Lost Days

Thanks for all the good thoughts and advice – all of you.  I’m feeling a lot better, though still moving slowly.  The spasms in my back seem to be easing up a lot, and I think that in another day or two I’ll be moving more like myself, and much to Joe’s glee, likely complaining and swearing less. 

Being laid up is something I’m really bad at, it turns out.  I’ve got too much pride to ask for help, so when I need it, I just reek of frustration.  Knitting has really been what kept me as sane as I have been the last few days, although there’s not a lot to show for it.  I’m a few days off of a book deadline, so whenever my back would tolerate me moving my arms without setting off a string of spasms, I was mostly typing. 

Still, I managed to finish the uber-cowl.  Details tomorrow, when I think I can get Meg to model it,

and I did manage to finish some soon-to-be-felted clogs, though the washing machine is still awfully far away for me to be staggering up and down the stairs to get there.  There’s a lot of time until Christmas – or at least that’s what I’m telling myself, so I’ll wait until the idea of going into the basement doesn’t need to be approached with all the fortitude and organizational zeal of an expedition to the Arctic.

I’ve knit many, many pairs of these clogs over the years, and how big they are before felting never stops being funny to me. (My foot added for scale.)

It appears however, if the reaction of Joe and the girls is any sort of gauge, that I might be the only one still charmed enough to discuss it in any real way.  (I’m basing that on how flat the conversation fell last night.)

For now I’m churning out a plain sock- and wondering if I’m well enough to tackle the ball winder so I can start the last pair of the self-imposed-sock-of-the-month-club for this year. 
Turns out that you use your back to turn the handle on a ball winder.
Who knew?

140 thoughts on “Lost Days

  1. Surely one of your daughters knows how to work the ball winder? Glad to hear that you are feeling better, and I’m looking forward to the new book!

  2. I feel your pain, Stephanie… been dealing with major shoulder/back pain since mid-September, and sometimes even knitting (without the ball winder!) gives serious grief. I find designing socks and other things helps keep me sane too, so when the washing machine or ball winder is too daunting, perhaps that’s another alternative worth your consideration…
    Get better soon!

  3. I’m always amused by the size of the pre-felted clogs…by the size of pre-felted anything really. That is until I remember how big some of my cardigans were before accidentally going in the washing machine…oh dear!

  4. I did not mean to post my comment twice, tech fail. I am also glad to hear your back is a bit better, hope the recovery continues quickly.

  5. Glad to hear you’re feeling better. At least you were able to knit. I’ve been dealing with tendonitis in my wrist – no knitting for me until it heals. I’m feeling bereft without my sticks in my hands. A little searching has informed me that this is not an uncommon malady for knitters. I’m hating it a lot.

  6. So glad you’re feeling a little better Stephanie. People who’ve never had back issues have no idea how totally debilitating it is not to be able to move a centimeter without being in agony. I hate to preach but deadly boring pilates has well and truly sorted out my back. I can’t say i enjoy the classes overmuch, but one hour a week seems a small price to pay to be relieved of recurring agony. Try it – it might just help!

  7. Visualising the use of a ball winder, I can well imagine that I wouldn’t be up to setting-up or using one with back spasm going on.
    Who’s bloody fool idea was it to ask for a book deadline before Christmas?
    If it was New Zealand 30 years ago, NZ used to close down for four weeks from Christmas Day until the third Monday of January (summer holidays for all and sundry) so all that used to happen was a big rush before Christmas so it could lie on someones desk for three weeks. What is the point? (Thank goodness NZ has now entered the 21st century – though if you want to Google ‘six o’clock swill’ for interests sake, I am sure you will come away shaking your head.)
    Commiserations and love.

  8. You kind of jiggle your butt, too, when you use a ball winder. I’m sure that would not help your back.

  9. May be a plain sock but definitely not plain sock yarn–yummy colourway–whose yarn and which colourway? (Now that I am a fully confessed yarn ho(arder) I feel I can ask and drool with impunity–just not purchase…well that will be the true test, won’t it?!)
    Glad you are feeling ever so slightly better. Backs are tricky devils and never seem to really mend completely. I have been told in no uncertain terms that if I want my back to be better I have to build up my core muscles. Pilates–me??!! gulp. Starting with yoga…..
    Cheers, Barbie O.

