Sweaters and squares and life oh my!

My niece sent me this clip she found on Vimeo. After listening to it, it reminded me that I am not alone, that I have someone who stands by me through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad, through sickness and health. That person is my darling husband. Despite his own health issues, he is there for me when I hurt too much that I can't even walk a simple block. 

Stand by Me from theRedPillRadio on Vimeo.

It also reminded me that I have a friend, a very special friend who also stands by me, who accepts me as I am. She is also by my side through thick and thin, giving me the support that I need. 

And all this reminds me that I cannot go through life thinking that I can do it alone, that I must be strong for others and forget about my pain. There are days that, yes, I can put my pain aside and be there for friends and family and then there are days that the pain is too much, that I try and bury it by keeping myself busy, but it comes through anyway. It feels like a beast with huge teeth gnawing at my nerves and muscles... and that's when I turn to knitting and crochet to keep me sane.

When the doctor told me that I have fibromyalgia, I didn't realise just how much it would hurt as it develops. I do hope it reaches a plateau sooner than later since it is already affecting what I can and cannot do. Between the fibro pain and the neuropathic pain I'd rather go with the neuropathic pain. This fibro pain is something that totally cuts my breath when it hits. I can feel it building and building when I try to keep going despite the fact that I'm hurting and then it just clamps down and I find myself unable to take another step and struggling for breath.

I've been volunteering as a test crocheter for a lovely designer, SmoothFox, and have enjoyed the process quite a bit. I've tested several squares and a beautiful blanket for her and look forward to testing more. I still have to take photos of the most recent test squares but I do have a photo of this lovely square that I completed a couple of weeks ago for her.

Neapolitan Ice Cream Square 12x12

As I keep testing other squares for her I will eventually have enough to assemble a lovely blanket of beautiful original squares.

I decided to participate in a sweater KAL with Spud & Chloe. I had never done a raglan type sweater before and I thought, why not join in, this way I get to learn how to do a raglan sweater and have immediate help and support if I run into a snag. So far it's going fantastically well. I love the top down construction of the sweater and the fact that it is seamless means no bulky side and underarm seams like other sweaters constructed separately. 

Raglan sweater so far

This one I am knitting for my 11 year old nephew. I decided to go with nice chunky stripes in navy blue and white. It's a great pattern and to have online support for questions and help is fantastic. You can see everyone's progress on Ravelry.

I have other projects that are almost done that I will post photos of in my next post.