November 4th, 2010 | Author: trancejen
So, about a month ago I started this project in hopes that it would keep me both busy and warm all winter. I started knitting an afghan.
Now, let it be known that I am one shitty knitter. I have been knitting for years and still can only knit square things, save the cat bed I made that one time that was too small for any of our fat beasts and bore a striking resemblance to something Raisa Gorbachev would have worn on her head back in the day.
Anyway, I basically suck, but if you give me a few days, I can turn out a scarf.
Man, do we have a lot of scarves in this house.
So, the afghan. The instructions swore up and down that this was easy easy easy and that even a three-year-old who’d been dropped repeatedly on the head could master it, so I bought an insane amount of exorbitantly expensive yarn and decided to go for it.
The pattern basically calls for making forty-nine 7 x 9 rectangles. I have made about ten. I haven’t fucked any up so far, but I am going ridiculously slow due to this damned recurring eye thing*, which makes it almost impossible to do any close work.
I estimate that I will be finished roughly around the time of year that I will have absolutely no use for an afghan.
*This eye thing is getting ridiculous. I haven’t been allowed to wear my contact lens in months. Basically the shit comes down to really really bad dry eye, for which I was taking Restasis, but then that didn’t work and the dry eye wore holes in my corneas. This was… painful. Four eye medications later and it has started to improve a little, but if you will step into the time machine and turn the clock back, you will remember that this happens every fucking year when it starts to get cold.
My eye doctor thinks he’s found a solution, and that is to put plastic plugs in my tear ducts.
*collective EEEEEEEEW*
Apparently this prevents the tears from draining and keeps the eyes all moist and happy, which will save my corneas a lot of wear and tear. I may even be able to wear a contact lens again.
The thought of someone sticking plastic ANYTHING in my eye squicks me out hardcore and I fear I will have to be sedated/restrained/sat upon, but hopefully it will go well. The procedure is on Monday.
After that, I will be knitting like a stone cold fool until this damned afghan is finished. Then it shall be my woobie, and I shall take it everywhere, even to the bar.
Happy Thursday.
EEEWWW. It sounds like a dreadful procedure but maybe it’ll work and it’ll all be good again. Fingers crossed for Monday.
Lots of luck on the eye thing. I’m twitching just thinking bout it. I can’t even put eye drops in my eyes. My husband has to do it and force my eyelids open.
I love crafts. I can crochet a scarf in bout a half hour, but knitting takes me forever! However, I have started a blanket, and like you can only knit in squares. I did buy a book, and hopefully I can do a hat someday. I found that if you get the knitting needs that are attached by a plastic wire helps for circles.
My next goal to learn? Tatting. I got a book for that too.
Hope it all goes well, especially the eye thing, but also the afghan thing.
Plastic plugs in your tear ducts did not in any, way, shape or form elicit an ew from me, but when you mentioned the word “moist”, I threw up a little bit in my mouth. That word makes me shudder!
I had one of these Ahmed Valve thingies implanted in my eye last year. (scroll to the bottom of the page to see it http://www.ahmedvalve.com/PDF/PEB_International_English_Web.pdf ) for glaucoma complications. It came complete with donor sclera, which freaked me out at first. Not a big deal. You’ll be fine.
I did my surgery without even being sedated… Beat that!
Good luck!!
I knitted mittens. Does anybody know a large sized gorilla that has huge thumbs and needs mittens? I can totally hook you up! Re-working them…… sigh……
Wish you all good things with the eye situation!
Dry eyes is a common side effect of fibromyalgia; that’s why I’ve never been able to wear contacts.