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Monday, July 28, 2014

Boy I miss spinning

I have not spun one thread since the dreaded neck adventure started.  I've knit very little.  I'm doing my exercises to keep the muscles alive until the disc settles down.  I experienced a MRI.  This was one of those tests that was put into action way after I started my career.  There were a lot of bugs to be worked out after the test was thought up in the early 50's and led to a Nobel Prize in 2003 for it's application in medicine.  But then I digress.

There are a million screening questions about previous surgery, metal parts, shrapnel, etc.  I certainly would not want anything rearranged accidentally by a giant magnet.  Luckily I'm not claustrophobic...a friend shared her story of freaking out and requiring anxiolytics.  I kept by eyes closed the whole time and listened to the Mumfords. I figured something loud would drown out the noise.  Well sort of.  It  was like being in a machine gun for 20 minutes.

                                    I also visualized Nausicaa being rejuvenated by the Ohmu.
                                        or Arriety floating down the river in the tea kettle.
                                                       I can't float without relaxing.

The good news is that there is hope of recovery without surgery, but the bad news is that it's indeed a bulging disc slight compressing the spinal cord and impinging on the C5 nerve root.  It does not pay to get old.   So my plan is to go to on the great MidWest adventure next month.  I plan to take a drop spindle or two and signed up for some classes in an air conditioned place. Before coming home I'll visit some family.  When I come back I'm going to start spinning again. 

In the mean time, I make cards, shop, knit and sew a bit,  and eat and mostly watch the weeds grow instead of attacking them..  


Flip it cards are all the rage and there are a billion dies, cutters and methods.  The minion is made with the Stampin' Up Owl Builder Punch (Stampin Up UK Crafty Hallett Christmas Minions with the Owl Builder). I made several flip it cards following Stephanie Barnard's instructions, from The Stamps of Life.  She has a youtube video called "Make a Hidden Panel Card with Stephanie Barnard from The Stamps of Life".  Jackie Topa has a nice video on the Envelope Punch board sliding gift card holders.  After holding out on getting a EK Success Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I broke down and got it, and now wonder why I held back.  It is quite useful for getting images stamped where you want them to go.

I saw the movie Begin Again since I like Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightly. Adam Levine is quite good as well.  He makes a brief appearance in one scene wearing a cabled slouchy hat.  Try as I might I have not found a screen cap of that hat or the afghan Keira Knightly wraps up in when she crashes at her friends house.  What is is with these movie people?

3 comments:

kbrow said...

I had to have 2 back to back MRIs last year- 1 with and 1 without contrast dye. I made the mistake of opening my eyes near the end of the 1st one. I'd been doing just fine, until then, but I hadn't realized how very close the top of the machine was to my face. I panicked a little, but got through it. For the 2nd one, I resolved to close my eyes well before I even entered the tube, and not to open them for anything. I practiced my yogic breathing, and was fine. Really, I think that's the secret.

Your cards are wonderful. Have fun at Stitches Midwest! I always find that spindling aggravates my neck and shoulder, but I'm probably doing it wrong. All my self-taught techniques for knitting, spinning, etc. are not the most orthopedically correct...

Acornbud said...

I took a peek, too. Hard not to with all that racket! I was going to look for some silk to spin, but now I'm not sure. Perhaps I'll just take a bit of cotton to work on.

Mokihana said...

Had an MRI too... I peeked and started to freak out big time... so closed my eyes again and thought of the ocean back home.

I hope you're able to spin a bit more by now.