Pinterest is a great place to find baby blanket patterns. (Find my Projects board here.) The book of patterns my friend game me has been wonderful, but something I just want to search for something new. That is how this afghan came to be.
The pattern is baby bean by Left in Knots. The stitch is a variation of cluster and is repeated row after row. (I completed about 108 rows before edging in a single crochet stitch.) For the afghan, I used most of a Super Saver Jumbo skein of petal pink from Red Heart. The finished product measured 22 by 33 inches.
As for my hand, it lets me do about three rows of crochet a day, which is better than nothing when it comes to stress relief. The last shot of botox did not hurt much, but did not seem to help with the clenching and discomfort. The next step is hand therapy with a physical therapist. We'll see how that goes. This focal dystonia might just be something I have to live with.
Afghan 49 is in the books (and in the mail)! I made this one with Red Heart's Petal Pink yarn. The pattern was the Antigua Throw from Naturally Caron.
As for the hand, the botox has mostly warn off. I was supposed to get a second round about a week ago, but my doctor left the practice, so I had to get a new doctor. (I am so thankful for the new doctor taking me on, as there aren't really any other neurologists in the area!) The new doctor thoroughly re-examined my hand and came to the same diagnosis: focal dystonia. He said it's possible that multiple rounds of botox will retrain my brain to use my hand correctly, but it's also possible that this problem won't go away.
I have to wait until the end of next month for a treatment, so we'll see what happens in the meantime. It's hard for me to accept the fact that this problem may get worse, and that I may need to stop crocheting one day, as I enjoy it greatly. For now, though, I do what I can when I can, thank God, and pray. He is the ultimate healer!
