Out of Juice

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Sometimes when I take a little break that's when I realise that actually I'm all out of juice.

I was diagnosed with ME about three years ago; probably almost to the day. I'm in the midst of a bad spell of it. I'm always trying to find the balance between getting the most out of myself and pushing it too far. Tipped over into the too far lately. I've never mentioned my specific illness here but I need to work on accepting that I have it and stop hiding it from people - so telling you all seemed like a good first step towards that.

Anyway it was lovely to rest a short while at home with Mum and Dad and get some good fresh Cornish air, some of it of the sea variety - the garter stitch scarf was a hit.
Pattern: Cast on 20 stitches and knit :o)
Yarn: Colinette Point 5
Needles: 15mm Plastic Straights
Started: 12 January 2008
Finished: 17 January 2008
Notes: When the inner knitter calls for simplicity the inner knitter can have simplicity. The end result is a beauty. A complex stitch pattern would be wasted as it would get lost in the texture of the yarn. The garter stitch just stands back and shows off the wool in all its squidgy glory.
Recipient most happy.

Papa also happy with his socks. Sarah very happy with Knitty in Pink who is a generous and lovely lady. More soon!

Comments

von said…
Hi Sarah

Really sorry to hear you're not having a great time.

Although mine is a different illness, I can relate (to some degree). It's so easy to do too much and not realise, just blindly carry on. I've had arthritis for 7 or 8 years now and have only recently started to accept it...so you're doing much better than me on that score! I think it's hard to have an 'invisible' illness in both the sense that people don't/can't understand, as well as me actually forgetting that I can't do some stuff!!

I find sea air to be the best air there is!

Take care and look after yourself.

Von

p.s. the scarf is gorgeous - and well needed by the look of it :o)
21 January 2008 at 17:55:00 GMT
Marianne said…
Oh wow... please take great care with yourself... I read through those symptoms and thought 'holy crap' sounds far too familiar for comfort... and I'm really not the sort to 'take on' illnesses... you know?
Your Mum is a lovely woman and that scarf is absolutely delicious and looks so very warm and soft!
Please... do take great care :^) XOX
21 January 2008 at 18:08:00 GMT
florencemary said…
Well I do hope you've had a lovely recuperative stay in Cornwall - what fantastic seascapes! I'm sure your Mum and Dad made a well-earned fuss of you, especially with the gorgeous gifts you've made them.

Take care and hope you soon feel energised!
21 January 2008 at 18:35:00 GMT
Glenna C said…
I am so sorry you're in a down spell - you always seem so 'up' in this blog and the rough patches are always so, well, rough. I know you'll find the juice again, and the garter stitch always welcomes you back :)
21 January 2008 at 19:21:00 GMT
Janey said…
Sending you big cyber hugs.xx Glad you had a good break, now you can focus on trying to relax when you're home and not taking on too much!

Lovely scarf and fabulous sea shots. I always find spending time by the sea helps clear my head.
21 January 2008 at 19:25:00 GMT
Charity said…
I think it's really great you're learning to accept and manage your illness. Finding that sense of balance is so much more important when you're dealing with sickness.
21 January 2008 at 21:22:00 GMT
Rose Red said…
Mmm sea air, even in the middle of winter - lovely stuff. As is the scarf, looks so so cosy.

Sorry to hear about your ME, as others have said acceptance and openness are good ways to come to terms with the impact it must have on your life - because this also raises awareness and understanding amongst others too.
21 January 2008 at 21:26:00 GMT
Lynne said…
As a former sufferer of chronic ["it's all in your mind"] fatigue, I can relate. Acceptance is good; managing is very important.

The scarf looks warm and cosy.

All the best.

http://2hot2knit.blogspot.com
22 January 2008 at 00:33:00 GMT
Terrie D. (StarSpry) said…
I'm sorry to hear you're not doing very well. I think (hope) you're right that sharing this will help you accept it.

It looks like a very lovely place to get some rest! Your scarf looks great :)
22 January 2008 at 00:51:00 GMT
Kelly said…
Sarah, I do hope that you're on the upside of this soon. In the meantime, take care of yourself - you deserve it.

The scarf is lovely. There certainly is a time and place for simple knitting, it all its beauty. Well done :)
22 January 2008 at 01:41:00 GMT
Linda said…
Take care sarah, it must be so hard finding a balance, when suffering from a chronic illness, to keep going. That Cornish coast looks lovely, did you have cream teas?
22 January 2008 at 09:50:00 GMT
Curly Cable said…
Really sorry to hear that you suffer from ME, the symptons sound horrendous, no wonder your feeling so under the weather, just try to take everything in one day at a time and your juice will soon be back to level again, I'm sending you big cyber hugs to help it on its way too.

What a lovely picture of your mum and your scarf is super, looks lovely and warm, I like the colour

Hope you start to feel better really soon,

Take Care

Tracy xx
22 January 2008 at 10:25:00 GMT
I? said…
I imagine it's not easy to get stuff like this out in the open. So glad you did though. Once it is out there somehow it becomes easier to find much needed support... at least in my experience. Take care x PS: I really do think that garter scrves are the best!
22 January 2008 at 23:33:00 GMT
Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED said…
Good on your for sharing it, thats a hard step. Its a hard thing to deal with the balance can be so hard...I wish you well and I am sure your creativity will pull you through the rough spots.
Love the beach pics...Oh looks amazing...the scarf is pretty cool too...
23 January 2008 at 23:04:00 GMT
Seahorse said…
{{{hugs}}} I think having one of those 'nebulous' illnesses where there are no obviously visible signs to other people can be hard. The tempation is to try and be 'normal', when sometimes that isn't the best course of action at all. I don't have ME but have a similarly tedious condition, happily well managed with medication at the mo. I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to share what's been going on with you.
25 January 2008 at 13:05:00 GMT
dreamcatcher said…
Sorry you're having not-such-a-good time at the moment. I hope the lovely Cornish air and scenery has helped. Such a beautiful place! The GS scarf is gorgeous, I may well do the same with some Point 5 in my stash :-)
25 January 2008 at 18:37:00 GMT
Piglottie said…
Oh hun, am sending gentle hugs your way and thanks for sharing with us. I hope you manage to take it easy for awhile.
28 January 2008 at 13:24:00 GMT
Anonymous said…
Sorry to hear you've been doing too much. Idon't have ME but I suffer form severe chronic neck and back pain and need to pace myself and it's so easy to overdo it and then I really suffer. So I understand what you're going through. It's very difficult with 'invisible' illnesses/disabilities especailly when people say you look good and you feel rubbish. And they don't understand why you can't do everything. I've suffered with back pain since i was 14 but it's only been really severe for the last 7-8 years.

Yes, that beach looks like Cornwall allright. LOL. Nice scarf.
31 January 2008 at 21:06:00 GMT
Donyale said…
One should always obey one's Inner Knitter, non?
1 February 2008 at 09:08:00 GMT
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