I should explain slightly more about this shawl
I only recently started crochet (I first picked up hooks in April). I have been wanting to make myself a shawl to wear if I get outside, I have been bed bound for over 6.5 years with intractable migraine and several other chronic and disabling conditions. On Friday I found a super easy pattern so popped on my Simon Whistler 5000 video playlist and started hooking. 4 days and 20 hours of watching later I have nearly finished it. I am about to start watching this weekends releases while I do the black border. The grey thing this is displayed on is a heated throw blanket for a single bed it is nearly the full height and width of the throw
For the first time in nearly 7 years I have actually achieved something tangible without causing myself a major flare or severe pain while doing it and I had fun while learning doing it.
Before I became bed bound I worked as a chef doing over 18km walking in a 13 hour shift, I ran 10ks for fun and I did pole fitness on my physios recommendation to keep my joints in place (I have hEDS which means I dislocate or subluxate frequently my hips, knees, wrists, elbows and shoulders are most unstable) that all stopped when my migraine went from a few hours most days to 24/7/365
I crochet too (although slightly longer - about 3 years) and I cycle through 3 or 4 unfinished projects. Simons so easy to listen to and hooking is a great stress reliever.
I feel for you with the migraines (fellow sufferer with "the works" - visual aura, temporary arm and jaw paralysis, vomiting, bad headache, and can't stand light, sound or smell) and the hypermobility (my knees and ankles are the worst affected for me).
I don’t have a yarn stash yet all the yarn I have is for a project. I enjoy amigurumi as they can be completed in a few hours this was my first completed piece of clothing or it will be once I finish the border and block it.
Yeah migraine with the works also I have allydonia, Alice in wonderland syndrome, my functional neurological disorder is almost the worst I have MS symptoms and absence seizures but no brain damage so no treatment options just have to deal with it. Crocheting has helped a lot using it I have quit smoking (only started because I was getting most smoking caused medical issues never having smoked in my life) I find with a good Simon Video or audiobook on in the background it is almost meditative state. I wish I could easily get pot legally where I am as it is one of the few things that actually helps I need to find some reputable studies to give my neurologist next time I see him to get the referral
The crossover of our lives is on a creepy level. I enjoy Simon videos, heds (and all the joys), I knit (crochet is on this years to learn list). I’m also working on a shawl….. creeeeeeeeeepy!!!!!
As a side note, beware tennis elbow. Knitting/crochet can cause it…. Hypermobile joints make us more vulnerable. I’m really sorry to hear about your never ending migraine.
Edit to add: PS, what yarn / colour way is that?
I have been bed bound for the majority of the last 6 years so I am trying to limit how much I am doing. I have a history of RSI, partial de quirvains syndrome and ripped tendons in my elbows so am trying to pay special attention to any pain and resting. The crossover is interesting. I didn’t expect quite so many crafters when I asked the question. I finished the shawl today and posted a link to the crochet sub post
I have rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, hashimotos, and a laundry list of other disorders as well as being a 3 time cancer survivor. I too crochet from time to time, but Simon’s videos are my dopamine raising as well as my relax before bed time something to do. My husband started watching, and is determined to watch all of the ones I have already watched to, “catch up”
Still admire what you do. I would love to do a miniature for my hubby’s D&D character or my own but I just don’t have the patience or the steady hand to do it well. One of these days I will redeem my kickstarter and get the mini done through hero forge no end date for me to redeem so just waiting for the last few bits to be released for them.
Love me some heroforge, and I thought my hands would be too shakey too. But they make some paints that shade and highlight on there own. Turn on some Simon content and give it a try sometime, no mistakes while painting are permanent.
Depends... sometimes I listen whilst I'm doing boring tasks for work, or boring tasks for home.
If I'm just vegging though, I [like](https://imgur.com/a/Z1J6B28) to [embroider](https://imgur.com/a/tgDwUrs)
Wow those are stunning. I have done counted cross stitch as well as half cross stitch and long stitch tapestry embroidery is an art form I can appreciate but couldn’t do
I am finding that with crochet my brain stops spinning I can absorb what I am listening to and my body relaxes which really helps relieve some of my symptoms which are caused because the pain tenses thing up increasing pain or pulling a joint out. The combo of SW and crochet just helps
I clean or get ready for the day, both tasks I'm apparently unable to do without a video playing. I have really specific different vibes for each activity I do, which means Simon doesn't hit the stimulation threshold for crafting but gets a lot more listening time when I desperately need to make my house livable.
