theraineysisters knitting and so much more

This newly diagnosed disorder runs rampant among the knitting community.  In fact, researchers now believe that ASD was first isolated in knitters and then spread to other crafters, though these secondary carriers do not tend to exhibit the same severity of symptoms.  Could you be an ASD sufferer?  Ask yourself these questions:

1) do you sit for hours on end doing the same repetitive motion over and over AND (this is key) find JOY and comfort in the activity?

2) do your non-ASD friends marvel at your ability to spend months, even years, on the same project, since when they tried knitting they just couldn’t “get into it”?

3) are you unable to leave the house without a knitting bag?

4) when unable to knit, do you become agitated, nervous, lose the ability to concentrate?  In other words, do you exhibit the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder?

If you answered yes to any of these questions (and if you were truly being honest with yourself, you did), then you too suffer from ASD.  I’ll admit it: I’ve got it bad.

ASD sufferers often think we are superior to those with ADD — after all, we have our finished knitting projects to show for it (at least some of us do).  However, this could not be further from the truth.  We both exhibit the same aberrant social behaviors: unkempt homes, neglected children, poor performance reviews.  Substitute “I’d rather be knitting” for “I just can’t seem to stay focused” and the problem becomes clear. 

We need the support of the community, but we do not want a cure.  Accept us for who we are.  We have ASD and we are proud.

‘Marsha’ generously offered some of her yarn stash for Save-the-Children hats.  I appreciate the offer greatly, but I don’t think I need the yarn.  My Thursday peeps are going to knit a few hats, but want to buy the yarn themselves.  I have enough to make quite a few already.  I also have a friend who offered to subsidize the yarn purchases.  People are very thoughtful when babies are involved!  Thanks, Marsha!

I have made two hats so far and will post a picture tonight.  My other knitting is languishing.  I need to focus and get back to my needles!

Re: Thursdays at Four

Last evening was knitting night and I could not miss it again.  Very fun evening.  We did have a bit of a celebrity sighting as our group was attended by local author, Monica Ferris.  Monica has written a number of fun-to-read murder mysteries (“The Unravelled Sleeve,” “A Murderous Yarn” etc.) which are set in a knitting shop in one of our local communities.  A couple of our group members are prototypes for characters in the book, which also makes them fun.   

Susan, you’re a shameless name dropper!

I bought some cheap, but very soft, yarn to make a few baby hats for Save the Children.  Check out Warm Up America Circular Hat Patterns to find the same patterns done on dpns so they are seamless.  I should get 8-9 hats from the single skein I bought for under $3.  I will post a picture of a completed hat in the next day or two.

It’s hot in Washington, DC right now. I can’t even describe how hot, but since this heat wave has spread over much of the country, I probably don’t have to.

My left foot is particularly hot because it’s in this weird shoe/cast thing, where it will remain for 7 1/2 more weeks give or take a few hours. Not that I’m counting — the pain killers make that kinda hard, anyway.

It will get better and at least I can knit. And, if Clay Aiken announces any concerts, I might even be able to roll my way there.

How, you ask?

Why using this — the handy Roll-A-Bout, a device for people like me who are too clumsy and inept to use crutches.

Sweet, eh? It comes fully loaded with a hand brake that doubles as a parking brake. Here’s a shot of one in action.

That’s just how I look on mine, too, except that I’m not a man in a suit and it’s my left leg that’s injured, not my right, and I haven’t taken mine outside yet because it’s so hot. But you get the idea.

Now steering one of these babies is a bit trickier than it looks, especially if you’re dodging furniture, dogs, things that have fallen to the floor that you can’t pick up because if you tried you’d fall over, skeins of yarn, laptops, headphones, and power cords.

I’m getting the hang of it, though. I did have one mishap in which I almost drove off a cliff (and by cliff I mean the step down to my “sunken” library). Oh! — and I pantsed myself by running over the pajama bottoms on my “good” leg, which pulled said pajama bottoms halfway down my ass. Film at eleven.

Other than that — I’m a pro.

Susan and I wanted to let you know about a way to save the life of a child just through the simple act of knitting. Save the Children has developed a program called “Caps to the Capital,” which combines advocacy with knitting. Although neither one of us wants to impose a political agenda upon readers of our blog, we wanted to provide the link and information for those interested.

“Can something as simple as a knit or crochet cap help save a newborn life?
In many poor countries,the answer is yes. Four million newborns die each year within the first
month of life–half within only the first 24 hours after being born.
But a package of simple health measures provided to mothers and babies worldwide,including
antibiotics to fight infections,training for skilled birth attendants,immunizations against tetanus,
education on breastfeeding and basic care such as drying a newborn baby and keeping it warm
(this is where the caps come in!) could prevent 70 percent of these deaths.”

If you would like more information — including free patterns for both crocheting and knitting these caps — please visit Save the Children’s website

You can also download a PDF of their action kit here.