Friday 11 March 2016

Apology, Explanation, A Hanging Heart & A Smile

Hello Everyone,

Apologies for being a poor blogger and even poorer commenter over recent weeks. Fact is, due to the arthritis which affects my hands, arms and shoulders, I'm finding keyboarding painful. The last few months have been particularly bad and I'm now limited to what I can do. Such a pain!

I've been referred for physiotherapy, of course, and hopefully this will help me deal with the painful spasms I'm experiencing. In the meantime, I'm having to limit the type and amount of craftwork I do, not to mention keyboarding!

However, being unwilling to give up altogether, I have a plan. That is to continue blogging, just less frequently, for the foreseeable future and see how that works out. Mostly I'll post photographs but accompany them with less chat ... that could be a relief to some folk :)

So, in that spirit, here's a photo of a hanging heart I've just finished making.
I hand embroidered the flowers using a transfer from Lesley Taylor's lovely book, Flowers. The design is done on cream cotton with DMC embroidery floss. I haven't embroidered by hand in 50 years, and it could be my last for another 50 years!  I should live so long :)

As it is Friday, I can't forget to add a little funny for Annie's Friday Smiles.
I'd love this little kitty to take me through my physio exercises :)

So there you are, my tale of woe, my plan, and my latest creation, and something to smile about.

Take care and happy crafting,

14 comments:

brenda said...

I can totally identify with all you are saying Elizabeth, but well done on you for hanging in there with the craft. It can be so therapeutical and for me help maintain a level of sanity when the pain is bad. And what a pretty little heart as well.

B x

Barb said...

Dear Elizabeth your heart is beautiful. Do you know I totally empathise with you. I have the same problems and could sometimes cry. Don't worry about commenting on mine. I know you're there and I'll keep coming back. Hope the physio helps. Hugs, Barbxx

Annie said...

Yep....I have days like that Too Ellie....you are not alone. I know that wont take your pain away but it's better to not suffer alone eh? What I find helps is the fact that I'm a butterfly crafter and happily change from knitting to crochet to sewing etc and it seems to help.
Hope you have a great week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Lisca said...

Good for you for trying. I hope you will feel better after a few sessions of physio.

By the way, most computers nowadays have speech recognition of some sort... You could look into that. I found this:
"Windows speech recognition is software that comes installed on most vista and Windows 7 computers. It allows you to use your voice to control the computer and even dictate. It takes a bit of getting used to but it is a very fun program to use after you master the basics and learn how to write your own commands.
To start Speech recognition, open up the control panel. Click on the accessibility (ease of access) link and you should see the speech recognition options. The first thing you should do is set up your microphone. This only takes a few minutes.

Once your microphone is ready to go, I recommend that you do some speech training. This is important because it will help the software to understand your accent and the way you talk in general. The more that you do this, the better the program becomes at following your commands.

Once you have done a little training, it is time to delve into the magical world of speech recognition! Click on the first link in the speech recognition options panel to start the program."

Oh that embroidery is gorgeous! I have started to do some embroidery recently. Up ´till now I have only done cross stitch. (see my blog from Wednesday and the Wednesday before that)
Have a great week,
Lisca

JoZart Designs said...

I was about to suggest the same as Lisca... but there it is in greater detail, thanks to her. The technology is there for you , just use it.
All things considered you did an amazing job making your heart decoration. It's beautifully made.
Love the little ginger kitty too.
Jo x

Liz said...

I love your embroidered heart, so pretty. Sorry to hear that your arthritis is causing you so many problems. Hopefully the physiotherapy will help improve things for you. xx

Jean said...

Oh Elizabeth your embroidery is beautiful, such a pretty heart you made.
So sorry that your arthritis is so painful just now, but good for you to keep doing what you can. I do hope the physio helps.
Jean x

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Elizabeth BP here, great to meet you too. That cat is very clever and I wish I could do that. I am sure that with your determination you will improve. It is very kind of you to visit me but you must keep quiet about what you see as I should still be on my shelf. They are back tomorrow so I need to get back up there soon. Have a great weekend, BP Mini Me and friends xXx

Carole Pollard said...

So pretty what gorgeous heart hope your hands improve soon Take Care love and hugs Carole x

mamapez5 said...

Well done on making that pretty heart. Your embroidered flowers are lovely, and it must have been hard with pain in your arms and hands. I can identify with that as my shoulders - upper arms really - are worse this year than ever before, and my hands are always painful. It is good that you have come to an 'agreement with yourself' on how much is sensible for you to do. I do think the computer is very hard on hands that are already struggling. The voice recognition mentioned above is one option you could consider. I don't seem to speak consistently enough for it, but some people find it really helpful.
I hope the physio gives you some relief.
Kate x

Robyn Oliver said...

Hi Elizabeth, well you have done a beautiful job with your embroidered heart and it's wonderful you keep working with your poor hands, so look forward to seeing you still blogging with more photos and less writing. Have a lovely weekend Cheers Robyn

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I was born with a rare form of arthritis that is a birth defect that no medication or therapy helps. I am in awe of that heart, because I have no pinch grip, so could never make that. It is beautiful.

Maybe physio is exactly what YOU need. I hope it's painless, although I fear it won't be.

My Friday Smile was based on the bag your daughter was searching for last week. It was in my tree (STILL). Hope your weekend is awesome.

Angie said...

I love your little heart Elizabeth - it gives us an insight into your determination despite your condition. I hope the physio helps - hope you are feeling better soon x

Twiglet said...

Ha ha - I love the new physio teacher!! I hope that arthritis improves for you - it really is a you know what isn't it! x Jo