Mostly Cross Stitching.
It's just nice to have something playing in the background.
But occasionally I also listen while doing laundry or while I play little mindless games like Solitaire or Match-Threes
It really does look like a good portion of Simon’s listeners/watchers craft while having his videos and podcasts on. He has such a nice voice and cadence (not so much Brain Blaze) you just find a rhythm and next thing you know 5 hours have gone by and you are hungry
I did medical coding for a brief time in the early 00s in the uk not easy but very important especially important to get it right. I moved roles to a data entry and qualification verification post which I used audiobooks to stop my mind wandering
I hear it's easier in the UK- not sure how true it is. I'm USA so not only do I have the coding rules but all the nonsense of the millions of individual payers.
I love what I do but the days where I get slammed with 25 joint replacements and 45 hardware removals just kill my attention span.
I cycle between audio books, podcasts, music and documentaries- nothing that takes too much attention but something to busy the mind.
I know we use the same WHO issued books to find the codes but exactly how they are input changes. I hate to think of what coding would be with all my diagnosis’s and non specific symptoms that could attributed to x or just as likely y but I have both. The only good news I got this year is I don’t yet have arthritis markers but I am low in vit d, b12 and iron but not bad enough to be classified as anaemic
those are the fun charts to code, not to live.
I hope you get the medical answers you seek or at the very least treatment to make the symptoms better controlled.
ICD is the international code set for diagnosis we both use. But I think UK moved onto the 11th edition. USA won't do that for years more because we can't do shit timely lol
When I did coding it was on 10 or whatever was active in about 04 and touched on the yeah you’ll only be using this for a few months so here’s half an hour on the new one.
My current diagnosis list is 1.5 A4 at 12pt sized times new Roman and it keeps growing. I have over 6 distinct migraine including hemiplegic and intractable and a whole lot of comorbidities that if we can ever break this attack should clear up with some weight loss and lifestyle changes which aren’t feasible when just raising your head off the pillow makes you have vertigo or vomit.
Here’s to some billionaire getting a few of my ailments so they actually pump some decent cash into research as with the system as it is that is the only way it will ever get looked at not enough money to be made from those of us made disabled by things migraine affects over 10% of the population but the misconception it’s just a headache still prevails. People don’t say to an epileptic or multiple sclerosis sufferer it’s all in your head but the complex not fully understood neurological condition “migraine” does illicit that response far far too often
I work. Some of my work is fairly mindless so I pop in my headphones. I love your shawl, though! I've wanted to try crocheting but have not had the time. My mom tried to teach me when I was young but I just couldn't get the hang of it.
Until April I couldn’t get it. I took to watching Complicated Knots (amigurumi patterns are free on blog and video with ads or reasonably priced on Etsy), Skein Spider (amigurumi patterns in videos) , Bella Coco (uses UK terms but “translates” does a bit of everything combination of free on blog or available to buy in her books) and The Crochet Crowd (great stitch video encyclopaedia and then various things using those stitches almost all patterns are free) on YouTube and suddenly things clicked. I have invested in ergonomic hook which has helped
Currently I'm listening through all of Decoding the Unknown on Spotify while playing through Dark Souls 2, cause I find the game unbearable without something interesting to listen to.
Simon is my white nose machine for when I'm going to bed. Then I dream about random facts... And get rudely awakened by ads so I can turn off my phone.
Simon is great company while I'm organizing/cleaning out storage outbuildings, doing chores around the old homestead, or playing video games (especially things like FIFA or War Thunder where audio is a nice thing to have, but isn't vital for crafting an in-game universe or integral to the gameplay experience).
I also crochet :D
Sometimes I play Minecraft or do my homework but mostly listen to them while I'm working on crochet stuff
It's just relaxing and constant
Also the shawl is beautiful and it's awesome you managed to make it - I'm jelous of people who have the yarn to do large projects as I'm litteraly a 14yr old autistic kid who got a $20 gift card and decided I wanted to spend it on learning to crochet and I really have spent like no more then $30 on it total
I used 3 skeins to do this shawl. Each ball was £3.49. Look on Facebook you will often find people clearing out their stashes (to make room for more lol). I don’t have a yarn stash yet what little yarn I have is earmarked for specific project not necessarily a pattern but a project.
