Thursday, March 1, 2012
Counting Therapeutic Benefits #1
1) Having a knitting project with me at all times gives me the confidence to go places without fearing that I'll be stuck with nothing to do. Getting stuck waiting in line, or for an appointment, is a big deal for me. Waiting 30 minutes to get a table at a restaurant is out of the question. Even 10 minutes can seem like a lifetime. If I have knitting, or a grand baby to play with, it's tolerable. Some restaurants waiting areas are poorly lit, or are at the bar, where being able to see well is not a sure thing. See knitting in the dark somewhere later in this list.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Personal Experience: Knitting as a way to deal with ADHD, OCD and other disorders.
Are any of you experienced in dealing with "disorders" like Depression, ADHD or OCD?
I've been working at getting mine under control, whatever it is.
I'm going to try listing the benefits.
Kind of a "count your blessings" exercise.
This may take several days and many postings.
I don't expect to get it right the first time.
(And you have no idea how hard it is for me to let people possibly see something that isn't perfect and finished.)
I've been working at getting mine under control, whatever it is.
I'm going to try listing the benefits.
Kind of a "count your blessings" exercise.
This may take several days and many postings.
I don't expect to get it right the first time.
(And you have no idea how hard it is for me to let people possibly see something that isn't perfect and finished.)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Hospital Knitting ... again
Having a loved one in the hospital really brings out my knitting obsession. But, I think it's a good thing. It gets be to sit still. Knitting lets me "reward" myself for conquering my fear of hospitals. The almost impercetable swish of the needles and yarn lets me tune out the Hospital Noises and focus on my loved one and what she's saying, or not saying.
Has anyone else noticed how loud the Hospitals are? All those beeps and bells and alarms? The nurses don't seem to notice them at all. I finally asked one of the nurses, and was told that each sound has a "meaning". And that not all of them need to be "answered". Some are just signals to let you know that something has finished. Like an IV has finished it's dose, and may or may not need to be changed sometime in the next hour or so... ? ?
So, is it kind of like baby cries/noises? You learn to hear and recognize some of the noises as not requiring action.
Or the buzzer on the dryer? Or the miscrowave? The dryer dings to let you know that the laundry is dry, and could be taken out if you want to have wrinkle free shirts. The microwave says the water is ready for your tea, but it can sit in there all day, quite safely, if you've already left for work.
As opposed to the buzzer on the oven timer? The oven must be attended to right now! Pull out those cookies before they burn! That Broiling Chicken could become Flaming Wings, setting off smoke detectors, smoke everywhere, maybe a house fire (eventually)......
There's even a beeper much like a back-up warning on a dump-truck that lets you know when a nurse is moving the little Computer-On-Wheels around from one room to another.
There's even a "blind warning device" at a cross walk intersection downtown. It a short post that beeps (or chirps) every 5 seconds. Presumably so a bling person knows there's an intersection and street traffic. Maybe they can find the crossing light button by homing in on it? Personally, it makes me want to avoid that part of downtown.
Getting Rest in a Hospital has always been one of the most contradictory terms to ever disturb me.
And that's saying something.
Has anyone else noticed how loud the Hospitals are? All those beeps and bells and alarms? The nurses don't seem to notice them at all. I finally asked one of the nurses, and was told that each sound has a "meaning". And that not all of them need to be "answered". Some are just signals to let you know that something has finished. Like an IV has finished it's dose, and may or may not need to be changed sometime in the next hour or so... ? ?
So, is it kind of like baby cries/noises? You learn to hear and recognize some of the noises as not requiring action.
Or the buzzer on the dryer? Or the miscrowave? The dryer dings to let you know that the laundry is dry, and could be taken out if you want to have wrinkle free shirts. The microwave says the water is ready for your tea, but it can sit in there all day, quite safely, if you've already left for work.
As opposed to the buzzer on the oven timer? The oven must be attended to right now! Pull out those cookies before they burn! That Broiling Chicken could become Flaming Wings, setting off smoke detectors, smoke everywhere, maybe a house fire (eventually)......
