When You Have No Right to Complain

I gotta say at the get-go: Friends, If you're looking to sweat it out at the old YogaWorks, take a one-half mile jog before you get there, because in our case (meaning Mr. Hula and me) we've been snoozing through a lot of the stuff on the yoga menu these past few days.

That's not to say that what we are experiencing isn't VALUABLE because it is. Shoot, I haven't relaxed in years. So, I figure, if I'm paying 75 bucks a month to take some yoga and have a bit of a snooze there on the bamboo floor, then it shall be. It's a good way to experience bamboo floors, I tell you what. Because, my dirty white carpets are nearly killing me.

But that's beside the point. I think I'll find my way to nirvana sans yarn and dumbbells someday, someway, yet after four classes, some of which I'll definitely try again, I won't be taking the basic Iyengar class again unless it moves faster, plus, the elderly teacher's shorty-short-short tie-dyed bloomers nearly sent me into another round of optical migraine vertigo--not that those bloomers were moving fast or anything...

This Juliet pattern--the one I have no business knitting because I have too much to do--has been fun for me because it is worked from the top as I like it and you can try on as you can go. I rarely go to the bulky side of the gauge-spectrum, but I think this one will still flatter. I normally knit a small or a medium, yet I opted for an extra-small only because I have recently written a ton of patterns, some of them raglans, and I have decided that going down a size in a raglan is a safe way to go--in spite of the schematic-- especially if you experience wide sleeves.

Ugh. I haven't yet told you what was on my mind. Actually, the truth is, my forearm, my right one, has been hurting me these past few days. I was ready to blame it on the yoga, but somehow it doesn't make sense, because, let's face it, the last thing I've done these past four days is stand on my hands, shoot, the teachers, although they sent us into Down Dog for like, a second, they sent us back into some sort of Corpse position so fast your back would snap, so it couldn't be the yoga.

(Come to think of it, I think it's the bulky yarn that I'm using for Juliet--let's not talk about it.)

So back to the thing I wanted to talk about since the beginning of the post. I was at my neighbor's house the other day. Turns out, she was just back from a family wedding and I agreed to watch the video. Of course, it was over an hour long and I viewed it on that tiny screen on the back of her digital video camera. The sound was great, I heard some lovely, lonely guitar music behind the scenes throughout. And just when I couldn't take it anymore, I thought I'd break the monotony with, "You know, my forearm, it really hurts. I don't know if it is from the new yoga or from knitting a bulky garment on size 9's. Do you know that knitting at various gauges can affect you differently?" (She's not a knitter but she nodded as if she understood.) "Some will make you hurt, some won't. Some will bore you to tears, some will make you dream good dreams. And of course, there are many knitters who complain about 100 percent cotton because they say it hurts their hands. Oh, and my forearm, it hurts! By the way, that guitar music there in the background of your video. It's lovely! Really haunting, you know?"

"Yeah, that's my cousin. He was born with no hands. He plays guitar with his toes. I wish I captured him on this video, but I couldn't figure out how to use the zoom."

Comments

[Tammy]

I'm so glad you are getting to enjoy knitting again! You know what I mean... to knit what you want, when you want, without deadlines. And to cast-on... yes, to cast on and on and on! Welcome back to the superfluous world of the undisciplined knitter!

And yes, I'm sure it's the bulky yarn that's hurting your arms. Quick but painful. Cute cardi though.

[Jen]

Awesome! With his toes???

Sounds like you need to look for some vinyasa yoga classes - that'll get you. ;)

[denise]

Doesn't the drummer of Def Leppard play with his feet?

[Stitch Sista]

Oh my! Please please tell me you made that last bit up! I have a twisted sense of humour so of course I'm laughing right along with (at?) you...

Anyway what a clever guy hey?

[sophanne]

He can play the guitar with his toes- she can't work the zoom. Let's do the math.

[Kathy]

Perspective is a wonderful thing. I know what you mean about the yoga classes. Some are nothing more than stretches. Valuable in their own way, but not what you're necessarily looking for. I take one class where I've got a line of sweat running down my back the entire class, it's a killer, but you know you worked out when it's over! But hey, 75 a month. That's what I miss about living in a city.

[Tracey]

How amazing! And also very humbling. I'm sure she didn't take offense.

Juliet looks lovely too, bulky or no.