  10. All hail the conquering knitter with back spasms. I saw your book cover on Amazon, and boy oh boy, am I excited! My husband has been coming up to me intermittently, with either “Things I Learned from Knitting…” or “The Harlot Writes Again” (sorry, brain freeze on second title) and laughing at your tales. He is NOT a knitter. Doesn’t know how to knit a stitch. You’ve sucked in yet another one. We can’t wait for your newest!

  11. Glad that you are starting to feel better.
    My imagination doesn’t extended to seeing how you could use your back to turn the handle on the ball-winder. You must be some sort of acrobat 🙂

  12. what color is the “plain” sock??? Dosen’t look too plain.
    Play out the sick roll a few more days it will help you save energy for the hoildays AND give you time to finish more projects.
    Maybe I could send you a few of mine?

  13. Glad to see you’re still in the land of the living. Say, does Hank still love to wind balls, or is he too big for all that now?

  14. Call Hank. Or has his love affair with the ballwinder faded too? My sister just got one, and her 16-year-old son is fascinated.

  15. I’ll send my 12 year old nephew right over, he is a champ on the winder, very careful and makes beautiful cakes as he calls them, makes up for the fact, I knit him a green sweater, the requested color and never have seen it since.

  16. @Niki @ 3:11–Joe might enjoy that, and Stephanie might enjoy watching his, and maybe he’ll wind it for her, and. Yeah! Possibilities here!

  17. I wish you would think about seeing a doctor about your back. Not to be a total alarmist, but sometimes bad back pain is a sign of illness, not injury.

  18. I can so relate! I am currently in week 8 of being dependent on others because of a broken leg. Accepting that “no man is an island” and that I have to let go and let others help me has been a challenge, having been single and on my own my whole life. I am finally in the PT stage and working to get back to mobility on my own. Letting go of being in control is really a trying life lesson.

  19. Glad to hear you’re feeling better Stephanie. I loathe asking for help too so I can relate – very frustrating! You use your back for pretty much everything – surprising how just the simplest things you need your back for. Glad you’ve been able to knit…I can’t manage even picking up the knitting needles when mine’s out. Do take care 🙂

  20. I can completely empathize about not being able to ask for help. I smashed my hip in a most unglamourous fashion a few years back and it just about killed me to ask my husband to help me get into bed the first few week or so after surgery. Like you, knitting got me through.
    It’ll get better 🙂

  21. So glad your (almost) back on your feet.
    Re: ball winder
    I have been know to knit straight from the unwound skein because of pure laziness (and before I owned a ball-winder). You, at least, have a might good excuse.

  22. So glad you’re feeling a bit better. Hubby (who had terrible back pain until surgery) appreciated your comparison to childbirth. Same hubby will actually operate the ball winder when asked. Now don’t overdo the recovery curve!

  23. So glad to hear you’re on the mend!
    Back issues are no laughing matter, except when the circumstance for the situation is laughable – this from someone who bent over in the shower for a bar of soap and headed directly to the Dr. because was unable to stand back up more than half way. The chain of events from bathtub to Dr. to home again were a comedy of errors! lol
    Hope you feel better soon!!

  24. Glad you’re getting some rest and the back is improving!
    I love how huge those slippers are too! Before seaming the sole, I like to put them on my head, with my face peeking out the ankle. Crazy gnome helmet! Never ceases me make me laugh. (Yes, I am apparently 3 years old.)

  25. “There’s a lot of time until Christmas – or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. . .”
    Rams? Presbytera? Your fans are waiting for your comments.

  26. Surely there must be someone who can wind the yarn for you…it would be tragic to mess up the self-imposed sock club this late in the game…
    Get well!!!!

  27. Glad to hear you are on the road to recovery. Now the trick will be not overdoing things and ending up in bed again. Take it easy, and I hope you are able to meet your book deadline.

  28. I also geek out over the size of those unfelted clogs! You are not alone. Speaking of which, I need to knit a pair for myself. I have worn holes in the bottom of both my French Press Felted Slippers and I’ve wanted a pair of these clogs forever.
    So glad you are feeling better!

  29. Glad you’re on the mend. You could always call your nephew over and ask if he wants to have fun playing with the yarn ball winder and have him wind it for you….

