Monday 14 March 2011

Surgery Knitting

I have been thinking a LOT about my up coming surgery.  It is so soon.  Did I mention that my date has been set for 20th April?  In order to avoid thinking about how scary it all is I have been dwelling on a much better topic - post operative knitting!

The last time I had surgery I wasn't a knitter.  However, I do remember how I felt after it.  The surgery I am going to have this time is pretty much the same as the last batch I had, so I kind of know what to expect.  I know that when I first wake up I am going to be groggy and feel rubbish.  I am not going to be able to do anything except lie still and try to sleep in between being poked and prodded by the nursing staff as they take my vitals.  However, by the next day I will start to be a bit more restless.  I will still be pretty immobile but I will probably be able to sit up slightly in bed and will want distracting.  When that happens I want to have something to distract me.

I am currently developing my plan for post operative distraction.  I intend to take the following equipment with me:

  • Books (real, ebooks and audio books - thank you iPod Touch, I love you!)
  • Magazines (craft ones for when I can't focus beyond a paragraph of writing)
  • Podcasts
  • Knitting!!!

The knitting requires a lot of careful planning.  I want to have some knitting that is completely mindless for when I first start to get restless.  It needs to be something I can do while on a lot of morphine.  Personally I believe that knitting will definitely help with my pain control so I want to make sure I have enough to keep me going.  I am definitely going to take socks in with me.  I will make sure that I have got past the toes, when I go in so I can knit round and round for a day or so.  Then when it comes to the tricky bit I'll leave it to one side for a day or so and when I am more alert I'll pick up the leg and finish the socks.  I haven't decided on the yarn or the pattern, but I will pick them out nearer to the day.

In addition to the socks I have found a project in the latest Interweave Knits.  It is called the Heliotropic Pullover.

Heliotropic Pullover, Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark, Interweave Knits Spring 2011

One reason that this sweater jumped out at me is that the yoke is done firs,t and is the tricky and twisty part of the project.  After the body is joined after the armholes, there is just knitting round and round in stocking stitch.  I plan to get to the part after the armholes and take the started project in with me, so I can do some very basic knitting in soothing and pretty yarn.

This sweater is knit in Rowan Lenpur, which is a double knit weight yarn and is something I have wanted to knit with for ages.  This project is the perfect excuse to treat myself to some nice yarn.  After all, I'm going to hospital to have nasty things done to me, I deserve nice yarn dammit!  I decided to go for my favorite colour of lime green - YUM!


I also wanted to knit something that would be loose and comfortable to wear when I got out of hospital - see my forward thinking there!  Plus it will be a useful summer staple.

I also want to to take a project that is slightly more tricky than knitting in circles for when my brain stops going ARGHGHGHGGGH!  I'm thinking maybe a nice scarf.  Perhaps using this:


It is Artist's Palette, Gleam Lite.  It's a pure silk 4 ply yarn.  I bought this for myself last year after making a lovely scarf for my mother in law, shown below.  I plan on copying this whole project, but keeping it for myself.


The yarn shade is different, but that is because I have different colouring.  This photo really does not convey the beauty of this scarf.  I covet one for myself, so I shall make it, using exactly the same pattern.  The Wakefield Scarf is available for free here.  The pattern is fairly simple but you need to concentrate a little bit to make sure it all lines up properly.  I thought the pretty silk would also distract me a little bit.

So I think with a pair of socks to knit, a top and a scarf, I will have enough to keep me going while I am in hospital.  There will also be enough projects to swap out for when my hands cramp up and I need to change needle size and yarn weight.  It also gives me a decent amount of choice to keep me from getting bored.  The unfinished projects will carry over to be my recovery projects for the first week or so when I get back home.

I like my plans so far.  Now all I need to do is make some more pyjamas for the visit!

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