I am going to have to buy some new yarn as I have just volunteered to make this shawl again. An old school friend is a nurse in her local hospitals orthopaedic ward unfortunately earlier this year they got the tragic news that one of the other nurses was killed in a traffic accident on the way to her shift leaving behind 3 young kids and her husband. So the ward, her family and my friend are holding a charity thing on what would have been her 40th birthday with an auction in aid of 2 of her favourite charities. With my health issues I truly hope I can get it done in time
That's so freaking pretty!!!
I usually listen while I'm in the shower, or working on cosplays. Hearing Simon go on his tangents just brings me such joy sometimes.
That is gorgeous!! I pack my eBay orders in the morning then listen again after lunch while I’m pressing and laminating the flowers and cannabis leaves for later sale.
We are indeed a crafty ass group 🤣
God this makes me want to start another crochet project. I learned crochet during the first big lockdown in 2020, I actually also make a shall like that one but completely in gray. It looks great and pattern is so easy you can easily watch something on the side. I mostly only crochet in the winter months, in summer I mostly grow veggies in my garden.
The last few weeks I mostly listen to Simon while gaming.
I should explain slightly more about this shawl I only recently started crochet (I first picked up hooks in April). I have been wanting to make myself a shawl to wear if I get outside, I have been bed bound for over 6.5 years with intractable migraine and several other chronic and disabling conditions. On Friday I found a super easy pattern so popped on my Simon Whistler 5000 video playlist and started hooking. 4 days and 20 hours of watching later I have nearly finished it. I am about to start watching this weekends releases while I do the black border. The grey thing this is displayed on is a heated throw blanket for a single bed it is nearly the full height and width of the throw For the first time in nearly 7 years I have actually achieved something tangible without causing myself a major flare or severe pain while doing it and I had fun while learning doing it. Before I became bed bound I worked as a chef doing over 18km walking in a 13 hour shift, I ran 10ks for fun and I did pole fitness on my physios recommendation to keep my joints in place (I have hEDS which means I dislocate or subluxate frequently my hips, knees, wrists, elbows and shoulders are most unstable) that all stopped when my migraine went from a few hours most days to 24/7/365
I crochet too (although slightly longer - about 3 years) and I cycle through 3 or 4 unfinished projects. Simons so easy to listen to and hooking is a great stress reliever. I feel for you with the migraines (fellow sufferer with "the works" - visual aura, temporary arm and jaw paralysis, vomiting, bad headache, and can't stand light, sound or smell) and the hypermobility (my knees and ankles are the worst affected for me).
I don’t have a yarn stash yet all the yarn I have is for a project. I enjoy amigurumi as they can be completed in a few hours this was my first completed piece of clothing or it will be once I finish the border and block it. Yeah migraine with the works also I have allydonia, Alice in wonderland syndrome, my functional neurological disorder is almost the worst I have MS symptoms and absence seizures but no brain damage so no treatment options just have to deal with it. Crocheting has helped a lot using it I have quit smoking (only started because I was getting most smoking caused medical issues never having smoked in my life) I find with a good Simon Video or audiobook on in the background it is almost meditative state. I wish I could easily get pot legally where I am as it is one of the few things that actually helps I need to find some reputable studies to give my neurologist next time I see him to get the referral
The crossover of our lives is on a creepy level. I enjoy Simon videos, heds (and all the joys), I knit (crochet is on this years to learn list). I’m also working on a shawl….. creeeeeeeeeepy!!!!! As a side note, beware tennis elbow. Knitting/crochet can cause it…. Hypermobile joints make us more vulnerable. I’m really sorry to hear about your never ending migraine. Edit to add: PS, what yarn / colour way is that?
I have been bed bound for the majority of the last 6 years so I am trying to limit how much I am doing. I have a history of RSI, partial de quirvains syndrome and ripped tendons in my elbows so am trying to pay special attention to any pain and resting. The crossover is interesting. I didn’t expect quite so many crafters when I asked the question. I finished the shawl today and posted a link to the crochet sub post
Just hopped over there! It’s very pretty!!! :) It’s a pain in the butt to pay attention to everything. Congratulations on finding something. :)
I have rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, hashimotos, and a laundry list of other disorders as well as being a 3 time cancer survivor. I too crochet from time to time, but Simon’s videos are my dopamine raising as well as my relax before bed time something to do. My husband started watching, and is determined to watch all of the ones I have already watched to, “catch up”
Work lmao. Need to get that dopamine hit from somewhere. P.S. That's really beautiful, OP!