  30. It turns out that you need your back for a surprising list of things, doesn’t it? The one that always shocked me was opening the toilet lid – how can that make a back hurt so much?! Glad to hear that you’re feeling a bit better – being laid up and in pain is no fun at all (and being laid up and in pain with a book deadline looming is a nightmare!).

  31. I agree about the colorway on your “plain”, the size of prefelted felting projects and how yucky sore backs are… I have to agree with Lesley @ 3:17… you might want to visit a professional because of the frequency of these episodes. PTs do wonders for some folks… and I’d be happy to come ball wind for you… I’m probably about 9 hours away. Can you wait until the weekend? 😉

  32. Glad you are better! Backs are tricky business because pain from so many other places makes itself known in the back! Take care and remember…bend from the knees!!!

  33. Glad you’re feeling better. I know that the other humans who live in your house have to know how to use a ball winder. If only in self defense they would have learned over the years.

  34. You use your back for everything. That’s why back problems make a person so miserable.
    I’m glad you are feeling better…..

  35. Definitely call Hank for ball-winding. We’re just glad you’re still blogging as the book deadline approaches.

  36. It’s amazing how much ball winding strains the back – I’m glad I’m not the only one. Choose someone wisely if you decide to delegate this task….. Note to Stephanie: Nephew + yarn + swift + ball winder = Head + desk + Head + desk

  37. I’m glad that you are starting to feel better. It’s incredibly hard to go from being an active, independent individual to immobile and needing help with some very basic tasks. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for continued improvement.

  38. Unfortunately you use your back for almost everything. Glad you’re feeling better. But take it easy, don’t overdo and relapse.

  39. such pretty sock yarn! glad you’re on the mend. Other winding options include the back of a chair or Joe’s hands?

  40. Some years back, I learned the definitive test for how bad back pain is from a chiropractor I was doing some work for. He called it the “butt wipe test.” If you can handle that portion of your daily ablutions without agony, you’re probably not hurting too much. I hope you can soon pass that test with flying colors! 🙂
    And yes, I vote for someone in your family to handle the ball-winder for you. It’s not till you hurt your back that you discover that you use your back for just about EVERYTHING.

  41. Hope you get to feeling better soon. I’m sure its really bad. Take Care and just ease into it so it doesn’t get worse.

  42. Glad you are better. I have had back pain and problems since I was a little girl. It has prevented me from doing a lot of things over the years. I still work as a social worker, but man a desk now instead of going out doing home visits. Sometimes that is harder on my back. I do not know what I would do without my knitting and crocheting. It helps control the pain. If the pain is too severe, I can do an easy pattern or I can work on one a little more difficult to take my mind off the pain. I can get lost in counting some patterns. I sit and sleep in a recliner because I can no longer lay in the bed and I am surrounded by my current projects. My Dad used to call it my nest. It makes it easier to have all the supplies needed for my current projects all around my chair—less getting up and down.

  43. Your comments about using your back when you use the winder sent me into a timewarp spiral (1960) when I realized that the boys in 7th grade were great observers of the manual pencil sharpener in all the classrooms whenever the girls used it. If “winding” something makes your but wiggle, you can bet your back is involved.
    Take care and keep icing!

  44. Best knitting splurge: electric ball winder. you can use a coupon at joannes.com. it saves your back – and it’s really, really fun.

  45. I heart those clogs next to your cute foot (clad in hand knit socks?)! It’s almost like they’re Son of Self Imposed Sock Club, back for more havoc.
    Glad you’re feeling better!

  46. This is what children are for: to wind yarn. Actually, my mom always told me they were to do chores and help around the house, so surely this counts?

  47. I remember being surprised to discover (during an unwonted fit of domesticity a few days after the birth of my 3rd child) that one uses one’s stomach muscles when sweeping the floor.

  48. Glad you are feeling a little bit better. I was worried when the twitter chatter was quiet yesterday too. Looking forward to seeing Meg model the cowl.

  49. I just finished 2 pairs of those clogs, and I can’t stop picking them up and marveling about how they are more than twice as big as they will be post-wash.

  50. It’s good to know that someone thinks that “there’s a lot of time until Christmas”. I count only 18 full days left before Xmas eve and only two weekends. Doesn’t seem like much time to me. “Someone” also forgot about the annual baking binge too.

