delurking with photos and Reynauds

Hello to one and all. I have been lurking for many years and finally
decided it was time to join the conversation. I have been stitching for 30
years and am still a novice. My first project was a kit and it only took one
to decide doing someone else's designs was not for me. My current project
(just started) is a photo of our Cox's Pippen apples. It will be 125,000
stitches in 150 colours. As you can see, I like big projects that take time
to do and become a part of my daily life. It helps that I don't work but
then again I have two fairly large dogs and a DH to look after which can
take up just as much time!

I would like to ask for ideas with a problem I have stitching. I have
Reynauld's Phenomenon which basically means I lose most of the circulation
in my hands and they go pretty much numb and dumb. It's tolerable if I can
keep my hands (especially my fingers) warm. I have been wearing leather
gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off to just below the nails which
works well except the threads get caught in the finger ends. Any ideas on
how I can keep stitching. This is a problem year-round except for
mid-summer.

Have posted photos of past projects on RCTNP.

---
LyndaT (from BC)

TomsonLF wrote:
Hello to one and all. I have been lurking for many years and finally
decided it was time to join the conversation. I have been stitching for
30 years and am still a novice. My first project was a kit and it only
took one to decide doing someone else's designs was not for me. My
current project (just started) is a photo of our Cox's Pippen apples. It
will be 125,000 stitches in 150 colours. As you can see, I like big
projects that take time to do and become a part of my daily life. It
helps that I don't work but then again I have two fairly large dogs and
a DH to look after which can take up just as much time!

I would like to ask for ideas with a problem I have stitching. I have
Reynauld's Phenomenon which basically means I lose most of the
circulation in my hands and they go pretty much numb and dumb. It's
tolerable if I can keep my hands (especially my fingers) warm. I have
been wearing leather gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off to just
below the nails which works well except the threads get caught in the
finger ends. Any ideas on how I can keep stitching. This is a problem
year-round except for mid-summer.

Maybe neoprene gloves with fingers trimmed off; they are used by anglers
in the UK winter. Google for "neoprene gloves" and get results like this
http://tinyurl.com/neopreneglove
--
Bruce Fletcher
Stronsay, Orkney
(Remove dentures to reply)

"TomsonLF" ) writes:
Hello to one and all. I have been lurking for many years and finally
decided it was time to join the conversation. I have been stitching for 30
years and am still a novice. My first project was a kit and it only took one
to decide doing someone else's designs was not for me. My current project
(just started) is a photo of our Cox's Pippen apples. It will be 125,000
stitches in 150 colours. As you can see, I like big projects that take time
to do and become a part of my daily life. It helps that I don't work but
then again I have two fairly large dogs and a DH to look after which can
take up just as much time!

I would like to ask for ideas with a problem I have stitching. I have
Reynauld's Phenomenon which basically means I lose most of the circulation
in my hands and they go pretty much numb and dumb. It's tolerable if I can
keep my hands (especially my fingers) warm. I have been wearing leather
gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off to just below the nails which
works well except the threads get caught in the finger ends. Any ideas on
how I can keep stitching. This is a problem year-round except for
mid-summer.

Have posted photos of past projects on RCTNP.

---
LyndaT (from BC)

I think what you need are mittens; the things Fagin wore in the film
version of Oliver!. Woolen gloves with the finger tips missing, but a
flap you can cover them if you want to. Jim.

On Jul 19, 7:25*pm, "TomsonLF" wrote:
Hello to one and all. *I have been lurking for many years and finally
decided it was time to join the conversation. I have been stitching for 30
years and am still a novice. My first project was a kit and it only took one
to decide doing someone else's designs was not for me. *My current project
(just started) is a photo of our Cox's Pippen apples. It will be 125,000
stitches in 150 colours. As you can see, I like big projects that take time
to do and become a part of my daily life. It helps that I don't work but
then again I have two fairly large dogs and a DH to look after which can
take up just as much time!

