Hi, my name is Alyssa. This is my blog. It's a smattering of things. Head over to my links if you're looking for something specific. Avatar by the lovely Jessie
inspired: merfolk actually have very different concepts of gender to humans because they’re an entirely different species with their own unique culture
It’s a biological fact that fish do indeed change their sex to keep the male/female ratio balanced in their school population. So this fluidity actually makes more sense from a scientific standpoint than the silly idea that merfolk are born with a strictly assigned sex like humans.
Human: (invites merfolk friend to a boat party with their friends)
Merfolk: oh man, there are a lot of women here. Haha don’t worry guys, I got this :) *changes into a man to keep a balance because that’s culturally polite for merfolk*
Calling all chronic creatives - here's how to up your crochet game!
I'm an avid crocheter, but holding the hook for long periods of time became exhausting and painful. Being chronically ill, losing the ability to enjoy my hobbies was tough for me accept.
My husband took me to the craft store and we purchased a ergonomic crochet handle. This handle needed to fit my criteria;
able to hold a variety of hook sizes
hold up to high tension crochet projects (I do a lot of amigurumi crochet, which you need to complete with tight tension)
reduce my wrist/hand pain
reduce the amount of grip strength needed to hold the hook to avoid fatigue
This ergonomic crochet handle *seemed* to tick all these boxes. It was quite an expensive purchase and to be honest, I was disappointed in it in all aspects.
The purchased handle uses small rubber stoppers to hold the crochet hook in place, but as you are crocheting the hook works loose and spins around inside it. The handle itself was too small, making it painful to hold. I had to use a lot of grip strength to keep it in my hand, which is what I was trying to avoid by purchasing the darn thing. The little knobbly bit at the end really dug into my hand and hurt. It was so annoying to use and I gave up on it altogether after three days of using it (not to mention one of the rubber pieces broke apart within hours).
I expressed my disappointment to my husband, and he decided to come to my rescue! Over the course of a week, he designed me his own ergonomic crochet handle in a computer program called CAD. He then printed it out using his 3D printer. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this new handle - its a game changer!
During the design process, he took into consideration all of my complaints about the disappointing handle and my criteria that I had listed. The handle he designed is bigger, so it uses less grip strength to hold it in place which also reduces my pain.
Instead of using rubber stoppers like the other handle, he designed a 'lock and key' system for keeping the crochet hooks in place and it works fabulously! The hook never moves and I'm really rough with my crochet hooks. It holds up to my high tension crochet projects and I have completed many amigurumi with it, even small, intricate items. Since it is designed with the lock and key system, my husband was easily able to print different keys to be able to hold multiple sizes. I've got keys ranging from 1.25mm all the way up to 6mm!
I can now crochet for hours on end and I swear my crochet skills have gotten so much better.
After expressing my delight at the crochet handle my husband designed for me, both him and I want others to be able to experience the freedom that I now have when crocheting. With chronic illnesses, its important for you to be able to continue with your passions as much as possible, so we have decided to make this crochet handle a sellable physical item for others to enjoy.
Here's the link to purchase one if you would like to give it a go!
A 3D printed ergonomic crochet handle with interchangable hook sizes.
The design uses a 'lock and key' system for keeping the crochet hooks
Each crochet handle will come with the hook sizes;
1.25mm
2mm
3mm
4mm
4.25mm
5mm
6mm
If you want other hook sizes, send us a message and we can design one.
The cost of the handle and keys covers the cost of the 3D printing material, we are not making a profit off of this because we want as many people suffering from chronic illness to be able to enjoy crocheting again. We are happy to post internationally as we are based in New Zealand, send us a message before purchasing so that I can get you the cost of shipping.
I hope you will love this crochet handle and hook set as much as I have!
Say it with me, kids, "I do not deserve this pain. I am in chronic pain due to forces outside of my control. I should not have to earn pain relief. I am good. I do not deserve to be shamed for my pain. It is not my fault."
The response to this post has had a great effect on me. I made it because I realized it was something that I needed to hear. It was something that had been articulated in a million small ways by the people I love but never so fully, never so clearly. And I needed it.
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