  51. I took my ball winder to school to show my knitting club, and they loved it. Any one of them would be glad to come and turn the handle for you. I’m glad your back is somewhat better. Here’s hoping it is completely well soon.

  52. Back problems are tough. The back is like the kitchen of your house – everything goes through it. If you haven’t already, I urge you to get a proper diagnosis because there are a wide variety of treatments, and those that help for some conditions can cause harm for others. I’m not a medical professional, but be especially concerned if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness, which can be more serious symptoms than “just pain.” Which is plenty debilitating on its own.
    And be careful when you sneeze… I never realized how violent sneezing is until I had a herniated disc.
    Get better soon!

  53. So, do you have 12 new pairs of socks this year?
    I am so inspired! Although I am not as an advanced knitter as you & it usually takes me years!!! to finish a pair, I am going to take your lead and try the “sock club” for myself this year – if I can get 6 done in a year it will be amazing! Thanks for the inspiration! Hope you are totally recovered soon!

  54. Someone beat me too it.
    Call the adorable Hank-meister, he must be a pro-winder by now.
    So glad you are mending.

  55. Just want to share something that might or might not help you, and that is that my terrible back pain a few years ago was caused by fibroids!!! Sleeping on my back would cause the weight of them to rest on my spine and cause terrible pain the next day. I could barely move! Only after seeing a “back” doctor who found nothing, and then an ob/gyn who diagnosed it, and then sleeping on my side, did the pain stop. Removing the offenders made life great again. It’s inspiring that you are able to get so much done even if you’re not feeling your usual 100%. Thanks for blogging! I discovered your books first and look forward to your new one!

  56. I fully understand reeking hostility when incapacitated. I am a lousy patient if the cure is “doing nothing”…unless it involves a lot of sleeping and something to make me drowsy.
    And there is nothing like spasms/injuries to discover all the surprising ways in which the muscles and bones are inter-related. I am nursing an injury in the soft tissue around my hip. Did you know that coughing and sneezing makes your glutes contract??? Wonderful knowledge…especially when everyone around you is coming down with bad colds that involve a lot of both!!!
    Take it easy and don’t push too hard too fast!

  57. Hope your back heals Star Trek speed. Last Saturday my just barely two year old grandson asked his dad to draw him a ball winder now that is a boy after my own heart! If Mattias were closer he would love to wind that yarn for you. His name for me is Ya Ya Ball of Yarn and he thinks knitting is very neat. 🙂

  58. So glad to hear that you are on the mend. Back pain is unbearable and you only learn that when you experience it. About five years ago I had a similar experience after sitting on child’s size chairs at school(elementary school teacher). They purchased a very nice “back friendly” chair for me and I am pleased to say that I have never had a recurrence of back pain.
    I know that you have been sitting and writing(for which we all are grateful. If your office chair is not back friendly, a change of chair might be just the ticket to recovery.

  59. So glad your feeling well! You were in my thoughts Saturday morning when i woke up with back pain myself. I was able to do some yoga to stretch it out then resigned myself to knitting on the couch with a heating pad and a beer.
    Happy holiday knitting!

  60. Glad you are on the mend. Do you think your back did this on purpose to get you started on the holiday knitting? Do you have a set plan of action per day this year like other years?

  61. Glad to hear your on the road to recovery – and you’d be surprised how many actions require your back muscles, as well as your core muscles generally.
    Looking forward to the cowl, and the book. 🙂

  62. Hope you get better soon! I sooo know how you feel – I broke both my arms 9 weeks ago and I’m 7 weeks post surgery on my left. It took me two weeks to knit a pair of mittens! (and I was a total grouch to everyone, too). I’ve also hurt my back before, too, so I know how debilitating (sp?) that can be!

  63. Glad to feel you’re feeling better–keep going that direction!
    And add me to the list of those who appreciate the ridiculous size of pre-felted clogs : )

  64. Is this the first mention of Christmas knitting?
    It mustn’t be a big deal because you are making self-imposed socks.
    Molly : )

  65. I am really glad you posted. I was about to send out a squad or something. Rest up and keep icing and let us know if you need someone to come and wind that ball. : ) Love, Kathleen, in snowy Vermont

  66. Glad to hear you are feeling better! I am making almost the same color plain ol’ socks in Crystal Palace Panda Cotton Strawberries & Lime — a sproingy cotton/bamboo blend — for my woollergic daughter. A cheery antidote to the greys of winter!