[Swampqueen]

I am suffering from the aching elbow too. I just posted to the Knitlist and received some great advice. To sum it up:

* Ice
* Elbow brace on the arm
* Change yarn, needles, projects, knitting style
* Go to the doctor and get some physical therapy sessions prescribed
* Stretch the arm often and take breaks
I am trying some of them and have scheduled an appointment with my doctor. It's helping a little - but not quickly enough! Good luck!

But after hearing about the cousin playing the guitar with his legs and feet, it makes our own complaints seem trivial, doesn't it? But life without knitting - hard to contemplate.

[suzanne]

Seriously funny! how much your feet hurt until you meet a man with no legs!

Somehow that does make me feel much much better. Like when I am exhausted from work part time work, part time grad school and full time two kids......and I meet the mom who works full time, somehow goes to school full time and has 3 teenagers. Suddenly, I am not so tired.

My arm is hurting too--both of them. Hopefully its the gauge? maybe its all the typing? maybe mental stress makes it hurt? Let us know what helps so we in blogland can try it too!

[Miz Booshay]

Me thinks you need to try Jazzersize :o)
Do you even remember that???

It was very....UP.

[Sarah]

With his toes? Amazing.

[gay]

the yarn let's get back to the yarn...i'm dying to know what is the yarn you're using for juliet, which by the way is really cute now i can't wait to start mine!

[gay]

let's get back to the yarn i'm dying to know what yarn you're using for juliet which is very cute by the way.

[gay]

sorry computer glitch! didn't mean to ask twice it's not like i'm anxious or anything but what is that yarn again?

[Suna]

I dislocated a hip doing lunges in Jazzercise and had to do three months of physical therapy to get the horrid pain to go away. But now I know how to put my hip back in place myself (thank you, childbirth). Oh yeah, and I have fallen asleep in yoga classes more than once. I am a VERY good relaxer.

My hands both hurt. Fraid it's arthritis and knitting or typing every waking moment does not help. But recently I knitted something on large needles and it did cause some discomfort. Socks are lovely.

It's amazing what people can do. I know a local fellow who was badly burned and just has nubs on his hands instead of fingers, and still is a better guitarist than most. Humbles a lot of the local folkies.

[MX]

Oy vey!! Didn't manage to get him on the video...hahahahaha!!!

[Stephanie]

Okay..I thought maybe I was nuts. My arm is hurting as well and I am knitting on a bulky little sweater instead of socks. I hadn't really put it all together. I was thinking I was just crazy!!! And my right hand too. I have to stop every once in a while and stretch it out. Sheesh. Maybe I'll stick with socks :)

[Wendy]

Gay, look at the sidebar "On the Needles." You'll find the yarn there.

[Leslie]

I rarely write but often lurk. There's just one word that defines your experience: perspective

[Miss Scarlett]

Yes...too bad she didn't capture that on video.

[Katie V.]

I know yoga is good for me, since I have very tight muscles in need of a good stretch, but I just can't take it--I'd rather get a good snooze on my couch at home. I don't know how people fit every type of exercise they're supposed to do into a day! I pretty much stick with the cardio, and try to stretch afterwards. As for bulky yarn, I used to knit with nothing but, and now it's been awhile...I just started a size 10's bulky project for a jacket that's enormous! Ouch!

[anne]

I'm fairly out of shape so I took a gentle yoga class. My name for it was "yoga for dead people."

Loved your crack about corpse position!

[Rachel]

That reminds me of how I felt the other day when I got a paper cut on my finger. I was complaining about how it hurt. My 6 year old was very sympathetic. Then, says to me ,"Mommy there is a boy in my class. He has no fingers on one of his hands." The same boy was in her class ALL LAST YEAR and she never noticed, or never mentioned it. I love how kids aren't fazed by people's differences. Oh, and I shut up about the cut right away.

[Lizbon]

Oh for frack's sake - he can play guitar with his TOES and she can't figure out how to work the freaking zoom on the camera to take a picture of him?

[KathrynGrace]

Yoga is the best nap I ever took...but I found out one day that if you don't do it right, it can be the most dangerous nap you ever took. I used to get crazy headrushes...

It's reassuring to know that top-down raglans can run a little big...I'm doing one now that was worryingly loose, even in the correct size. I thought I was being reckless by undoing it to try again with the next size down.

Cheers,
Kate