Playing with Needles and feature idea

Today I got inspired to change my blog a bit and actually start updating it as it has been a very overwhelming quarter in acupuncture school, and I've gotten an amazing amount of knitting completed and underway. One thing I am finding, is that I've been knitting long enough to easily grab a pair of needle that work with a yarn. In fact I often go on intuition and just start seeing what happens.

In treating more patients as an intern, I am finding that I am starting to mix up needle sizes in treatments more comfortably and use that same intuition more, since initially it can be a bit intimidating to actually put needles in a person. (we are encouraged to practice on oranges, sofas, and even raw meats at first - before ourselves and classmates - then actual patients).

This is similar to learning how to knit and work with fibers. Another thing is the openness to imperfection, which is what I find one of my favorite things about handmade. Each item is truly unique, and in that, has it's own character and purpose, like each treatment, can have the same points, yet very a bit with intention and what a patient needs.

The tools are also important, and needles are just that. Every acupuncturist and every knitter has a preference. That may change from time to time. Lately, I have been prefering bamboo and some new sustainable birch. There is something about the natural feel, that seems to increase my knitting speed and connection with the process (to use meditative qi language).

My next blog post will be sooner - I am thinking about adding a monthly entry with pics around Santa Monica and Venice - especially since its almost summer - and great local events the tourists just stumble upon if they're lucky around the pier and beach.

Double meanings

I realized that as I am starting to promote my blog, the title might seem a little odd. I did list a post when the name changed, yet wanted to share a little more technically on this.

When I knit, I frequently grab some yarn, cast it on and then try out a few different stitch patterns, tear it out, and start again, either with different yarns or stitches. Within a row or two, it is usually clear if something works or not by what is on the needle. I also have noticed that the items that do not work well are a bit harder to knit and feel a bit of resistance while working with the items.

Since I took my blog title from a saying in acupuncture, it is like when treating a patient and the needle is in a place that the patient does not need it or, there body is not ready for the needle to go in further. In class it is said that the needle knows when to stop, avoid veins and arteries, and other things that it could just as easily be the body knowing as well as the practitioner having an awareness and knowledge about how to use the needle as a therapeutic tool.

I also thought it would be fun to integrate both ways I am around needles into the title since they are pretty different versions of a tool with the same common name.