There's even a beeper much like a back-up warning on a dump-truck that lets you know when a nurse is moving the little Computer-On-Wheels around from one room to another.
There's even a "blind warning device" at a cross walk intersection downtown. It a short post that beeps (or chirps) every 5 seconds. Presumably so a bling person knows there's an intersection and street traffic. Maybe they can find the crossing light button by homing in on it? Personally, it makes me want to avoid that part of downtown.
Getting Rest in a Hospital has always been one of the most contradictory terms to ever disturb me.
And that's saying something.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Swiffer knit therapy: No Fault Insurance for Hoarding Therapy
I just found this very cool stash-busting therapeutic knitting project at stitchtherapybrooklyn.blogspot.com on swiffer-knits by stopek.html .
The recommended yarn is "acrylic", and who of us doesn't have some acrylic yarn we regret buying stashed away somewhere? I saw a mountain of it for $1 a pound at the thrift store today.
And "NO, I did NOT buy ANY". (I knew you would ask.)
My early eBay shopping exploits are some of the classic doozies of splurges on things that looked good online, and ended up being something else entirely upon receipt. My best example was a "soft blue" that was only "soft" in its color. The acrylic was somewhere between sandpaper and barbed wire in texture. "Phentex" was also a yarn that I had no experience with that did not live up to expectations. Therefore, I have a lot of yarn that I can't get rid of and can't use. But, to get out of the hoarding mess I'm in, I need to do something with it.
The flip side of this conundrum is the OCD issues that I have with knitting. I believe it would be very therapeutic to knit without worry. Without perfection. Throwing caution to the wind. There should be a freedom in using a swiffer cloth as a testing object and not caring if there’s a mistake while I’m learning a new stitch. I cannot imagine, in even my warped little mind, anyone that would be judgmental of a cloth to be used to scrub the floor. I realize that pot-holders and dishcloths are supposed to serve that function. But, I have people that are very opinionated on what a “proper” pot-holder is, and how a dishcloth should be constructed. I recently found out that my MIL wasn’t using the hot-pad I had spun, knit and felted expressly for the purpose of holding hot dishes on the table. Her reasoning: she didn’t think it was washable. So much for giving her something she could use every day.
Anyway, swiffer-cloths may be my new laboratory.
The recommended yarn is "acrylic", and who of us doesn't have some acrylic yarn we regret buying stashed away somewhere? I saw a mountain of it for $1 a pound at the thrift store today.
And "NO, I did NOT buy ANY". (I knew you would ask.)
My early eBay shopping exploits are some of the classic doozies of splurges on things that looked good online, and ended up being something else entirely upon receipt. My best example was a "soft blue" that was only "soft" in its color. The acrylic was somewhere between sandpaper and barbed wire in texture. "Phentex" was also a yarn that I had no experience with that did not live up to expectations. Therefore, I have a lot of yarn that I can't get rid of and can't use. But, to get out of the hoarding mess I'm in, I need to do something with it.
The flip side of this conundrum is the OCD issues that I have with knitting. I believe it would be very therapeutic to knit without worry. Without perfection. Throwing caution to the wind. There should be a freedom in using a swiffer cloth as a testing object and not caring if there’s a mistake while I’m learning a new stitch. I cannot imagine, in even my warped little mind, anyone that would be judgmental of a cloth to be used to scrub the floor. I realize that pot-holders and dishcloths are supposed to serve that function. But, I have people that are very opinionated on what a “proper” pot-holder is, and how a dishcloth should be constructed. I recently found out that my MIL wasn’t using the hot-pad I had spun, knit and felted expressly for the purpose of holding hot dishes on the table. Her reasoning: she didn’t think it was washable. So much for giving her something she could use every day.
Anyway, swiffer-cloths may be my new laboratory.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Raising Hope - Dream Hoarders
Have you seen Raising Hope? The episode titled "Dream Hoarders".
So much to learn there. And, presented with just enough humor to take the mean edge off.
The Hoarders show has too much of reality. Raising Hope actually gives one hope. But, since I've learned a little more about the Hoarding Mindset, I doubt that the approach of just hauling off the whole garden shed overnight is an effective cure. The rebound effect could be catastrophic. And if Mom is a true Hoarder, she would have probably have not dealt as well as the charater on a commedy.
