Do not run with knitting needles

or maybe you should
full article with pics and video
at extreme craft

The Needle (and the Damage Done)

Knitting Needle Accident Reveals Cancer - ABC News

As most Extreme Craft readers know, craft can be a dangerous, even life-threatening business. 55 year old Ellin Klor found this out the hard way when she was on the way to a knitting club meeting. Apparently, she was so jazzed to show her friends some new patterns that she bounded up the front stairs, knitting needles in hand. Unfortunately, Ms. Klor tripped, and one of the knitting needles (the actual remnant is pictured above) pierced her chest, lodged in her heart, and snapped off. She didn't even notice until she got into the house, where 911 was promptly called.

The trauma team at Stanford University Hospital successfully removed the (shockingly large gauge) needle from her heart, stitched her up and sent her home. Twelve days later, Klor woke up with a pain in her chest and shortness of breath, and got back in touch with her doctors. When she went back to the hospital, every test came back negative until a doctor noticed that one of her lymph nodes was swollen.

Sherwood-survior--knit-So01-horizontal

Klor was soon diagnosed with breast cancer, which she had successfully fought a decade earlier. Doctors actually think that the knitting needle incident saved her life, as the malignancy wouldn't have been caught until it started to spread. According to a Newsweek article, her line of thinking that got her past the breast cancer was something like "if a knitting needle through my heart isn't enought to kill me, there's no way that a little thing like cancer is going to get in my way."

20/20 ran a video piece about Ellin Klor last Sunday, and although they didn't provide embeddable video that I could directly put up, they do have an archive of the piece HERE.

If this isn't an argument for playing fast and loose with craft, I don't know what is. Don't be afraid to run with scissors (or bound up the stairs with knitting needles). It might just save your life.

All that wine is gone

Yma Sumac

Wine tasting

Thinking of old Shanghai

Hey everybody..
I know it's been a long time without a post.

The truth is I have been paying all of my attention to the shop.
Yikes... It is sucking the energy out of me.

Business is so so slooooow and that makes the "work" of it all so much harder.

I'm still managing to get myself up and out of bed and into the store.

I feel like my creativity has gone. I'm trying to push through.....

So if you are reading this I'm happy to know that you still check in on me.

I'm hoping to be better about the posting soon

It's been a long week

The store the store.
I'm spending so much time at the store.

The studio is partially there, but I haven't been able to get myself to get working.

I survived

A wild evening of birthday celebrations. Forgot my camera forgot my phone....
And now it's official

LII.

Thanks to all for the Bday wishes

The 136th day of the year

and my birthday

The cord chewer and me.

Will I ever write an interesting post again?

I'm not even keeping up on the tweeting.

I want a keyboard cat

For those in the mood for Karaoke

Everyone else is doing it

Thank you Mel

Ten Top Trivia Tips about JohnK!

1. JohnK is only six percent water!
2. Every day in the UK, four people die putting JohnK on.
3. If you keep a goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn into JohnK.
4. Oranges, lemons, watermelons, pineapples and JohnK are all berries!
5. Ninety-six percent of all candles sold are purchased by JohnK.
6. JohnK can turn his stomach inside out.
7. If you kiss JohnK for one minute you will burn six or seven calories!
8. JohnKocracy is government by JohnK.
9. The most dangerous form of JohnK is the bicycle.
10. If you lace JohnK from the inside to the outside, the fit will be snugger around your big toe!

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

You can too..... here

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The Day The World Turned Day Glo

I've been knitting

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Thanks to Tina (who remains blogless) for the suggestion of stuffing them with the foam floating devices.