  67. Your book is in my cart ready to pre-order. I have so enjoyed the others. I’m glad you are feeling a bit better. The size of the pre-felted clogs has me giggling almost as much as Niki’s comment about ball-winding-butt-jiggling. 🙂

  68. Might be silliest question ever…what kind of wool do you most often use for the clogs and/or the french press slippers? Thanks
    Appreciate so much that even in pain & short on writing time you managed to squeeze in some Blog time for us. Thank you thank you!

  69. Glad to hear your back is better, but, in the words of one of my PTs, when you start to feel better is when you’ll overdo and reinjure your back. Be careful!
    It’s nice you can knit with a back spasm. I was flat on my back with pillow under my knees and discovered I just couldn’t do any needlework lying down. One of the first things I discovered, even before that, was that you just can’t eat a banana lying down. Try it. The peel closes and slaps you in the face. Even in my then depressed state, I found this slapstick move hilarious enough to laugh out loud, until I found laughing hurt.
    Yes, I know you can throw the peel away and then eat the banana, but that just wouldn’t be right.

  70. You could use someone else’s back to wind yarn. Best of luck with back pain. I’ve accomplished some of my finest knitting when my back didn’t let me do anything else. Colorful is good, or lacy.

  71. Glad to hear the back is getting better- that has been a recurring injury for me over the years, and so I devised the office chair kitchen helper- once I’m well enough to be seated vertically, but not quite well enough to walk, a rolling office chair is perfect for rolling around the kitchen and doing the usual tasks! This was good practice for me to have when I fractured my right ankle this summer, and had to rely on others for EVERYthing. Still not an easy task, but at least I could make my own cup of tea once I’d crutched to the kitchen. Couldn’t carry it anywhere, but I could make it dernit! (I still can’t drive anywhere, but at least I can stand in the shower as of today!!)

  72. It sounds like you need to have frequent massages and heat therapy. This happened to me many years ago and lasted 6 weeks! It made driving almost impossible and standing for more than three minutes was a bear. I went to the doctor and was prescribed PT heat and massage. I felt great afterwards and then it would come back. So I went out and bought a massage chair and cured myself!

  73. Holy Smoly you sure accomplish a lot while incapacitated. thank goodness for knitting eh ? WHO in their right mind gives you as deadline so close to Christmas?!! Yes it is getting very close believe it or not. Thanks for this posting when you are not feeling your best . Just don’t try to do too much moving around as you will pay the piper the next day. Let this back heal in it’s own good time. Keep smiling . All the BEST

  74. Doesn’t your nephew Hank like to run the ball winder? He could be a big help in the fetch-and-carry department, too. Plus, I find it is not at all degrading to ask a child for help, particularly if it is someone else’s child…

  75. I’m glad your back pain is easing up a bit. Don’t be a dope like I was last year with neck spasms. The doctor warned me to not go back to regular activities soon, as one wrong move would bring the spasms back… yes, I decided to garden and yes, the spasm came back full force. I was swearing at myself but good.
    Love that plain sock.

  76. So glad you’re feeling better.
    If you like the scarves on Law and Order, try checking out a TV series called Jeremiah which aired a few years ago. It’s about people trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world, hence so many of their clothes and accessories are knitted and crocheted. Sometimes you can find it on the SyFy channel or it’s always on Netflicks. Filmed in British Columbia. Even if you’re not into the storyline the scenery and the handmade clothes are inspiring–seems to always be cold in their world so plenty of knitted hats, scarves, sweaters, etc. Have gotten several design ideas from it.
    Take care and good writing and better knitting!
    eM

  77. Bodies always seem to know when a deadline looms–poor you! Hope you’re on the mend soon!

  78. Oh sweet Steph. You use your back for everything, even just breathing. Especially stairs. I’m amazed you typed and knitted at all. This too WILL pass, and (as the owner of four degenerative discs, I can testify) there will be things you can do so it doesn’t happen again. And they will be relatively easy things.

