Post 570 Hands and Eyes

I finished last week with my bandaged hand, 

As you can see, I stitched the bandage layers together. They kept slipping apart, exposing the cotton wool padding, so I found a couple of threaded needles (threading being beyond me) and stitched crudely with my left hand. Rough and ready, but effective.

Friends phoned to see how I was going and family checked in. In the evening I had a go at stitching left handed. Before the operation I had threaded three needles for the next round of the evil eye mandala - a straight stitch round, which I managed to complete. With a seated hoop I could move my left hand below and above, my right hand resting on the hoop. Not entirely comfortable, but workable. My left arm muscles got a bit of a workout.

By Wednesday the pain in my hand had subsided. I washed my hair under the shower left- handed.  My right hand, in a plastic bag, secured by two elastic bands, remained outside the spray. Later, I sat for a few minutes in the car, testing my grip on the wheel, before driving about 1km to the dentist. I had no trouble, no pain in my right hand gripping the wheel with thumb and two fingers. The bandage bulk was a nuisance, but not an impediment. My new dentist was running late but thorough, pleasant and efficient when we connected. My new mouth guard should be ready in three weeks.

On Thursday I saw my hand therapist who cut away the clunky bandage, amused by my stitching. The gauze covering the excision remains in place until the stitches are removed next Monday. She made me a moulded cover which protects the dressing and wound. I can take it off if I want a break, or leave it on. It’s a little sore, but not painful.

On my way home I stopped at Gorman in Rundle St, to check out a dress I’d seen online, then called at the Jura shop. I bought the dress and discussed a coffee machine glitch at the Jura shop. As always, they were super helpful, working out the problem and a simple fix, which I tried as soon as I got home. It worked! 

It was then I realised that the shield was not on my finger! Panic! I grabbed the apartment key and retraced my steps to the lift and the carpark. Through the car window I saw it, sitting behind the steering wheel! Clearly I need to pay more attention!  The shield appeared to be firm, but could easily slide off.  In my panic I had not grabbed the car key, so back upstairs and down again, eventually reuniting finger and shield -  and having a coffee!                                                                         

I am able to stitch with the new dressing. Although I can't use the affected finger, I can now use the middle finger and thumb to thread a needle and to pull a needle through fabric. That's quite workable, I can touch type, with the middle finger doing double duty. I have added a plaster to prevent the cover coming off!

The first Guild Certificate Course workshop for 2025 was on Saturday and I made the effort to attend. I've missed the last few and I miss the stitching and the people.  This one was taken by Carol Mullan on Huckaback, Creating New Designs on Aida Fabric .

I have done quite a bit of Huckaback, and have a bit of Huck fabric in my stash, but I was interested in the notion of designing on Aida. The requirement for the workshop was an A4 piece of Aida and assorted threads. I had used up most of the Aida in my stash but found a piece I’d bought from the Guild trading table - mat sized, 35cmx42cm, already edged with bias tape and centre marks tacked .

It was an excellent workshop. I enjoyed catching up with Guild friends I haven’t seen for a couple of months and Carol is an inspiring teacher. The problem was, while others were experimenting with small samples  of designs, it seemed a shame not to use the whole of my mat-sized piece, so I began playing with a border, intending to keep working my way into the centre. Fortunately, Carol pointed out that a border might be sufficient to achieve the design goals!  I lasted until lunch by which time my hands were both aching. It is, however, addictive and I returned to working on it that night and on Sunday.in between proofreading for my brother.

It was a long weekend here, 35C-37C each day and 22C overnight on Sunday. We ate outside on Saturday night, I stayed in on Sunday, venturing out to stitch with a friend on Monday afternoon. She helped me decide how to fill in the border of the workshop piece. More on that next time.

Final story for this week is a follow-up to our robbery. The strata committee have now viewed the CCTV footage which shows a lone male entering through a narrow passageway behind the apartment block, separating fence panels to enter the carpark, then dodging behind cars and lockers to avoid people as they go to their cars.

His theft from my locker is not caught on camera. However, he exits though our foyer, which is on camera. He has a stolen trolley, now loaded with my boxes and someone's fishing rods. Outside our front door is a small entry area. The lock on the gate has been jamming in the lock position, so was strapped open. A confused resident, blaming a visiting tradie, had removed the strap, shutting the gate. The thief finds the gate won't open, The apartment door has closed behind him and he is trapped with his goods.

Having come this far, he throws the boxes over the railing (right) into the garden, followed by the trolley, and then himself - all caught on CCTV. He picks himself up, retrieves the trolley, reloading the now broken boxes and the fishing rods. All this, however, has made a noise, and further along the road, our Strata president has come out to see what's going on.  As the thief makes away with the loaded trolley, the President gives chase. Thief abandons trolley and runs away! 

That's how my stolen goods came to be returned.  A report, and CCTV footage will be supplied to the police following the proper processes. 

The neighbour who shut the gate by mistake is a heroine!

I finished the second Evil Eye Kit, and have started on the third. Details in my embroidery blog.

I apologise for so many off-putting photos and anecdotes this week. For me the experiences were alleviated by some very satisfying stitching.

Maybe the mandala is working!