Not for the Faint of Heart

Last winter, I readied an old friend for a facelift.  My favorite sweater of all time--a Kim Hargreaves number from Rowan number 8--was in need of new cuffs. The yarn had given out and was fraying badly.  I unravelled one arduous cuff and transferred the stitches to needles for re-knitting to find that I hadn't the skein of black Magpie in the stash that I thought I had.  I found the yarn I was picturing in my mind's eye as Rowan black Magpie, but when I got there, it was a grey-flecked black tweed something else in DK, and different enough that even a clever cheat of double thickness wouldn't do.  This year, I was determined to not spend another winter without my old friend, and searched stores and the Web for the yarn.  To the rescue came Kim (thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou, Kim) who read of my plight on Knitter's Review and sent me the skein I needed from her stash, and yesterday I set about to resurrect my beloved.   Here's the picture I took to show you the before and after and to recommend that you always keep that last skein of yarn in the stash for a good sweater, because someday, you just might need it, thus fulfilling my public service quotient for the week.

But that's not where my story ends.

On my way downstairs, with knitting in one hand and camera in the other, I dodged the toddler ricocheting off the walls so as not to stab the little rascal with the pincushion of needles that was the cuff.

And I banged into the banister.
And I felt something catch in a way that didn't seem right. 
And then I looked down, and this is what I saw ===========>
(please don't enlarge it if you're squeemish)

Yes, that is what you think it is. A size 6 dpn stuck about an inch deep into my hip (so that's where my pelvic bone is!).
Well, I figured, I had camera in hand, and my husband wasn't going to believe this. 
So I took a picture.  Really.
I promise you that I didn't do this just so that I had something to post today.
Really.

Comments

[Elspeth]

You poor dear! Here's hoping you don't need stitches (ha), a tetanus booster or a visit to a doctor. It might be tough to explain to the doctor that while you were knitting the waiting room, you were in fact stabbed by a knitting needle. Perhaps it'll give you knitting street cred, like a ganster or something. Feel better!

[carolyn]

wow. that's crazy! although I'm fairly certain I would have taken a photo of it too. Hope it's not too painful

[claudia]

Yup, I would've taken a picture too.

Lucy, you've got some 'splainin to do....

[Norma]

Holy cow, the lengths we bloggers will go to....(shaking head disapprovingly...)

[chelsea]

stitches?? here's hoping you don't have splinters! (those look like bamboo needles!?)

love the 100 list, and that is honestly the best looking Noro sweater I have seen in many moons...

[Cassie]

I'm sorry, I need to know. Did it bleed when you pulled the needle out?

That's too freaky. I think I'm glad you got a picture. Not sure, though.

[Colleen]

Oooohmmmmmyyyy *thunk* [fainting to the floor.]

I hope that you're okay, and that you got that wound checked out.

[Johanna]

It takes a whole lot to make me laugh out loud at something I read, but here I am laughing.

If the toddler had done this you'd think, "only he could get himself into a mess like this!", nope mommy can too! Most importantly though, is the needle okay?

[June]

Ow ow ow ow ow...! Did you cry?

[julia fc]

It didn't hurt one bit. In fact it was rather painless. It was hard to pull out,(geez, I had to put everything down and use both hands) and it did bleed. I packed it with neosporin, put a cow-print band-aid over it, and I haven't checked it since. Think I should?
It was a metal needle, and it washed out nicely. No stain. I used it as part of the quartet to knit up the second cuff but minutes after its little assault. We're still friends.

[Emily]

Ow! Ow! Ow!
Hmmm. One more reason to prefer bamboo DPNs. They would probably just break.
There's not much I remember from the first aid class I took a few years back, but I do remember the story on "puncture wounds." As long as they don't get infected, they heal up pretty fast.
And again: Ow!!!!!!

[Dani]

Being punctured by a knitting needle is one of my nightmares! I'm glad to hear that it didn't hurt too much.

[Rani]

Owie, owie, ow, ow, ow!!! I clicked on the picture before I read your warning. I can't believe that happened! Wait, yes I can. You have proof. Owie!!!!!!

[alison]

Yikes! I hope you've had your tetanus shot. Glad to hear though that the toddler was spared.

[ruthann]

Knitters: Ack me punk sure Glad your ok.

[Wendy]

You know you are a blogger when something like that happens and the first thing you do is snap a photo!

Yikes! But I know I would have done the same thing.

[Liz]

Talk about a bad-ass knitter - I think you just redefined the term.

I'm a horrible person but the first thing I did was laugh, the second thing was to think "WOW!" and only then did I think "Oh, you poor thing."

On a more serious note, you might want to at least call your doctor about it. Puncture wounds can get nasty very quickly and, while there isn't anything he can do about it that you didn't do, he may want to put you on a round of antibiotics to make sure it doesn't get infected. (Speaking from my experience the last time I had puncture wounds.)

[Cathy]

I'm really amazed that you stopped to take a picture. Personally, I would've done at least a little bit of freaking out first.
Glad your leg is okay, and that your beloved sweater will soon be wearable again.

[Laura]

OWWW! Are you OK? Tetanus shot!!!!

[Margene]

What's a grrl to do but blog about it...I about jumped out of my chair when I saw the photo and had to enlarge to make sure it was what I thought it was. I'm still trying to breathe. Make sure you keep an eye on it!
Be safe!

[Julia]

Yowza! (I think that says it all!)

[Annie]

ewww! Hope it feels better quickly!

[Chris]

Yikes!!! But I'm impressed you thought quickly enough to grap the photo. Puncture wounds in animals do quite nicely with hydrogen peroxide, which is what I would do for myself in that situation. But, I ain't a doc so that's not my advice to anyone else. Advice would have to be: go see a doc! Glad the kniting needle is ok!

Chris

[melanie]

I'm ashamed, I laughed too. I'm glad it wasn't painful...I suppposed it could have been a 10.5!

[Kim]

Ouch! I said it as soon as I saw the picture, even before I saw the caption. I feel partially responsible so I'm emailing you my deepest apologies.

kim in oregon

Bad yarn! Bad needle!