  79. Gee whiz, Steph, I really hope you feel better FAST. You never know how much you use something until it hurts. The clogs are amazing, and I don’t believe they will shrink enough for your foot. They are GIANT! Best wishes for a swift recovery and back to full speed ahead!

  80. Amazing how much your back comes into play in even the smallest things.
    Glad you are feeling better, back spasms suck in a way nothing else can come close to matching.
    Practice your telekinesis, maybe you can wind yarn with your mind.

  81. LOVE the vanilla socks…what is the yarn color? It’s just so happy for such dark winter days!

  82. I repeat: Get Dr. Sarno’s book,” Healing Back Pain, the Mind-Body Connection”, ASAP. You’ll be cured by the time you’ve finished reading it, most likely, as were many people, myself included. Sorry to sound like a broken record, but I really feel for you and want to help.

  83. So glad you’re feeling better! Another recommendation for PT in the aftermath.
    And also, all those people nearby who said “if you need anything…” – it’s okay to call one of them for the ball winder. Really. (or also to pick up coffee). That’s why they’re there.

  84. Ouch! Been there and done that, but happy to report, from the other side, that it can go away just as spontaneously as it appeared. ( Though I did have a couple of cortisone shots in my spine.) I was “miraculously” cured by an abundance of movement: hiking 80 miles in a week. Movement is the key, which is rough if your passions run to sitting and knitting much of the time. Physical therapy helped a lot, too.
    Hope your situation resolves well.

  85. I can empathize with the back. Only those that have been through the muscle spasms understand. Take care.

  86. Echoing the advice to be VERY careful the next few weeks — a bad muscle spasm actually injures the muscle much like a bruise or sprain does, and it takes time to heal completely. You don’t want to reinjure yourself, or you’ll be spitting Klingon until Mother’s Day!
    In fact, maybe Joe should take the photos of your new FO and your lovely model. . .

  87. Big love being sent your way…hope you feel better real soon, and hey, it doesn’t matter how many times I see them, the comparison of Before/After with felted clogs makes me howl every time!

  88. A Turkish spindle makes a pretty good ball winder and seems to use fewer back muscles.

  89. I too have knitted a bazillion of those clogs and I think the size is hilarious. But then, I think shouting numbers when someone is counting is funny too.

  90. Is it not the purpose of having small replications of oneself – to run errands, fetch, tote, wind, and otherwise be useful? My mom was quite firm on her opinion here…
    Glad to “see” you again. Stress is a major player in back problems, ya know. I’m just saying…….maybe you aren’t drinking enough?

  91. Whew! I’m relieved that you’re feeling better. As for the ballwinder, surely someone else in the house or around the neighborhood could be entrusted with that task! You mentioned an Uber cowl; is it one that can be doubled around the neck? I haven’t made one of those yet, just the more basic ones that fit closer to the neck.

  92. I love those fiber trends clogs, too! I’ve made three pairs of ’em.
    You really need to take it easy! It seems you’re like me and can’t sit still. I told my husband when he had a similar back problem: you’ll get better faster if you rest!
    I know you’re bored and needed to start those socks…. but you’re crazy to get out the ball winder and really put your back into it. ; ) You shoulda had Joe do it. : )

  93. Looks like a pretty good body of work for a lady who’s body’s not working 🙂
    Feel better Ms. P-McPhee

  94. Are you planning another self-imposed knitting campaign for 2011? I think it is a great idea which I plan to replicate with stash using scarf, sock and shawlette patterns. A great way to set deadlines and use stash. Love the idea.

  95. I’m with you on the hilarity of pre-felted slippers – I just finished a pair of Fuzzy Feet (from Knitty.com) for my 10 year old godson. My sister says his feet are about the same as hers so I made the pattern as written and giggle every time they catch my eye. I’ll gift them unfelted for comedy value then we’ll felt them together.
    I second the suggestion to ask your nephew to help you with the ball winding – I do recall a few posts on his love of winding.
    (Glad you’re feeling better, but don’t overdo!)

  96. Some people just don’t appreciate enlightening and entertaining conversation. I always carry my pre-felted clogs around the house for everyone to admire. At least they still humor me. 🙂

  97. I’m still entertained by the slippers. I’m just getting ready to cast on another pair and they still make me giggle. Hope you feel better.

