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My last post was a Thumbs Down. Since then, I have been diagnosed by the doctor as having Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which basically means I have to rest my hands as much as possible.  This means no (or very little?!?) knitting or crochet.  And no playing the clarinet.

Well, I am honestly finding that prospect quite difficult even though it should (hopefully) just be in the short term.  My full-time course in knitting at HV Skola (the best opportunity ever!) begins on August 24th.  Tick, tock, tick, tock…  The doctor examined me yesterday and immediately wrote a referral letter to an occupational therapist.  The next step will be night time wrist supports and maybe some snazzy bandage type day wear.  If the symptoms don’t improve then there is surgery.  *Gulps nervously and sips coffee.*

Anyway, on the plus side (and ironically) I finally have my long awaited crafting arm chair.  This is because our old sofa has been adding to my aches and pains in the back/neck, especially when sitting to knit/crochet.  Swede and I are also working systematically through the “tardis” that is our apartment.  What is apparently small on the outside must have some extra other-worldly dimension that allows so much stuff to be in such little actual space.  The best sleep we both had for ages came after one day of touring IKEA followed by another of furniture assembly and getting the armchair up the winding stairs.  I even have a little put-together wheeled trolley (assembled by aforementioned clever Swede) to put my yarn on!

So I am trying to stay positive, trying to see this hand/wrist problem as temporary. Hopefully. I have caught it relatively early and I will get a specialist to help me.  The flat clearing/organising is on-going and at least keeps me distracted from the yarn cravings… well, some of the time.  Yesterday, I just held a blue ball of alpaca yarn and squeezed it until the worse of it passed over…

Meanwhile, I can give a thumbs up to my lovely, talented and kind musician friend, Julie.  She made an order from Norway to have a mosaic headband and wanted the same dark blue/striped grey yarn that she saw from another project of mine, an improvised vest which is also sitting unfinished on needles.  *Sighs and sips coffee.*

Anyway, Julie is happy with the result and was kind enough to share some photos to celebrate this positive yarn harmonious moment.  A future soprano star looking fabulous in mosaic**!  And there is the thumbs up!  *Slurps final drop of coffee with due sense of satisfaction.*

**see “Mosaic Knitting” by Barbara Walker for original mosaic patterns.