Eczema Boil

This simple scarf has an easy to remember knit and purl combination, like a form of macro ribbing. It quickly creates a warm, almost dual tubular fabric, which turns on itself.

Gauge does not apply here. The more stitches you have the wider your ‘tubes’ will be. I usually use 12 or 18 stitches depending on the size of the needles. It takes a few inches for the scarf to take on it’s dual tube look, it’s shape will slowly change as you work on it.

For the pictured purple scarf I used 30 sts on size 13 needles, with two strands of yarn at once.

Traditional Mutiny
CO an even number of sts. Remember how many you have and occasionally check that the number hasn’t changed.

Knit the first half of the row, purl the second half. Do this for the entire length of the scarf and BO when you feel like it.

You’ve just committed Mutiny.

To be fair, I’m notorious for starting projects and never finishing them. But! having said that, I am not abandoning this blog.

A few months ago someone suggested a joint venture to me, the largest either of us have ever attempted, and I’ve been working on it since. It probably won’t pan out until 2010 or 2011, so I’m not sure how much time I’ll be devoting to other things.

• Try acupuncture.
• Avoid scratching what’s left of my right eyebrow as much as possible. Maybe part of the missing spot will grow back.
• Find exercise clothing that’s cotton and not tight.
• Shower in the evening, since my skin recovers better in the cool, damp night air.

For the past several weeks I haven’t felt inspired to post much, as you probably noticed. To be perfectly honest my skin is going haywire and it’s very difficult for me to focus on anything but resisting the itch. That includes socializing, art projects, and eating.

Summer is always one of the outer circles of hell.

It’s Friday, and I had a bad skin week.

On Monday and Tuesday it was about 95′F at the office, so I was expecting some kind of dermal explosion.

On Wednesday it showed up. I woke up with my face, chest, arms and knees breaking out. I put on my office clothes and planned on going in, but after a few minutes in them my skin hurt even more, and began to swell, so I changed and called in sick. By midday my eyes were half shut from being swollen, and I had a few bleeding gashes on my face and arms. My legs were ripped up and it hurt to bend them. It’s nothing compared to how my eczema used to be, but it hurt to touch things, and the pain was very distracting. Maybe it’s just me, but when my whole body is breaking out like that I end up feeling a bit ill as well. And of course, it can be difficult to feel professional when your face is bleeding and won’t stop.

Yesterday I stayed out of the sun as much as possible, including taking my parasol to the bus stop.  It’s treated with SPF 30, the closest thing I can get to sunscreen. [If you have any suggestions for a sunscreen for insanely sensitive skin, please let me know!]

Today my skin is feeling much better. My left arm is still breaking out, and several tiny infections are brewing, so I’m trying to keep them as clean as possible. My right arm is fine though. My face has some long cuts but they’re healing well. It also has red swollen spots that burn, and I’m not even sure what they are, but I’m touching those as little as possible. My left foot has at least 12 little boils on it this morning, hopefully more won’t pop up. I’m wearing jeans so I can’t scratch my legs no matter how much I want to.

I tried to stay upbeat this week, and did a fairly good job, and rarely mentioned my skin. The best part was that people chose to ignore it, so I was able to pretend that I looked more ‘normal’.

Life has been going pretty fast since the beginning of June and my head is still a bit off kilter from it. So today I’m going to use a simpler writing structure – a list.

Currently Building for the Eczema Boil:

• I’m writing three posts on homemade bandages; two on knitting and one on reclaimed socks.
• I’m working on an interactive .pdf allergy card, since the previous one I found no longer exists.

Current Eczema News:

• It’s summer. There are little boils between my fingers, and on the soles of my feet. My arms and legs are flaking. Although it’s hot, I’m wearing jeans as much as possible so that I can’t scratch the back of my knees.
• My sister figured out that she has a reaction to olive oil, and gets eczema on her hands and feet. She’s been avoiding it for a couple weeks and now it’s mostly gone! I’m happy that she’s not in pain anymore, and to see her being proactive with her health.
• We have a Dyson vacuum! Orion’s nose and my skin are happier.

Current Art Projects:

• Teaching someone the basics of artistic nude modeling. This is kind of tough, because I grew up around artists so it was always intuitive for me. But I am enjoying the challenge!
• Processing the RoboGames photos.
• Restoring vintage family photos for two clients.
• Discussing several ideas for art bots for next years RoboGames.

Here’s one of Orion and I. His eczema isn’t really showing, but mine’s going strong.

My forehead is a large rash, lips are cracking and bleeding, right cheek is raw. At least my eyebrows were starting to grow back. My eyes were swollen but I’m guessing that was because we were at a funeral when this was taken.

Orion’s much better than I am at faking smiles.

CNN has another great article on allergies.

While they list several things that may be triggering a reaction and you don’t know it, the first thing on the list struck me as particularly interesting:

Limonene, a zesty compound in lime and other citrus fruits, gives many people watery eyes and a burning sensation in the nose, according to James Wedner, MD, chief of allergy and immunology at the Washington University School of Medicine. It might even irritate your skin, whether you touch, eat, or drink products containing limonene.

That’s one reaction I have to lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, and tomatoes.  I’ve thought it was the citric acid, but I’m wondering if it’s the limonene. I’m adding it to my list of things to research.

I’m leaving in a few minutes for RoboGames, the world’s largest robotics competition. I’m entering an art bot this year, and Orion has two little combat bots. Pictures from last year’s event are at Offbeat Robotics.

Hopefully I’ll be able to check e-mails and tweets in the evenings, but quite possibly I won’t be getting back to anyone until Monday morning.

Have a great weekend!

I have to say off the bat that I hate seeing photos like this of myself, and struggling with the idea of posting this. But, I understand that others want to see what eczema looks like in different stages.

As you can see, I had half of an eyebrow. The rest of the hairs had been scratched out at that point. The area around my lips was swollen and was mostly chapped pieces of skin with raw pink flesh underneath. My eyelids were raw – you can see a little blood on the one on the right – and underneath my eyes was swollen from scratching as well. The phone is hiding my neck, which had open wounds at the time.

For a larger version of the original Polaroid click here.

If you have large weeping sores on your joints, or other areas of skin that flex frequently, cloth bandages can be very helpful. They keep the fluid from spreading, they keep the wound clean, and if they look nice people think they’re a fashion accessory.

Over the years I’ve experimented with different fabrics and techniques, and come across two in particular that work for me.

• Improvised Sock Bandage
• Custom Knit Bandage

Socks, or heavy denier stockings, can make great bandages when you’re in a hurry. I recommend cotton, especially pima, as the smoother fabric will leave less lint in wounds.

Knit bandages can be fun because you choose the yarn, color, etc. These are often very simple to make, from a knitter’s perspective, and also very easy for people who are just learning. While wearing these people frequently tell me they look cool, and ask where I bought them. It’s a nice change from having the wounds sneered at! I’ll cover both techniques with pictures and full explanations in upcoming posts.

Do you use bandages for your eczema? What kinds have worked for you?