This is a combined post where I will discuss multiple categories. I felt it was the easiest way to go. I don’t feel like making numerous posts. As it is, I haven’t felt well enough to even post my gratitude for yesterday. It will go up with today’s post.

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My Craft Room

I’m starting with the feature image of this post and the WIP it features.

Like I mentioned, Ed took me yarn shopping for my birthday. I should have been on Supermarket Sweep (the game show, well, if I had been an adult at the time). I flew through and had $150 of yarn in his cart within record time!

That shopping trip came with a $10 Michael’s Rewards credit. This credit got me another skein of the featured yarn for free. I ordered it on Tuesday, and it showed up on Wednesday. Who doesn’t love free yarn?!

I am considering using Michael’s for future yarn orders because of the steep rewards and easy use with shipping. I hadn’t previously because I thought it was in-person only.

What you see is a blanket I am making. This cloud cake, which is featured in the color Orchid, is the softest yarn I have ever handled. I originally thought I would make a shirt. After some thought, I realized it feels exactly like those soft fleece blankets from the store. I decided to make myself a blanket!

This is where I am at in the process. I did learn:

• Use a stretchy chain-style cast on because it tears easily.
• The yarn is much thinner than the “4” medium weight noted.
• A 3 mm hook with light tension is perfect for working.
• The colors are relatively consistent outside of dye lots.

I had started using a normal chain to start my blanket. However, it tore immediately with just a tiny stretch. The thickness is relatively inconsistent. A thin spot ripped without blinking an eye. It was back at the chain where it ripped, when half the skein was already gone.

Frustrated but determined, I created a double crochet starting row and stitched off that. It offers more give, despite the fragile nature of the polyester yarn.

I’m using two one-row repeats with this. The main repeat I am using is the twisted-appearing stitch. The other is a flat, houndstooth-like stitch that is going to be the bordering stitch with two twisted rows after. I thought it would look unique and creative.

I like the volume of the twisted appearance, plus how it looks overall. It is very pretty and gives me the impression that the blanket will still be warm. The houndstooth-like repeat creates an obvious, 1/2 inch row. This row stands out because it doesn’t actually have a 3D effect.

Thanks to my freebie, I have 5 cakes to work with. They are a little pricey, at only 8 oz, like a normal skein. I’ll buy more as needed. My aim is to create a full-size blanket. I want to sleep with it. Not just cover my lap.

The label doesn’t lie. The color transition is quite seamless, too!

I love it. I just highly recommend avoiding the traditional chain start.

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Tire Pressure & Tension

I’ve been in a lot of pain. My back insists on spasming all the time.

I used to use edibles to help beat insomnia. A short while back, I received a prescription to help me sleep, so I stopped. My pain hit a peak, and I practically begged for the drug test. I wanted any possible options to alleviate the pain. Opioids cannot be prescribed at my pain clinic if using THC in any form.

Disclaimer: I live in Michigan, and Marijuana use is legal.

My drug screen came back positive, despite being over a month at the time of screening. I was devastated. I don’t like opioids and didn’t want to use them. I just wanted an intermittent option. Sometimes it is just that unbearable.

I cannot take regular muscle relaxers due to the effects on my SVT. My doctor doesn’t want me to use opioids anyway, because they aggravate hypoxia. I have lower O2 levels all of the time, even with CPAP use at night.

I’m tired of being in pain. I am quite miserable. Not being able to move my body can get quite intense.

Simply saying “it hurts” feels like an understatement. I continually do decompression stretches, which feel good, but are short-lived.

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Diagnostic Mode

This may be the only time in my life when a medical doctor advises me to use edibles. They are considered the safest option for pain relief. With all of my medical issues, common prescriptions are too risky.

I identified a muscle relaxer that is less common. It has little effect on my overall health issues, including SVT. She prescribed those as well. They will help when I cannot just live life in a stoned state, I guess.

Yesterday, I took a 3 mg dose. I wanted to find the right mix of helpful, but not blazed. I need to be functional. The edible I use is a 1:1 mix of THC and CBG (not CBD). I find I benefit more from CBG.

That seems to be the sweet spot. I received ample relief without curling up for a 4-hour nap. I was excited to find that I moved better. I heard the sounds that usually accompany pain. Without the pain, though.

I still had to meter my standing and sitting, just not as much as previously required.

It often feels like I have a hard knot in my back where DDD resides. The harder it feels, the more pain I am in. Hence, you know, stretches. However, the knot releases some with that little bit of an edible.

I’m just making do and evaluating my options, I guess.