treatment of fibromyalgia. “Has anyone tried it yet?” she asked on our discussion board. Of course, it was too new for any of us to have tried this new drug. But, I decided to ask my rheumatologist about it that week.
And, now, I am the first patient at my doctor’s office and on the Ravelry discussion boards to try Savella for my fibromyalgia pain. I may not be a horse ready to be shot, but I am a guinea pig. 🙂
So far, nausea has been the main side-effect on the new drug. But, I am hoping that as I increase the dosage, my body adjusts to it and the nausea goes away.
So, today, I decided to do a simple thing to get my mind off my nausea and pain. It all centered around my bed. There should be a warning label on all chores. The warning label for my task of changing the bedsheets would read like a poem:
Changing the bed sheets, much harder than my body remembers,
Making the bed, more tiring than I remember, and finally
Going to bed, thank goodness!
Please dear body of mine,
Don’t take your revenge out on me for doing this “simple” chore today.
Let me be able to get out of bed in the morning!
A Horse, A Guinea Pig and a Bed …. Don’t you get it? Laughter is the best medicine today. If you can think of a better punch line, share it with me.
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The pain in my body still is not getting much better – still having good and bad days, but I have not been posting here about it much because it is really all the same news. And, I don’t want this blog to be a broken record. I have seen another specialist and they still are unsure why the pain is so bad or how best to treat it. I will need to apply for social security disability soon; a process that I have heard is lengthy and not the most easiest experience.
Knitted Cat
The fiber artists group I am a part of on Ravelry keeps me going with laughter, shared experiences in our pain-filled journeys, creative inspiration and random acts of kindness. Because the pain and drugs I am taking sometimes overtakes my ability to concentrate and catch mistakes, my knitting has been focused on simpler patterns. My knitted bunnies are still multiplying, but I have also added some knitted cats. I may try to crochet some animals soon too; I recently received an adorable crocheted lamb that has now become best friends with my little green bunny. The Knitted Cat pattern can be found here and the Little Lamb pattern can be found here.
Little Lamb
Several of us in our group have decided to try and go gluten-free. Although some of us have not tested positive for celiac disease, we share similar aches and pains, mystery rashes and digestive problems. So, we may be gluten-sensitive. Going gluten-free may not cure our autoimmune conditions, but hopefully it will help us have more good days than bad. Because I live near both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods markets, it will not be too difficult to find some of the gluten-free products out there. But, I have to admit, gluten is everywhere! Even in chocolate! Luckily, I found some yummy gluten-free chocolate cookies today. And, the best news is that rice is gluten-free! Yay! Sushi is still on the menu. And, Betty Crocker has come out with some gluten-free bake mixes and a gluten-free Chex cereal.
Here are some great links to help you go gluten-free:
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