I did really like the last scene where the Kid/Daddy recognized that some Hoarding Behaviors aren't all that bad.
So much to learn there. And, presented with just enough humor to take the mean edge off.
The Hoarders show has too much of reality. Raising Hope actually gives one hope. But, since I've learned a little more about the Hoarding Mindset, I doubt that the approach of just hauling off the whole garden shed overnight is an effective cure. The rebound effect could be catastrophic. And if Mom is a true Hoarder, she would have probably have not dealt as well as the charater on a commedy.
I did really like the last scene where the Kid/Daddy recognized that some Hoarding Behaviors aren't all that bad.
A moment of Clarity
My dear, dear family and DH don't often understand my Hoarding Issues. And they often ask "Why?", and I've been having a thought on that today......
Some of you may have grown up going to the library all the time. I did not. Our little neighborhood school libraries were a good try, but nothing like what I discovered later.
Some of you may have had a library in your home, and subscriptions to magazines that came in the mail. I did not. Our "family library" was a 3' wide 4' tall bookcase. One whole shelf was occupied by The World Book Encyclopedia. I was a voracious reader and read through the whole thing one summer when I was about 12. There was one dictionary, published before my birth, and one Bible, awarded to a parent for Sunday School attendance in 1934. While I do think I read the dictionary, I'm pretty sure that I haven't read the whole Bible yet.
When I started college, we were expected to know how to use an "index to periodicals". I remember discovering the archived magazine section at the libraries. They had ancient copies of the most fascinating publications; all bound into volumes by year. It was like an archaeological find, only not so much dust. Before then, I had no idea that there were so many magazines on such a wide variety of crafts and arts. I think I "wasted" a great deal of a year or two of college lurking in the depths of those archives. That was before my Hoarding got to be a problem. Everything I would ever need to know was at the library, open almost 24 hours a day, a short walk from my dorm room.
Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe those archives were a contributing factor to the problem. As time went by, I learned that my little college library sold off great numbers of books and magazines at a book sale every year. Their capacity for storage had been reached, and the oldest and least read had to make way for the new and the popular. At 4 books for $1 or $5 per bag, how could anyone let these precious tomes get away? As long as they were in the Library, it was possible to go there and see the patterns and read the articles if they were needed. As they were sold off, they went to live in someone else's stash closet, or horrors! to that new recycling center in the mall parking lot. Then they would be "Gone". As time went by, the big University Library and the Public Library in the University Town started getting rid of their stuff too, and I was always right there to buy and haul home as many boxes and bags of books as I could afford. By the time we set up housekeeping, and I was home with little ones, even the small town local Library was getting rid of periodicals over 5 years old. They were giving them away free! They, too, had a Fund Raising Book Sale every summer. It was for a good cause. And I was giving them a good-ish home. Right?
Sometimes, I've discovered that I actually had 2 or even more copies of the exact same issue. I even spent a great lot of money on magazines on eBay at the height of the problem.
In reality, they stacked up in places inhospitable to paper and decayed away in many gruesome ways. They have taken up space that could have been put to better use. Space that has been expensive to maintain, hard to acquire, never enough of. They have required heating in the winter and venting in the summer. They have been drowned by rising water and roof leaks. They have been nibbled and gnawed by mice and moths and who knows what else.
These collections were read only occasionally. When I did try to find a half remembered article or pattern, it could never be found in the chaos. It became much easier to just make up a pattern than to find the one I was looking for. And now, with the Internet and Ravelry, and all the company websites like Bernat and Lion Brand and Interweave, isn't it easier now than ever to find exactly the pattern or idea that I need? Without the Paper Overload?
This may be a breakthrough moment; wish I had a therapist to talk to about it. Maybe it's time to let more of them go..........
Some of you may have grown up going to the library all the time. I did not. Our little neighborhood school libraries were a good try, but nothing like what I discovered later.
