Loops of Love

Good to be back! (And a pattern sale)

It's been over two years since my last post. I admit, blogging does not come easy for me. But I thought I would give it another shot. So where have I been and what have I been doing? For one thing, I now have 5 precious grandbabies that I love spending time with. Being a Nana is the best feeling in the world! These are my sweet blessings. Photo was taken in December, 2017. 

In the Fall of 2016, I was busy preparing for the upcoming craft fairs. I was crocheting for hours at a time. I'd occasionally had problems with Carpal Tunnel for four or five years, but it would ease off after a bit of rest and wearing my wrist brace. This time it didn't get better. I was told to take a month off from crocheting. That was so hard! After that, with no relief, I was sent to physical therapy for three or four weeks. That didn't help either. So after seeing a neurologist and being officially diagnosed with CT, I was sent to a hand surgeon. I had surgery on November 10, 2016. I wasn't told about scar tissue and how to massage the area to keep it from getting worse after my surgery. At six weeks post-op, the doctor finally sent me to PT. The Physical Therapist told me most patients are sent at least by two weeks post op. I went to PT three times a week for four weeks. There was some improvement but not a lot. During this time I could only crochet a little at a time and really lost my motivation. It took a little over a year before I could crochet more. So what did I do? I started crocheting practically non stop again, making gifts for my grandkids for Christmas. I was just so happy to have my motivation back again. I decided to get back to working on my crochet business again and have published two new patterns since January. 

Ridgeline Shell Slouch

Evelyn Hat

I've also been preparing for a craft fair in April and have begun to have hand pain again from crocheting so much. I really need to pace myself (It's so hard to do!) and take plenty of breaks to rest my hand. At physical therapy I was given these hand exercises to do at home and have been doing those again. So please, be sure you are taking breaks when you need to and stretch those hands/wrists. Crocheting and knitting can be so relaxing and rewarding, but it also can cause damage to our wrists as well as neck and shoulders. 

I plan to post regularly about new pattern releases, sales, crochet tips and tutorials and even some free patterns, so be sure to check back for updates. I am having a BOGO sale now thru March 31st in my Ravelry shop. No coupon code is needed. Happy NatCroMo!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lisa