Ms. Beanie & The Comeback of Painless Knitting

I belong to those lucky people who have never had any serious injuries. (Excuse me for a moment, I'm going to find some wood to knock on.) Years ago kids around me were bruised, broke some arms and legs. As an adult I hear a lot of weird stories of people getting hurt in the most boring and yet the strangest ways. Almost losing an eye in an incident with a plant, their nose being broken and dislocated by a dog, sewing through their fingers and fingernails when their dog stepped onto the sewing machine's pedal... (Now that I think about it, dogs are pretty dangerous beasts!)

Last year, one fresh spring morning, my luck abandoned me. I was on a trip surrounded by the picturesque nature of Slovakia, spending time with some of my favorite people in the world. We occupied a little cottage which was really cozy, smelling of newness and days without having to commute to work.

Since I like my mornings early, clear-headed and bright, no drinks of the previous night were involved. It was the most boring descending of stairs you can imagine. And that's when it happened.

I managed to grab the... I don't even know. The carpet-y edge of the staircase? A part of the wall? Some spontaneously thickened molecules of air, formed by the force which didn't want me to fall on my face and break my already original nose? Anyway, the weight of my body landed on one of my little fingers, which ended up in this position:

Due to the ridiculous flexibility of my joints and tendons my finger didn't break or get torn off. Something in it got stretched too much though and it was returning into its normal form for a long, long time. (Fun fact: it hurt terribly, but I didn't confess during the trip as I didn't want to ruin those nice days. It's something I really dislike about myself, as I've already sat through evenings with friends or days at work with terrible stomach pain, headache or feeling terrible and yet smiling. Do you know any other idiot like this? Any advice on how to change?)

Anyway, I would never have guessed that one little finger can be such a crucial part of the functionality of your whole hand and even arm. Especially in activities requiring fine motor skills. And when one hand is out of order, the other one has to adjust.
I stopped knitting. For quite a long time. For such long time that it was causing a very unpleasant overall feeling. You know, when you lose the joy in doing an activity you love due to pain, it's quite tough.

In summer I thought that I was ready for a new challenge. I had my pattern ready, my yarn suited for summer-knitting without sweaty hands. Plans, plans, plans.

My finger hurt before storms. My hand hurt after working for a longer time on the computer. I had to wait a bit more, but... Slowly but surely the pain retreated and my hands were grabbing the knitting needles, the left hand again synchronizing with the right one and the moments of the soft clicking of the needles returned.

My first knitting project after the accident was this hat you are seeing in the photos. I created it this winter and it's so soft, so fluffy and it was amazing to work on!

I have to say that I'm quite proud of myself, and this for two things:

1. I knitted the beanie on five small needles, which is a bit tougher than the usual two needles, but my favorite way of knitting. This hat is my only winter-hat I'm wearing, as I haven't found any other beanie which I'd find nice and comfortable to wear.

2. After some self-assessment (and the right amount of emotional blackmailing done by my loved ones) I did go to the doctor in the end. A few months after the incident, but hey, I did it! And in the end the doctors couldn't have done anything for the stretched tendon except advised me to take it easy with the left hand. (Yes, I know, some people my age pay mortgages and raise multiple human beings, but it's the small successes, right?)

The best part of properly returning to knitting was its huge contribution to my plan Make Winter Bearable Again. What else do you need than something that keeps you warm and your mind relaxingly focused and occupied during the dark evenings?

P.S. The evenings might be dark, but I balance them out with my paleness. Yes, ladies and gents, I've reached the maximum of my glowing fair winter-teint, which is the level of Morticia Addams. (Yes, this is how somebody in my office actually called me.)

Sun, where are you?