Some of you may have had a library in your home, and subscriptions to magazines that came in the mail. I did not. Our "family library" was a 3' wide 4' tall bookcase. One whole shelf was occupied by The World Book Encyclopedia. I was a voracious reader and read through the whole thing one summer when I was about 12. There was one dictionary, published before my birth, and one Bible, awarded to a parent for Sunday School attendance in 1934. While I do think I read the dictionary, I'm pretty sure that I haven't read the whole Bible yet.
When I started college, we were expected to know how to use an "index to periodicals". I remember discovering the archived magazine section at the libraries. They had ancient copies of the most fascinating publications; all bound into volumes by year. It was like an archaeological find, only not so much dust. Before then, I had no idea that there were so many magazines on such a wide variety of crafts and arts. I think I "wasted" a great deal of a year or two of college lurking in the depths of those archives. That was before my Hoarding got to be a problem. Everything I would ever need to know was at the library, open almost 24 hours a day, a short walk from my dorm room.
Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe those archives were a contributing factor to the problem. As time went by, I learned that my little college library sold off great numbers of books and magazines at a book sale every year. Their capacity for storage had been reached, and the oldest and least read had to make way for the new and the popular. At 4 books for $1 or $5 per bag, how could anyone let these precious tomes get away? As long as they were in the Library, it was possible to go there and see the patterns and read the articles if they were needed. As they were sold off, they went to live in someone else's stash closet, or horrors! to that new recycling center in the mall parking lot. Then they would be "Gone". As time went by, the big University Library and the Public Library in the University Town started getting rid of their stuff too, and I was always right there to buy and haul home as many boxes and bags of books as I could afford. By the time we set up housekeeping, and I was home with little ones, even the small town local Library was getting rid of periodicals over 5 years old. They were giving them away free! They, too, had a Fund Raising Book Sale every summer. It was for a good cause. And I was giving them a good-ish home. Right?
Sometimes, I've discovered that I actually had 2 or even more copies of the exact same issue. I even spent a great lot of money on magazines on eBay at the height of the problem.
In reality, they stacked up in places inhospitable to paper and decayed away in many gruesome ways. They have taken up space that could have been put to better use. Space that has been expensive to maintain, hard to acquire, never enough of. They have required heating in the winter and venting in the summer. They have been drowned by rising water and roof leaks. They have been nibbled and gnawed by mice and moths and who knows what else.
These collections were read only occasionally. When I did try to find a half remembered article or pattern, it could never be found in the chaos. It became much easier to just make up a pattern than to find the one I was looking for. And now, with the Internet and Ravelry, and all the company websites like Bernat and Lion Brand and Interweave, isn't it easier now than ever to find exactly the pattern or idea that I need? Without the Paper Overload?
This may be a breakthrough moment; wish I had a therapist to talk to about it. Maybe it's time to let more of them go..........
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Archived issues on CD's - viable alternative?
I just found out that Interweave Press has Archived issues on CD's for some of their publications. They're not the most current releases, range from 2004 to 2009 for the ones I explored.
Have any of you explored these as a viable alternative to keeping the hard-copy magazines?
Many of the magaizines I had saved have met with sad endings recently, and have now gone on to the Great Recycling Bin. The irrational feelings of loss associated with this kind of event have led me to seek out other ways to assure myself that these aren't completely gone and will be available in one form or another if I need them. The evolution of the internet and web entities like Ravelry have helped me let go of a lot. But, I'm worried that my comfort-zone stretching is getting to the limit right now. I want to be IN the comfort zone for a little while before I stretch more and make more progress.
Have any of you explored these as a viable alternative to keeping the hard-copy magazines?
Many of the magaizines I had saved have met with sad endings recently, and have now gone on to the Great Recycling Bin. The irrational feelings of loss associated with this kind of event have led me to seek out other ways to assure myself that these aren't completely gone and will be available in one form or another if I need them. The evolution of the internet and web entities like Ravelry have helped me let go of a lot. But, I'm worried that my comfort-zone stretching is getting to the limit right now. I want to be IN the comfort zone for a little while before I stretch more and make more progress.
Getting to keep the Grandbaby overnight
The absolutely best reward for getting rid of the junk:
Getting to keep the Grandbaby overnight.
