Knit All the Things

So I'm currently in the throws of a mini-flare of my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I was diagnosed with RA when I was 15, and for the most part I'm fine and fully functioning. But every once and a while it rears its ugly head and I'm left puffy and sore with limited mobility and pain that makes me crave morphine. That's where I am now. I've spent the last few nights lying in bed, unable to go to sleep, contemplating how valuable my legs are really. Couldn't I just saw them off? Wouldn't that be better? Unfortunately, my husband insists that legs are important, so I've been finding other methods of coping with the pain.

My main coping strategy? Knitting EVERYTHING. I am craving wool and needles like they are a life-saving drug. I dream about socks and sweaters. I fantasize about new yarn. I try to sneak my projects into conversation and have been thinking if there are ways I can work and knit at the same time (so far, that's a no). It's become an obsession, but it's helping me not to focus on the pain in my joints and instead focus on something productive, soft, fluffy, and beautiful. It's a great distraction and a much cheaper pain killer than most.

Right now the focus of my knitting energy is a pair of socks and some mitts for my sister. The socks are a pattern of my own (improvised broken rib) with a sock heel I helped to test knit back when I was still in college. I just finished the heels last night and I really loved the method. I will say, I think I need to have my husband re-trace my foot. The method asks you to try your socks on over a cardboard cut-out foot and knit till a mark that indicates your heel hinge. I did that. But these are a smidge on the long side. I also think I would decrease the depth of the heel (a little more than 1/3 of the heel stitches left unworked), but that is definitely a personal fit problem. Overall, if you're a knitter, I recommend the Fish Lips Kiss Heel pattern. Be aware that it is densely written (one of the less clear patterns I've used), but the method is easy to memorize and works really well. It's worth wading through the text. As for my own socks, I'm hoping to have them finished by the end of the week.

I'm also fervently working on some mitts for my sister in Dream in Color Classy in the colorway Peacock Shadow. For the most part they are going well. Relatively simple, big needles (for when the RA reaches my fingers), great stitch definition. The only problem I'm having is with the color. No, it's not the light. The right one is that much darker. It has a lot more of the black variegation in it than the left mitt. I'm knitting two-at-a-time from both ends of the ball and apparently one end is much darker than the other. I'm going to keep going. It doesn't bother me that much. And if it bothers my sister, I'll just keep them for myself! :)

And of course, even though I have two perfectly  satisfying and lovely patterns on the go with nice yarn and a good amount of detail, I'm still lusting after other projects. I have a sweater's worth of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes that is dying to be made into an Effervescence Cardigan (aren't those "bubbles" FANTASTIC!?), some Gloss fingering that wants to be a Traveling Woman Shawl. And some Stroll Tweed that is destined for some Escalator Socks for my husband. Can you tell I got some Knit Picks gift cards for Christmas?

Still despite this desire to knit all the things, I'm forcing myself to hold back until at least one of my other projects is finished. Right now I''m obsessed with all of these patterns. But I suspect this has a lot to do with my pain levels. When my hips and knees stop working, I want knitting to keep me busy. And I have to hope that this flare is on the downward slope. So I'm waiting on these dream knits for better days when they aren't motivated by Vicodin and inflammation. In the meantime, I'll be on the couch finishing some socks.