So I had about half this post written in April and then just gave up on it I guess haha. One of the big things that happened in my break from blogging was this:
I broke my wrist! I was supposed to have a nice 4 day vacation in Lake Placid NY, we were going up there to see the bobsled and skeleton world cup. Well, while watching the skeleton on our first full day, I slipped on the pedestrian path, caught myself wrong and whoops got a broken wrist. I had surgery on it to put a pin and plate in so that I wouldn’t be fully immobilized for 8 weeks. That just would not have worked given that the break was in my dominant hand, I have a job where I type and use a mouse, and I live alone.
But anyway, needs must! I learned pretty quickly that not having some sort of craft would drive me absolutely insane. How do people watch TV without doing something with their hands? A while ago, I had come across a creator on TikTok who uses an adaptive crochet aid because her right side is paralyzed. I thought I might be able to make that work for me. My friend and her dad used Helen’s tutorial to make this tool.
Here’s a quick video of me using the tool.
I made a few granny squares with the tool for something to do. Once I was out of the initial splint and then surgical wrappings, I realized I could still use my right hand to hold and maneuver the crochet hook slightly, doing most of the work with my left hand. You can see in the video that i am using my right hand a bit, even with a pretty tight dressing on there. I just didn’t need the tool in the same way Helen, the creator of it, did. So I started crocheting in my free time. Knitting was hard with the brace, not because of pain, but because the support really got in the way and it was hard to grip the needles in the way I was used to.
The little octopus is the first thing I made. I had gotten the kit many years ago, and so made this little stuffie. I painted a canvas with an ocean scene and mounted the octopus on it, which just makes a really cool little art piece. The octopus inspired me to make another project for my art wall, so i found a nice little star pattern on Ravelry, and made the pattern in a few days.
I made the armlet to go under the brace. They recommended wearing something to protect the incision, but the fabric they gave me ripped and stretched very easily. So this was a fun little project to replace it. Now, it was a little uncomfortable at points but I’m still glad I made it because it was great crochet practice.
Yes, that is a poop. Last summer, a friend found this on Etsy. I said I would make it for her, even though at the time i didn’t really crochet. So this forced crochet was the perfect chance to make a gift for her! I did make the little sign but forgot to get a picture of them together. I am so bad at finishing details, the eyes and nose are definitely wonky, but it’s the thought that counts, right?
And finally, the one crochet project I still sort of work on is this apron. It’s a nice little project that I pick up occasionally. I think I might add a top to it too, we’ll see how long it takes.
Now that I can knit again, I do find that I tend to gravitate to that more. I tend to like making things you can wear, and the fabric you get from knitting is, for me, better for wearables. Crochet is great for stuffies and blankets, and I just tend to want to make those less. I definitely like both, and if I see patterns that excite me in crochet I may make them, but it will be a lot less common. The other main difference is that I can knit without needing to look at my knitting, but I need to look at crochet. For most of this year, I haven’t had a ton of focused crafting time, and I spent some of that this summer on cross stitch. So there you go! Are you a crocheter and a knitter? What draws you to one or the other?
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