Knitting cotton

Knitting cotton

Oy! the pain! It does seem that almost every day there's some new ache or pain associated with either my age or my knitting. This one is new to me. My upper arm on both sides is sore and feels like I've been working out and using muscles that have lain dormant for many years. I'm pretty sure it's from knitting cotton for several hours at a stretch over the past few days.

I worked on the 2nd Time Cotton top for about three hours on Friday night. Half way through the second skein I noticed a big difference in how the stitches looked. I hadn't noticed before because I was so wrapped up in making progress. I took the work to Skein to show to Ann Mary before I ripped it out. I re-wound the skein from the opposite end. It made no difference. I looked at the other three skeins and they all seemed to be like the one I had just ripped out. So I'm concluding that the first skein was the aberration.

I was too busy on Saturday to get much done. Basically I just cast on and worked three or four rows. I tried to get a bit more done in the evening but I was too tired and a little depressed about having to start over. Meanwhile, I've been thinking about getting some more knitting done for the Dulaan project. I think I'm seriously behind here. So I cast on for a top down child's pullover using some Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton that I've had in stash for a couple of years.

It was at this point that I began to notice the pain in my upper arms. But I kept going for a couple of hours. Stopped for a nap and then continued for another two or three hours. It's not unusual for me to knit that long at a stretch but I'm rarely working with cotton although it's one of my favorites. It was time to stop for the day and get ready to go to dinner on the other side of LA.

By the time I got home I was really feeling the pain. It has subsided a lot overnight but it's still there. I'm pretty sure it was caused by knitting with cotton which although nice to work with requires a slightly more aggressive handling of the knitting. I've heard of and read that some people find kntting with cotton causes them pain. So I'm going with this for now.

This is really bad timing since today is one of my days off and I would like to continue on the two projects. I think I need to let my arms and hands rest for a while. I'm going to try working with a softer fiber and see what it feels like. I do have a doctor's appointment in the middle of the day which will take about three hours so there won't be any marathon going on. Or maybe there won't be any if it hurts when I start.