I would like to ask for ideas with a problem I have stitching. I have
Reynauld's Phenomenon which basically means I lose most of the circulation
in my hands and they go pretty much numb and dumb. It's tolerable if I can
keep my hands (especially my fingers) warm. I have been wearing leather
gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off to just below the nails which
works well except the threads get caught in the finger ends. Any ideas on
how I can keep stitching. This is a problem year-round except for
mid-summer.

Have posted photos of past projects on RCTNP.

---
LyndaT (from BC)

I would suggest , Knitted gloves without the finger tips ,, and Before
you start embroidering , put your hands in some warm water ,,, wipe
well wear gloves ,,
best of luck.
mirjam

Reynauld's Phenomenon

1) try a hat. No, I'm not quite crazy g. You lose about
30% of your body heat through your head, so stopping some of
that loss can persuade the rest of you you're warm enough to
send some blood to the fingers. Wool socks, too, after a hot
bath.

2) if that doesn't work for you or is insufficient, here's
another vote for neoprene gloves. The winter I sprained both
ankles and wound up with neoprene ankle braces all winter was
the first one my toes were always warm. And that was at
-20oF.

3) rice packs. Try making a tube long enough to go around
your wrists, plus a bit. Put enough uncooked rice into the
tube that you can still join the ends around your wrists, but
not so much the rice is too heavy to have around your wrist.
Sew it crosswise into several compartments after distributing
the rice fairly evenly. Warm the completed tube in a microwave
(time will depend on the amount of rice) and put it around
your wrist. If that helps, you could build a number of
these, warm them all at once, and then keep the others in an
insulated container until you're ready to change for a warmer
rice bag. You might also be able to attach a pocket to the
back of hand side of your gloves and slip a small rice bag
in there.

4) chemical warmers. They make chemical hand and foot
warmers that are basically a small paper packet of iron
filings and salt. When removed from the wrap and exposed
to air, the iron starts rusting quickly and produces heat.
Depending on how much oxygen hits the packet, they last
4-10 hours. Be careful you don't wind up with a mild
first degree burn if you try something like taping one
to your bare skin, but they're generally fine stuffed
in a glove pocket, and they're quite light.
Examples of various sorts here -- I'm not suggesting this
as a source because I have done no business with them:
http://www.preparedness.com/inreushanbod.html
(I have, however, used Hot Hands).

Kay

On 7/19/08 1:28 PM, "Bruce Fletcher (Stronsay, Orkney)"
wrote:

TomsonLF wrote:
Hello to one and all. I have been lurking for many years and finally
decided it was time to join the conversation. I have been stitching for
30 years and am still a novice. My first project was a kit and it only
took one to decide doing someone else's designs was not for me. My
current project (just started) is a photo of our Cox's Pippen apples. It
will be 125,000 stitches in 150 colours. As you can see, I like big
projects that take time to do and become a part of my daily life. It
helps that I don't work but then again I have two fairly large dogs and
a DH to look after which can take up just as much time!

I would like to ask for ideas with a problem I have stitching. I have
Reynauld's Phenomenon which basically means I lose most of the
circulation in my hands and they go pretty much numb and dumb. It's
tolerable if I can keep my hands (especially my fingers) warm. I have
been wearing leather gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off to just
below the nails which works well except the threads get caught in the
finger ends. Any ideas on how I can keep stitching. This is a problem
year-round except for mid-summer.

Maybe neoprene gloves with fingers trimmed off; they are used by anglers
in the UK winter. Google for "neoprene gloves" and get results like this
http://tinyurl.com/neopreneglove

Also, you could look into the compression gloves. There is a company
similar to HandsEexe - IIRC called Theragloves (bunch of actual MDs in this
group) that doa some nice compression/fingerless gloves, that come up over
the wrist and are really comfortable. That should help give you some
circulation, and you could layer over them knitted fingerless gloves. Last
year I got several patterns for them - they're sometimes called "cuffs" -
and a pair of those in a warm yarn like alpaca, or a fine wool, would help
keep you warm. I think if you shopped around for places that sell
hand-knits you might find some - or ask someone you know that knits, - a LKS
might have some.

Just a thought.

Ellice