Startitis and massive update

Wow!  It's been a LONG time since I've worked on this blog.  So much has gone on since the last post.  We can begin with my hand. :-)  On the bad news front, the therapy never worked and I was sent off to a specialist. He determined it was not my thumb and was probably either carpal tunnel or severe tendonitis.  After that brilliant piece of news, I began to do research on how to still craft with either of those problems.  Who knew that large amounts of B Complex vitamins would do the trick?  Within 2-3 weeks of taking 2 pills a day, I was back on track.  I am now knitting, crocheting, and quilting within limits.  I have to still take frequent breaks and wear my wrist brace at night, but that's okay.  I'm knitting again! I also only take 1 B Complex vitamin in the morning.

Many other things have happened since the last post... Things like my husband returning home from being deployed. A son getting ready to undergo knee surgery after he tore his meniscus in a few places. And I'm having mental illness issues.  But that's an ongoing thing as I was diagnosed as bipolar when I was 18. I just recently hit a snag and I'm working through it with my doctor.  I have my good days and my bad days.

Currently, I'm in the middle of startitis.  What is that?  Well, it's when you start a ton of projects and then can't make up your mind what to work on next!  I have a list of 10 things I'm working on in the knitting world alone. We won't talk about the unfinished quilts. It gets scary then. ;-)  However, I'm now stuck wondering what to knit next. It can be a terrible dilemma, especially for someone in my "condition." Too many choices can lead to extreme stress and panic.  Weird how that happens.  I'm now going around in circle wondering if I should keep doing what I'm doing and just picking up one at random to work on, or focus on one until it's finished and I can mark it off my list.  I'll admit it's very tempting to work on a single project until it's done.  But then I begin to think about the KALs (Knit A-Longs) I'm in and how I'd like to keep up with them, too.  Let me play "show off" for a moment. :-)

This beauty is called the "Fall Mystery Shawl 2012". It's a free mystery I'm participating in and this was taken at the end of the first clue. This is lace weight yarn in MadelineTosh Lace color Norway Spruce.  Unfortunately, it never does photograph right. There are also small gold beads in there.

There.  See them?  Pretty aren't they?  They look like they're glowing. It's turning out beautiful.  Also, this is the best shot to get the idea about the yarn color.

I'm also working on a stole called "Myrtle Mystery Stole".  I am using lace weight on this as well in a turquoise color and it's Zephyr yarn by Jaggerspun.

You'd have to look closer to notice there are tiny pink beads there as well. :-)  I love knitting with beads.  They're so much fun.  They take a lot of work to add, but it's worth it in the end.  If you're curious, I use the crochet hook method.

A few other things I've been working on are some socks for my oldest son, some summer lace booties for me, and at least 2 baby blankets.  Why?  Because I want to.  Definitely not because I need them. I'm done with the baby thing. lol  I'm also working on a cardigan which I should focus on for awhile. It's starting to get cooler here in Texas and it will come in handy soon.

So, there you have it!  A quick and dirty update on my current knitting.  Yes, I know. I didn't list 10 projects. Let's see here. I'm missing my Comfort Block of the Month afghan, Maluka (a shawl), and my never ending Evenstar. Though I did get another row added to Evenstar about 3 days ago.  That was exciting. :-D  However, it's getting late here. I declare the knitting 'struggle' over for the evening and I'll start again tomorrow.