I don't think the kids would have Not ever let us babysit, but my DH was worried about it.
And I know that it's all out of love for everyone concerned. Our house wasn't "unsafe" but it definately was not "baby proof". And toddler safe is a way off still.
So, there are tradeoffs and rewards. Yeah!
Getting to keep the Grandbaby overnight.
I don't think the kids would have Not ever let us babysit, but my DH was worried about it.
And I know that it's all out of love for everyone concerned. Our house wasn't "unsafe" but it definately was not "baby proof". And toddler safe is a way off still.
So, there are tradeoffs and rewards. Yeah!
Friday, January 28, 2011
We have had people over to the house - twice !
Did I mention that we had company over twice !
Real Visitors ...
We even had my DMIL over for Christmas Eve gifting.
And then we had about 15 people over for New Year's Eve.
My kids invited people too!
It was pretty cool to have space for everyone to sit, and the table space for everyone to eat a meal together.
I got to tell one of my best friends that she's "worth more to me than all of my crap."
And it's so true. Being able to have a friend drop by is worth so much.
And I was missing that for so long.
That's priceless isn't it?
Real Visitors ...
We even had my DMIL over for Christmas Eve gifting.
And then we had about 15 people over for New Year's Eve.
My kids invited people too!
It was pretty cool to have space for everyone to sit, and the table space for everyone to eat a meal together.
I got to tell one of my best friends that she's "worth more to me than all of my crap."
And it's so true. Being able to have a friend drop by is worth so much.
And I was missing that for so long.
That's priceless isn't it?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Progress is showing
I'm not sure how much actual progress I have made in the last 4 months, but my house is looking better.
DH and the other occupants have been working really hard on hauling stuff off, giving it away, donating, throwing out, burning, boxing up, and moving away.
I'm learning not to panic every time someone takes out the trash. I haven't "rescued" anything from a trash bag in, well, several days at least.
DH and the other occupants have been working really hard on hauling stuff off, giving it away, donating, throwing out, burning, boxing up, and moving away.
I'm learning not to panic every time someone takes out the trash. I haven't "rescued" anything from a trash bag in, well, several days at least.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Did the sleep study
Ok, I did the sleep study and about a dozen other tests over the course of about 2 weeks.And, I've already started taking the tiny steps toward a change in diet.
I think I'm feeling better, but that might just be an "attitude of hope" thing.
I don't care if it is. Whatever it is, I'll take it.
Don't actually see the Dr. with all the results for another week or so.
Seems to be wasting time, if you ask me.
Maybe I'm just obsessing on this now..........
OCD, yes I am, that's Me !
And yes, having my knitting with me at the sleep study did make things easier.
And when I was waiting at the Lab, and the Dr's office, and the Pharmacy,.....
There's a lot of waiting involved in all this testing.
Patience is a virtue..........
The graphic to the right is available on T-shirts, bags, coffee cups, etc.
at CafePress
Design is not by me, I just liked it.
Friday, August 20, 2010
No Caffeine
Don't know where else to blog about this, so you readers are the lucky ones.
Long story short: I'm getting lots of medical testing done. One of the tests is a "sleep study" to check for sleep apena.
Reading through the list of stuff to do for preparation: not supposed to have ANY caffeine for 24 hours before the study.
First question: does that mean for 24 hours before the study begins, which is this evening, say 9pm, so that would have been starting at 9pm last night? Or does it mean for 24 hours before the study will end, at the unusual hour of 5:30 am tomorrow morning. Why 5:30?
There are so many questions here.
So, I go to a website to look up Caffeine
And the side bar add is: Is Excessive Sleepiness Hurting You? Take the Quiz >
And there's questions about how much coffee you drink in comparison to co-workers, do you have obligations that keep you up late or make you get up early, headaches, napping, dozing off.........
And then the anaylsis article that says the expected blanket "Americans aren't sleeping enough or well enough".
You should see your doctor for help with this problem.
This is supposed to be new information?
Sleep affects work performance?
Sleepiness can be dangerous while driving?
No Kidding!