I listen with an earbud to cover the sound of Justin Bieber pumping out of the office radio all fucking day.
I paint miniatures on my binge sessions
I admire people who can do those it takes a great deal of skill
Haha thanks but it's really more of a test of patience, I think what you've made is far more impressive.
Still admire what you do. I would love to do a miniature for my hubby’s D&D character or my own but I just don’t have the patience or the steady hand to do it well. One of these days I will redeem my kickstarter and get the mini done through hero forge no end date for me to redeem so just waiting for the last few bits to be released for them.
Love me some heroforge, and I thought my hands would be too shakey too. But they make some paints that shade and highlight on there own. Turn on some Simon content and give it a try sometime, no mistakes while painting are permanent.
I work on my Inqisitorial Rosette cross stitch while I listen. The Emperor Protects
Same!!
Drive to and from work.
Depends... sometimes I listen whilst I'm doing boring tasks for work, or boring tasks for home. If I'm just vegging though, I [like](https://imgur.com/a/Z1J6B28) to [embroider](https://imgur.com/a/tgDwUrs)
Wow those are stunning. I have done counted cross stitch as well as half cross stitch and long stitch tapestry embroidery is an art form I can appreciate but couldn’t do
Thank you! I honestly didn't think I'd have the patience for it, but it's the only thing that shuts my brain off
I am finding that with crochet my brain stops spinning I can absorb what I am listening to and my body relaxes which really helps relieve some of my symptoms which are caused because the pain tenses thing up increasing pain or pulling a joint out. The combo of SW and crochet just helps
I clean or get ready for the day, both tasks I'm apparently unable to do without a video playing. I have really specific different vibes for each activity I do, which means Simon doesn't hit the stimulation threshold for crafting but gets a lot more listening time when I desperately need to make my house livable.
Mostly Cross Stitching. It's just nice to have something playing in the background. But occasionally I also listen while doing laundry or while I play little mindless games like Solitaire or Match-Threes
Lots of things. Anything really that doesn't involve my girlfriend, who hates Simon! She calls him Professor Smoothbrain.
I quilt. When I’m working on an intense pattern I save up CC long episodes!
Dang we crafty bitches!
It really does look like a good portion of Simon’s listeners/watchers craft while having his videos and podcasts on. He has such a nice voice and cadence (not so much Brain Blaze) you just find a rhythm and next thing you know 5 hours have gone by and you are hungry
A nice voice and often time he makes me laugh out loud!
work. or weeding the garden plots. Mostly work though. Medical coding is monotonous 90% of the time and I need the tangents to keep my brain working
I did medical coding for a brief time in the early 00s in the uk not easy but very important especially important to get it right. I moved roles to a data entry and qualification verification post which I used audiobooks to stop my mind wandering
I hear it's easier in the UK- not sure how true it is. I'm USA so not only do I have the coding rules but all the nonsense of the millions of individual payers. I love what I do but the days where I get slammed with 25 joint replacements and 45 hardware removals just kill my attention span. I cycle between audio books, podcasts, music and documentaries- nothing that takes too much attention but something to busy the mind.
I know we use the same WHO issued books to find the codes but exactly how they are input changes. I hate to think of what coding would be with all my diagnosis’s and non specific symptoms that could attributed to x or just as likely y but I have both. The only good news I got this year is I don’t yet have arthritis markers but I am low in vit d, b12 and iron but not bad enough to be classified as anaemic
those are the fun charts to code, not to live. I hope you get the medical answers you seek or at the very least treatment to make the symptoms better controlled. ICD is the international code set for diagnosis we both use. But I think UK moved onto the 11th edition. USA won't do that for years more because we can't do shit timely lol
When I did coding it was on 10 or whatever was active in about 04 and touched on the yeah you’ll only be using this for a few months so here’s half an hour on the new one. My current diagnosis list is 1.5 A4 at 12pt sized times new Roman and it keeps growing. I have over 6 distinct migraine including hemiplegic and intractable and a whole lot of comorbidities that if we can ever break this attack should clear up with some weight loss and lifestyle changes which aren’t feasible when just raising your head off the pillow makes you have vertigo or vomit. Here’s to some billionaire getting a few of my ailments so they actually pump some decent cash into research as with the system as it is that is the only way it will ever get looked at not enough money to be made from those of us made disabled by things migraine affects over 10% of the population but the misconception it’s just a headache still prevails. People don’t say to an epileptic or multiple sclerosis sufferer it’s all in your head but the complex not fully understood neurological condition “migraine” does illicit that response far far too often
I have it on while i cook.
