We are Two !

Happy Birthday... we turn two today!! Handknitter Craft Journal is two years old today. Thanks for being around all this while and do continue to drop by to read my adventures as we cheers to more good years ahead!

Knitting Alive Again!

Been surfing the net to find new knit inspiration again!

Found this Japanese Clover page which is rather interesting but pity the instructions come in Japanese - wait till I find a translator ... check it out at :

http://www.clover.co.jp/kyan/knit/2008teami/index.shtml

I have recovered!

Thanks to God! I have since fully recovered in August 2009. So happy that I started to do this and that again ... with my hands. Never appreciated it so much. Typing, doing housework, carrying my groceries, driving ... I could do all that again without any residual pain! Yippee!

The darkest hour is over! Let me start to appreciate all the things I have been given in life all over again!

Leisure Time

Still recovering from my injury. Its been almost 1.5 months now. Seen specialist after specialist. Maybe I could have developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) or Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) after the venepuncture incident. Pain seem to have decreased but not completely. There are still minor discomforts and occasional pulls up my hand, arm, shoulder, thigh and even near my chest at times. Very irritable feeling indeed! What an unfortunate incident during venepuncture that I had really (see previous post on 'Traumatised'). Hope all these will go away soon... Meanwhile, I try not to strain my hand too much as I understand there were also some signs of muscle injured/ spasm/ stretched from ultrasound done. Having said that, doctor still says I should try to use it as per normal (despite its pain) so I will take it slowly. Now even typing too much makes my hand/arm ache but I try to ignore it. I find that now I try to spend much more time resting. Been working too hard.. and ... I also play with my nephew at times too. Look at him! Playing with him cheers me up.

Lovely cheer

While mending my injured hand, I was very happy to receive a lovely surprise from Yarn Cafe. It really made my day! A yarn of Shetland Wool (Color tone: Earth) from Elissa, Yarn Cafe. Its something for my effort at responding to their "Pay It Forward" blogpost. A good deed deserves another~ (Please see my old blogpost on "Pay It Forward") Well, now i just hope I can quickly recover and get to work on it soon! My hand now still aches at certain movements but its getting less painful already...

Traumatised

Its the 13th day today. I had spent a traumatic 5 days medical leave at home last week!

I also cant remember how it happened. Things had happened so quickly since the fateful 15 April morning when I had my routine Annual Health Check. It happened during the the blood extraction (the so-called "venipuncture" process) where, midway while the nurse was extracting blood from my left elbow, I suddenly felt a sharp burst of pain in the inner part of hand between the elbow and palm. The feeling was like something had snapped inside, just like a rubber band broke. The pain was unbearable and I felt my hand turn weak after that. But the nurse did not take out the needle! I was told she was unable to draw any blood from me at that juncture. She seeked assistance from another nurse and both then took a while to fiddle to find the vein to continue the process. All this being done despite the pain in my hand!

[ Note: I realised after this whole episode that I was stupid enough not to have asked the nurse to withdraw the needle despite the pain and left them to do what they wanted! I had thought then that it was best left to them but then, I believe in this process, I got either my skin nerve or muscle injured. ]

After the venipuncture process, into about 5 days then, the inner part of my left hand was in pain. Whenever I try to straighten my arm and at certain movements, I would feel a very sharp pain in the inner part of my hand and the intensity of the pain never goes away. Realising that this was not normal, I quickly went back to the clinic responsible for the healthcheck.

It was a traumatic week after! I was referred to specialists who did not seem very helpful in my opinion. All they could tell me was that a major nerve was not injured. Their diagnosis was that the skin nerve could possibly be injured but could not say more on what could be done or what could have gone wrong. I seeked a second opinion from another independent GP and was told maybe the nurse could have poked a little too deep and hurt me. Its likely the nerve or muscle or tendon could be injured. Despite given the entire week to rest at home, I was worried sick that it would never recover or that there are residual damages done to my hand in future. Why do I keep getting a sharp pain whenever I move my arm? Why does my palm will start swelling after I move my hand? Why does it ache? Why do I get a funny feeling at certain movements? All these questions kept spiraling in my mind. I never used to have such symptoms before the venipuncture process.

Its the 13th today... My hand seem better though it still hurts slightly at certain movements and my arm feels weak. I am very thankful for it seem to have turned for the better. I am praying that it will recover fully soon!

It was an unfortunate incident really. Lesson learnt is to find a good, experienced nurse to extract the blood and to scream at them loudly, if ever the process hurts. I think enduring the pain wont bring you any benefit. The physical and mental suffering you have to go through after that is also not something you will want to experience ... I am still praying the pain will all go away soon and I can knit and do what I like with my left hand again! God bless me.

Big Bag Pattern discovery

Discovered this Big Bag Pattern on Ravelry and its a lovely bag which you can put in a lot of things. It should be especially useful for knitting stuff! And I just love big bags!

So I really like it a lot. I will make it my next project, after i complete those outstanding ... (Maybe am getting too ambitious?)

There happens to be a Big Bag Knitalong but unfortunately its only open to US & Canada citizens and not for us from overseas. Too bad. Thought it would be good to join one of these KAL to get inspiration from fellow knitters. Anway, if you like the pattern like me too, you can find it on Maia Spin blog with more info there.

Happy Knitting !

I got to do it

I am now back to knitting my usual piece of shoulder warmer again!. I should have completed it 2 years back but I just couldnt bring myself to do it. I told myself I have to do it this time! Its only left with about 6 or 7 cm more before I can sew the seam together and bring it to a complete finish!!

I got to do it, i got to do it, i got to do it...

Unbelievable

Unbelievably humid and hot these days! Its no wonder Australia could end up with a forest fire these days! Temperature has gone up to about 32 degrees..! This could be a result of the climate change.. and effects of global warming.

I saw this poor tree just outside my brother's apartment. I wish we could plant more trees. Maybe everyone should make an effort towards that too. Hope you will support one of these ideas too... like i did.

1. Plant A Tree Programme (Garden City Fund)

2. Save Our Planet Foundation

3. Planete Urgence (Protect the Earth, Plant A Tree!)

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Its a quick mad rush into the New Year 2009! Before I know it, today is already the 24th day into the new year and we are now busy preparing our Chinese Lunar New Year here... which falls on this Monday, 26 Jan 2009!! Its going to be the Year of the Ox according to the Lunar horoscope. We all hope it will a positive bull run year this time!

Chinese New Year Eve is on Sunday 25 Jan 2009 and traditionally all shops/market will close for business by today, Saturday 24 Jan 2009. And whats worse, business will only resume after the 2 or 3 days after the New Year! So I'd got to get going to stock up my food before the shops close. Since I missed making my 1 Jan 2009 New Year Resolutions, I am not going to miss making my resolutions before the new Chinese New Year starts this time ... Here goes:

1. Stay healthy, fit and active by exercising regularly

2, Remain faithful to my knitting projects and complete at least 4 by year end

3, Better balance of time between work, family and friends

4. Pick up a new skill or try baking this year !

This would be enough for me to work out this year... What are yours? Tell me about it too.