  98. Aaah, I have been a visiting ‘nurse’ lately, and judge that you are still in the realm of doing nothing not required, and Christmas presents and self-imposed sock club do not qualify. Unless you can do them while resting your back. Book is another matter, but could be put off if physically necessary.
    Mostly I write to encourage you to take it easy, really easy, until you are fighting fit again. I’m sure I’m not the only person to note back spasms ensued at the intersection of Christmas and book (and all your other responsibilities)!

  99. Turns out we use our backs for pretty much everything. I hope you have a hot water bottle snugly against you. Feel better!

  100. This Advent Season seems to be frought with pain for alot of people… so sorry dear Stephanie, that you too are one of them. Get better soon!
    I am amazed that you haven’t figured out a way to use the ball winder with the strength of your WILL and by mind control!
    YOU RULE!!

  101. Glad you’re on the mend and not totally losing your mind from being indoors for so long!
    I love those felted clogs and dutifully started a pair for my daughter a few months ago, but I don’t understand the instructions for picking up the stitches on the sole.
    Can you point me to a place to get some help?
    Heal quickly!
    Thanks,
    Robin

  102. Hang in there, Steph! You could send some of that yarn that needs winding my way and I would wind it for you…now, some of it may get lost on the way back but I don’t think you’d notice, right? 🙂

  103. Now you know what to ask Santa to put in your stocking: a ball-winder with a push button and an electric cord. [I’m amazed at how long it takes to wind a ball of yarn in the yarn store–and would hate to be turning a crank for that length of time–for more than one hank!]
    In the meantime, draft somebody else to crank.
    And don’t make any bull moves!

  104. Eeeeeeeverything is connected to your back. It SUCKS. I have back problems from time to time, and it never ceases to amaze me how just about everything you try to do is affected. And it takes almost nothing to trigger back injury: my favorite example is that I managed to lay myself up in bed for about 5 days because I put my pants on while standing up. Craptastic.

  105. Hi! I was very worried about you, so it is good to know things are looking up, at least a little bit.
    Take care of yourself; we can wait for the new book if it means a healthy Harlot.

  106. I’ve made gazillions of pairs – I live in them most of the year. Call me anytime you want to giggle at the size – I often put one on my head or a cat before felting.

  107. I’m glad there is improvement. Those to-be-felted things are silly-big and floppy too. If ever one’s back need medical help, at least there is really sophisticated stuff available these days, but I hope all mends well.

  108. Glad to hear you’re on the mend. I’m knitting 2 pairs of clogs for Christmas this year and the novelty of the pre-felting size hasn’t worn off for me or my SO yet. I guess I haven’t made enough of them. But I’m also searching out the uninitiated to show off the pre-felted footwear. They are amazed and often look at me like I’m crazy. But there’s nothing new about that. Anyway, just thought I’d share.

  109. I’m only knitting two gifts this year (for my sister, who really appreciates a nice hand-knitted hat, and an unwitting baby). But I hadn’t gotten around to making my christmas list yet. Until I read this post and the comments. I was absorbing all the thoughts on scaling back and the Real Meaning of Christmas and Other Gift Giving Holidays, and now I’m totally inspired to avoid the mall by giving Etsy. That way, I get to spend lovely hours perusing the beautiful things made by people like myself who enjoy handicrafts. Thank you, Yarn Harlot! Thank you, Yarn Harlot fans! You guys are awesome.

  110. I’m way behind on reading your posts. I hope your back is totally brand new by now. I love the felted clogs. I made a pair for my brother once, in size 15. Now, that’s really huge felted and big enough to hold a 6 month old unfelted.
    Merry Christmas!

  111. Hi Stephanie…
    I have fallen in love with your {photo of} pattern called Earl Grey. Normally I can jump right in with a new pattern with little difficulty. I cast on 70 stitches as instructed, but my ADHD brain cannot decipher the K1,p1 that is in parenthesis following the k1,p1, k2,p2,k2. It also says to do this 13 times. Did I catch the boo boo version? I am sitting here between packing soldier boxes, with some hand painted gray yarn that I never thought I would find a pattern for, and completely stumped. HELP! I have to knit these socks immediately. They are all the wonderful descriptions given already. I cannot add another better.
    Kim

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