Now my only question is: what knitting project to take to a Sleep Study
Long story short: I'm getting lots of medical testing done. One of the tests is a "sleep study" to check for sleep apena.
Reading through the list of stuff to do for preparation: not supposed to have ANY caffeine for 24 hours before the study.
First question: does that mean for 24 hours before the study begins, which is this evening, say 9pm, so that would have been starting at 9pm last night? Or does it mean for 24 hours before the study will end, at the unusual hour of 5:30 am tomorrow morning. Why 5:30?
There are so many questions here.
So, I go to a website to look up Caffeine
And there's questions about how much coffee you drink in comparison to co-workers, do you have obligations that keep you up late or make you get up early, headaches, napping, dozing off.........
And then the anaylsis article that says the expected blanket "Americans aren't sleeping enough or well enough".
You should see your doctor for help with this problem.
This is supposed to be new information?
Sleep affects work performance?
Sleepiness can be dangerous while driving?
No Kidding!
Now my only question is: what knitting project to take to a Sleep Study
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Another Excel total of the Ravelry listed Stash
As of August 11, 2010
230 skeins of yarn
24,119 grams
51,032 yards
It didn't seem like that much when it was all scattered out.
Well, not exactly "out".
It was pretty much Stashed, Hidden, know what I mean?
230 skeins of yarn
24,119 grams
51,032 yards
It didn't seem like that much when it was all scattered out.
Well, not exactly "out".
It was pretty much Stashed, Hidden, know what I mean?
Friday, August 13, 2010
Entering Yarn Stash into Ravelry
I've started entering my yarn stash at Ravelry.
It should let me see how much yarn I really have.
I'm also getting rid of any yarn that isn't "useable".
If I'm understand it right,
One of the problems with Hoarding is that it has become very difficult for me to judge what is "useful" and what is "trash".
Did I write that I've been seriously working on this since before ?
Well, I'm not sure how long ago I really admitted that I had a Problem and started Trying to Fix It.
It seems like it's only been a couple of months, but maybe it's been almost a year?
How does time fly that fast?
Anyway, Ravelry has a Stash Database that will let me export to Excel.
And in Excel, one of my favorite programs by the way, I can total up how much yarn I've got.
If I've done this right, as of
August 10, 2010
122 Skeins
12,583 grams
27,260 yards
It should let me see how much yarn I really have.
I'm also getting rid of any yarn that isn't "useable".
If I'm understand it right,
One of the problems with Hoarding is that it has become very difficult for me to judge what is "useful" and what is "trash".
Did I write that I've been seriously working on this since before ?
Well, I'm not sure how long ago I really admitted that I had a Problem and started Trying to Fix It.
It seems like it's only been a couple of months, but maybe it's been almost a year?
How does time fly that fast?
Anyway, Ravelry has a Stash Database that will let me export to Excel.
And in Excel, one of my favorite programs by the way, I can total up how much yarn I've got.
If I've done this right, as of
August 10, 2010
122 Skeins
12,583 grams
27,260 yards
On the road toward not having a Hoarding Problem
Hi, I'm Ruby and I have a problem with Hoarding.
My yarn stash has been out of control for a while.
My house has been totally out of control for a long time, even before I was knitting a lot.
Well, not quite as out of control as on the TV show, ....
Before the knitting, it was quilting.
And sewing.
And making bears and dolls.
And needle punch embroidery.
And embroidery, crewel and needlepoint.
And candle making, ceramics, painting,
You get the idea.
I'm trying to get better before my family turns me in to the producers of the show.
If I am ever on TV, that's NOT what I want to be there for.
Maybe Knitty Gritty?
My yarn stash has been out of control for a while.
My house has been totally out of control for a long time, even before I was knitting a lot.
Well, not quite as out of control as on the TV show, ....
Before the knitting, it was quilting.
And sewing.
And making bears and dolls.
And needle punch embroidery.
And embroidery, crewel and needlepoint.
And candle making, ceramics, painting,
You get the idea.
I'm trying to get better before my family turns me in to the producers of the show.
If I am ever on TV, that's NOT what I want to be there for.
Maybe Knitty Gritty?
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