When I started my book project, I was asked to do a mood board. What reflects my vibe/ What do I want my book to look like?
Looking at recent projects, I think you can tell I like a monochromatic palette, different shades of the same hue. And blue is big! I can’t have an all blue book (and why not?), but I can definitely have a monochromatic vibe.
I just need to swatch what I’ve charted to make sure it works, and then this is off to Ann, who is sample knitting for me.
I’m funny with deadlines. I used to be a procrastinator, and somewhere along the way I’ve morphed into an all-in obsessive. Not good! There’s a lot of knitting that needs to happen, but slow and steady wins the race.
I need to do a better job balancing my knitting time. I didn’t listen to my body, and I have developed tendonitis in my forearms, which affects knitting *and* typing. You know, the things I need to do to get this book done! So I’m not knitting for 3 days, and minimally typing.
For now, I’m petting yarn, and sketching and charting things on paper. I’m on the last big design project for the book, and then I have three more small ones that should be easy. Should. I never know until I actually try to knit them!
Have you ever done a mood board? What would your mood board say about you?
PDXKnitterati 
This being an author can be exhausting, eh ? – it puts such demands on one ! But it’s so damned EXCITING .. 😀
Exciting, yes! And I haven’t even written any of the prose yet!
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Lady knits the Blues?
Sent from my iPad
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Constantly!
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Clever ! 🙂
I have tendonitis in both wrists. Rest from things that aggravate it is by far the best “treatment.” But, I would also suggest you consider “magnesium oil” to assist.
It is inexpensive and easy to make yourself. All you need is:
1. 8oz or 16oz amber or blue glass spray bottle
2. A package of “magnesium flakes.” (magnesium chloride)
We use Ancient Minerals brand that include MSM, for additional pain relief. https://is.gd/oEG65H
3. Distilled water (boiling is not necessary; room temp works just fine)
4. Optional: essential oil of choice that address pain or inflammation &/or stress – just a few drops (6-12 drops per 8oz)
To prepare the solution, fill empty clean bottle just over half full of magnesium flakes; fill to within 2” of top of bottle with distilled water & add optional essential oils of choice. Screw spray top in place & set aside for 15-20 minutes, then shake well – the flakes will have fully dissolved.
If you’ve included essential oil, always shake before use.
Very rarely, some people react to this solution, so do a little test patch first. It leaves a “didn’t rinse off after being in the ocean” feeling; I always follow with lotion to counteract that sensation. You can also rinse any residue after 30-45 mins to permit complete absorption.
Apply sparingly to any areas of pain, cramping, stress &/or inflammation & massage in. You really don’t need much for relief. After it has absorbed I like to apply lotion & massage in because I don’t care for the way it leaves my skin feeling later. Ymmv. BTW, it is an awesome treat to massage into soles of your feet at the end of the day, especially if you’ve hiked or walked a lot or you are just “spent” or stressed!
My husband & I started using it because we were getting leg cramps at night & discovered it also helped us sleep better. I get awful cramping between my shoulder blades & neck at work at the end of the day sometimes. Hubby sprays it on & massages it in & the tension is gone in less than 30mins. I’ve started using a bit to the tension area of my neck when I get migraine the past couple of months. I do several things to avoid Rx/OTC medications unless it is really bad & nothing else has helped. I’m finding it doesn’t stop migraine but definitely helps in combination with other things I’ve been doing for a while. I don’t use it everyday; I may experience fewer migraine if I did?
Per use, it is practically free. We each have an 8oz bottle by the bed & rarely refill it more than 1-2 times per year. Most people are deficient in magnesium & may realize additional benefits beyond just pain relief.
You may also consider application before beginning a “marathon” knitting/crochet/typing/etc session. Can’t hurt & may mitigate inflammation before it starts.
I started with a “premixed” bottle of magnesium oil because I had no idea I could make it myself. The premixed bottles work no better, IMO, & are ridiculously over-priced when you do the calculations!
A few information links you may find helpful:
https://bit.ly/3dff61h
https://bit.ly/2SRMljX
https://bit.ly/35Ie8q1
Additional note: switching to Continental style knitting significantly reduced tendonitis aggravation. I’ve not paid attention to whether you use English Style or Continental, but others reading this may find that useful. I made the switch with a couple of double-stranded color work projects where I fed each color with a different hand – Continental & English, one color per hand. I followed that with a Continental-style small basket weave throw, k5, p5 for 5rows; p5, k5 for 5rows pattern, to solidify the switch. For crochet, I’ve taught myself to “feed stitches onto hook,” (requires more focus till you get used to it), keeping the hook more still – if that makes sense – for alternate rows. I find crochet aggravates tendonitis more than knitting does, for me. By switching “pressure” of stitches between rights & left hand, I can work more stitches with less aggravation or inflammation.
But paying attention to time, is critical. I set a timer for 30mins or an hour to remind myself to take a break & do something else for a while. Or, watch a movie & stop when the movie is over for 30 mins or more… I find that works best if I have a **plan** for what to do next, or I don’t stop. 😀
Tendonitis will get worse, a lot worse, if you just keep “pushing through.” Trust me, it is **not** worth it if you love to knit or crochet. I had to stop for over a year before I could pick it up again. Now, I rarely have any pain or discomfort… unless I fail to watch time & take breaks.
Thanks, Eliana! I’m taking lots of breaks. I can’t switch my knitting style right now; I need to finish the book projects first. I can knit continental, but my purling is abysmal…
I have tried to make mood boards before, and have trouble with them. Yours is looking great!
There’s actually more than just this one set of knits, but a lot of it was just color pairings that I like. They’re all going into the book!
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