What's OTN's

        I've got 3 projects on the needles right now.  The 2nd sock for Jeff's birthday next Sunday (3/1) is on 2 short circular US3's with the red-white-blue Merino that I got in a Yarn Pal package.  Yesterday I realized

that I have just about a week to knit that 2nd sock so I started it last night.  I got the toe finished before supper and about 4" total done on the foot before my left thumb started to complain.      I put it aside and picked up the "Guernsey in Pink" shawl (designed by Anne B. Hanseen) that I'm doing in a Cadet blue superwash wool from Knitcrate but also on US3's.  But since it starts with the lace edge and that's worked on 10 sts for 10 rows and repeated 54 times my thumb wasn't too upset with it (and I've got nowhere near 55 repeats done!).  When I got bored with it I switched to the baby sweater I had started the day before.  White sport acrylic on US4's and 7's but my thumb didn't like that it started out with 81 sts of K1 P1 ribbing!  I did very little on that last night before I gave in and exchanged knitting for a mystery book, Andrea Camilleri's Rounding The Mark.  I ended up crawling into bed...with the dogs, my book and my beanbag therapy bag heated up for 3 minutes in the 'micro' wrapped around my left hand.  I got up twice to reheat the bag and ended up falling asleep before  Inspector Montalbano solved the murder.  This morning my hand, actually both hands were swollen and stiff.  I hate to admit it but I think my high production knitting days are numbered.  And I sold the 2nd 'When in Scotland' shawl (designed by Rilana Riley Munson) yesterday!  I don't know if I can knit another one right now. I don't want to think like that but my stock pile is rather low.  The only new thing in it

right now is the alpaca scarf/shawl, Frida, designed by Nerissa Muija. 
   I see my doctor after St Patrick's Day and I won't be surprised if he sends me to a specialist.  I've lost a lot of range of motion with my left thumb and it hurts like hell most of the time.  It's not my dominate knitting hand but it pushes the stitches toward the end of the needle bending constantly.To tell the truth, the only time it doesn't hurt most days is when I've got my hand wrapped around a cup of hot coffee...as long as I don't try to pick it up with just my left hand.  I can't even hold on to the car's steering wheel or push a grocery cart with both hands. I remember telling my mom not to stop knitting or else she would lose the use of her hand and that's what happened...and it was her right hand. I suppose could always teach myself to knit continental....