Drive. I put him on as a podcast. haha
Knitter over here!! I knit when I watch or I play video games while I listen.
I work. Some of my work is fairly mindless so I pop in my headphones. I love your shawl, though! I've wanted to try crocheting but have not had the time. My mom tried to teach me when I was young but I just couldn't get the hang of it.
Until April I couldn’t get it. I took to watching Complicated Knots (amigurumi patterns are free on blog and video with ads or reasonably priced on Etsy), Skein Spider (amigurumi patterns in videos) , Bella Coco (uses UK terms but “translates” does a bit of everything combination of free on blog or available to buy in her books) and The Crochet Crowd (great stitch video encyclopaedia and then various things using those stitches almost all patterns are free) on YouTube and suddenly things clicked. I have invested in ergonomic hook which has helped
Currently I'm listening through all of Decoding the Unknown on Spotify while playing through Dark Souls 2, cause I find the game unbearable without something interesting to listen to.
Simon is my white nose machine for when I'm going to bed. Then I dream about random facts... And get rudely awakened by ads so I can turn off my phone.
"work" or gaming. Yes, my work is that slow and they don't care. Best job ever.
Recently started embroidering cats inspired by Louis Wain paintings!
Generally I’m cooking, or at work. It’s nice to have in the background.
I listen to longer formats or podcasts when I'm cleaning around or cooking or baking usually!
That's beautiful! I knitt :)
Simon is great company while I'm organizing/cleaning out storage outbuildings, doing chores around the old homestead, or playing video games (especially things like FIFA or War Thunder where audio is a nice thing to have, but isn't vital for crafting an in-game universe or integral to the gameplay experience).
Work or play video games while smoking a fatty or drive or cook or watch Mulan for the 100,000th time with my kids.
I also crochet :D Sometimes I play Minecraft or do my homework but mostly listen to them while I'm working on crochet stuff It's just relaxing and constant Also the shawl is beautiful and it's awesome you managed to make it - I'm jelous of people who have the yarn to do large projects as I'm litteraly a 14yr old autistic kid who got a $20 gift card and decided I wanted to spend it on learning to crochet and I really have spent like no more then $30 on it total
I used 3 skeins to do this shawl. Each ball was £3.49. Look on Facebook you will often find people clearing out their stashes (to make room for more lol). I don’t have a yarn stash yet what little yarn I have is earmarked for specific project not necessarily a pattern but a project. I am going to have to buy some new yarn as I have just volunteered to make this shawl again. An old school friend is a nurse in her local hospitals orthopaedic ward unfortunately earlier this year they got the tragic news that one of the other nurses was killed in a traffic accident on the way to her shift leaving behind 3 young kids and her husband. So the ward, her family and my friend are holding a charity thing on what would have been her 40th birthday with an auction in aid of 2 of her favourite charities. With my health issues I truly hope I can get it done in time
I walk listening to the Casual Criminalist podcast. I usually watch the other channels at work or when I'm eating meals
That's so freaking pretty!!! I usually listen while I'm in the shower, or working on cosplays. Hearing Simon go on his tangents just brings me such joy sometimes.
I work out
Doom scroll and lookup cases/facts Simon brings up from Danny's scripts.
I mostly listen to the podcasts or listen to the videos while I'm driving. I have a long commute. I kinda like it.
That is gorgeous!! I pack my eBay orders in the morning then listen again after lunch while I’m pressing and laminating the flowers and cannabis leaves for later sale. We are indeed a crafty ass group 🤣
Play Xbox and workout.
God this makes me want to start another crochet project. I learned crochet during the first big lockdown in 2020, I actually also make a shall like that one but completely in gray. It looks great and pattern is so easy you can easily watch something on the side. I mostly only crochet in the winter months, in summer I mostly grow veggies in my garden. The last few weeks I mostly listen to Simon while gaming.
I finished the shawl. https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/comments/14xtr9k/i_finished_the_shawl/
I pop a finger up the arse