Wednesday, May 04, 2005

A Stupid Stupid Stupid Thing

As the title suggests, I have just done a really stupid thing. Over the past few months I have been doing a lot of hand finishing, including stitching down bindings, beading, couching yarn, etc. The other day, I was able to proudly show DH the new callus that had developed on the pad of my middle finger - the one I use to aim the needle with. I even bragged that the callus would make hand stitching easier, and that he wouldn't hear me cursing in pain any more, as I could no longer stab myself with the needle in that spot (newer, improved super tough Quilter's skin).

Apparently, the bragging and self congratulations cursed me. Today, I was absently picking at a bit of rough skin, and managed to rip off the callus without even realizing what I was doing! Not only that, but I ripped of enough skin that my needle guiding finger is now not even usable for typing! There is an open wound where I once had a proud and handy callus! Let me tell you, snacking on nachos is not fun with a raw fingertip. Aargh!

Now I have to choose - either cover the finger with rubber cement and get on with finishing the current projects (all of which are in the hand sewing stage), or start something more fingertip friendly. Or, smack myself soundly and call myself an idiot. With a sore finger. Sigh.

7 comments:

Deb Lacativa said...

time to go thimble shopping...I didn't think I could ever use one until I found one that actually fit my giant mitts. Mine is brass and I love to shine it up and tell folks it's gold!

Debra said...

I vote for the thimble pads!! It's the only type of thimble I can use.

Anonymous said...

The colossal consequence of your callous removal of the callus is a contiguous casualty!!

Your aversion and allergenicity to adhesives makes avoidance of adhesive thimble pads essentially inevitable.

Ouch, that must hurt! I don't mean to make fun of such a serious (in the quilting world context)injury, but the opportunity presented itself. Can you get a skin graft? a 'new-skin' non-adhesive plaster? a rubber finger, or a finger condom with inserted pad?? The 'gold' thimble sounds the best idea.

Alison Schwabe said...

OMG- I have never been able to work out how/why quilters work up, by such painful process, such an awful thing as a callus - I use the little expandable pink finger shaped plastic thimbles, and when the equivlent to a huge callus has developed on it and as soon as it's holed, I chuck it and get a fresh one. At $1 each, I have heaps around, no chance of not being able to find one or running out ... In the meantime, my quilting fingers stay soft and smooth as any other parts of my housework hands, VBG, and no chance of skagging my nylons ... "that's because I'm not wearing any" as Vivienne said at the elevator door scene in "Pretty Woman!", AVBG. Anyway, I too am a compulsive tidier-up of stray little bits of skin .....

Unknown said...

you are so funny !! I einjoy your blog...sorry about you callus demise...thanks for your recent comments on my blog...your quilts are lovely...worth the price of the wound? Ginger

Anonymous said...

I buy a box of the finger cots, you can get at an office supply store (bankers use them), and I put one of the adhesive leather dot pads inside of the finger cot. It makes a great flexiable thimble. When the finger cot wears out, I can reuse the leather pad inside of the new finger cot. :)
susan
http://creativechick.blog-city.com

Logan said...

Thank you to everyone that commented, especially those with suggestions to avoid future pain and damage. I have tried a few of them, and will be keeping my favorite (but I won't tell you which I liked best - I'm such a tease). Finger tip was healing nicely, but then I made lemon tarragon chicken (sp?), and the lemon juice did even more damage. Sigh. But dinner was yummy.