I have been collecting yarns and needles and a few good basic knitting and sock making books and have what I need to do just about any kind of knitting as I learn the basics and get more intermediate with stitches and such. I ended up having severe pain in my own hands and we finally have it defined as to the cause which is peripheral neuropathy from type 2 diabetes not just the weakness and pain from fibro. I struggle to learn and get used to needles and yarn and the cat playing with the circular cable ( shes cute about it and stops if you say no or hey thats mine! routine. I went undiagnosed for several years with pre-diabetes and now type 2 formally although I can have mixed symptoms.
I am getting a bit better routine going now, getting a bit more regular sleep and trying to limit stressors and the fear factor even as grim as things are in my area and such things continuing to make life more of a challenge. I am working on catching up on spring cleaning . I was far too ill and my doctors that helped me after some fiascos with the regional VA are very concerned. So in the last month , the last couple weeks I am reestablishing things , bit by bit and it all counts. One of the good results are my hands are in less pain and I was even feeling like maybe I can get back to canning again. So maybe now I can start to do that again on simple stuff and have it shelf ready.
I am working on more focus too. One of the things now I am finishing up when I sit still and not researching things or doing price comparisons online is knitting with focus. Really simple little lessons but it lets me get used to the circular needles for instance, uses up some odd yarn for a door draft sock, and I can recycle the stuff I will use to stuff it with and it made me sit still and concentrate and gave my fingers and hands something really simple to do.
Mentally I want to be able to make my own socks and do well enough that they are truly comfortable and eventually be able to sit down and do a pair as quickly as I can manage with consistency. I am sorry but the dollar store socks just don't cut it around here. Its a useful skill. I am not the only struggling for really basic stuff around here. I know people who don't have a little notebook/laptop and internet due to their own circumstances. I know decent folks who slipped through the cracks at school who can't read well enough to surf the internet. But they can learn and actually have way better memory skills than me. I refer to notes and instructions but the instructions often puzzle me and sometimes the quality of someones video on youtube really isn't good enough or they are just quicker than I can figure out even after repeated study of some little thing you may have to do to complete even one type of knitting stitch so I am very glad that through our own ingenuity and looking at each other for things we are interested in , have some knowledge of , what something useful or fun , that we can teach each other in small groups of interested folks..... and there is one lady who is a peer and she will be teaching us basic knitting and makes a nice sock. Shes slow enough in her nature that I know she will take her time showing me the missing links in my skill level at this point too , I believe.
Actually together we are going to help teach basic information and knitting as we go. Ive got stuff here I can share.
She actually can make a basic boot sock with regular sport yarn and showed me the grey ones she made for her ex husband who she is friends with. He wears them as a work sock and they were done perfectly. I asked her did he tell her they were comfortable enough but then what are commercial socks made of?
Well he has always 'wanted' her socks once she taught herself ... she makes a good product. Socks are vital up here in the snowy north woods and I have the stuff and the books to teach me how to customize the fit for anyones feet. I just needed my hands doing better, my focus is coming back and I am getting enough tasks , a little better and things sorted out in regards to thinking strength than I was certainly able to. I can keep working on rebuilding my life and manage if I have the basics going.
We need socks here , so any of us that want to learn to knit socks have that opportunity to work with a skilled person who is patient and can break it down well as she teaches. If some of us pursue a little finesse and fancy stitch work, and be consistent then its a great item and by word of mouth, maybe it will profit us later. Or other little techniques and it could be an income source, minor but at this point , anything good and helpful helps so many of us.
Yes I have proper sock yarn blends too but even that needs to be researched if you do it seriously. One can use cotton yarns like sugar and cream too for anklets and slippers too if their feet are pretty sturdy , or if thats all someone has to knit with, it is possible. I find people becoming more innovative and using what is not typically something specialized to get a decent result of a product they can make .
So I am excited. I move toward my own independence and meet a need I have for myself in these circumstances from very basic materials I have now. Along with flat work which I actually use to help me strengthen my skills and focus , I hope if successful with socks and mittens with devoting some time just about every day to a project, I can move on to making a sweater than I do not have to roll up the sleeves on!
Some of the fancy artsy yarns are just nuts trying to work with them but one may be able to manage weaving projects if they can't manage the needle work to knit or crochet. We are all different in whats comfortable for us if we do fiber arts and sometimes we have to adjust to a new way of making things to use these items up as well because various things affect us. I encourage any of you with something disabling to find a new way to be creative with useful things that can be beautiful too. It feels so good to do something like that. It's something I can do easily when I sit down for a while. It's something productive and useful and as I gain better skill levels it can be lovely. It eases my mind a little to make something nice and useful. It can be developed for bartering and sale later if I am persistent with my efforts.
I write this to encourage despite what we feel may discourage us. we can go at it slower but we need to finish it too. we don't need to be shy when it comes to learning more how to use something to produce what we need even though I think alot of us are because its a new idea in itself or we think we don't have time. we can adjust ourselves to meet a basic need that actually is enriching in many ways.
this is something that stretches over many types of skills and such things as we find necessary to make living more comfortable and safe and fulfilling.
I have a friend who never was taught much at all on basic cooking . She's been figuring out how serious things are and shes wanting to learn. So because she prefers soy protein and its really convenient and she can get past making soy milk all the time, I can share the basic ideas I use to provide soy protein, usually tvp stuff I use for protein in a lot of meals as long as I have it available. It also is easy to store and gets delivered , saving you gas and time money if you place an order and just have to be there for the delivery. Its like the lightbulb is finally going off in my friends head. Bless her.... and we can encourage each other although she has a different lifestyle and does alot of things I cant afford even if I lived there yet shes good at finding bargains and stuff too.
Its all these little things that make a difference for each of us. Once Im feeling better and definitely have my housing needs resolved , I can teach on survival stuff and bargain foods and put together some classes on such things.. because now more of my peers are struggling and have no idea what to do and they know I can teach them things. I have folks who will help me.
We may even start coordinating some large orders and it will help. I hope we have the time and things hold together enough so we can. Its a service I can help with since I know some basics. I know there are employees that want me to do what I KNOW. I do too.
I also realized we are totally sunk in this area unless we order books online now because Borders closed down at the mall in Plattsburgh. I would love to get organized enough to be able to provide a book ordering service for my town. but I need a reliable computer and an Office program updated but I need other real basics first so thats what I am working on for now.
A good office area and desk space . This computer I have is old and its suffering and I don't know when it may go out completely.....so.... I will put one foot in front of the other here and work on not only getting back to normal energy and ability, but to keep moving forward and its little things I notice we all need.....
and my no knead molasses whole wheat bread is done so let's eat!
Edited by arby, 27 October 2011 - 03:29 PM.
I have a Kromski Minstrel spinning wheel and a Kromski Harp rigid heddle loom. Also sew, knit, crochet, pretty much all the fiber arts. Some of my earliest memories are sitting in my grandmother's kitchen with a scrap of cloth, threaded needle and a box of buttons sewing buttons on the fabrics. I know it was her way to keep me busy while she was cooking, I was just having fun at the time. I love being able to create for friends, loved ones, and clients.
Anyone else suffer from the problem of too many ideas and not enough time and/or money for supplies to get everything done? LOL 
