Sunday 20 February 2011

Up A Bit, Down A Bit



I got my new toy yesterday and so far so good. I haven't quite got the hang of the controls yet and the shoulder/neck part of the cushion is a bit high to get the edge of my shoulders and neck as I would like but I need to practise more on getting the settings right. My one criticism of it is that when it is switched off then all the adjustments that I have made revert back to factory settings so I spend the first minutes re-adjusting it to my needs again.
There are two kinds of settings. One just massages up and down the back like a buzzing wave and the second one is more vigorous with the Shiatsu massage which is like revolving balls up and down the spine. What I do like is that I can stop the machine when doing Shiatsu into just the place to give the best pummelling to. In my case my lower spine as it can get a bit uncomfortable on my upper spine as I don't carry as much fat up there whereas on my lower back/butt I have plenty of fat padding. I haven't really used it with the heat on as it says on the brochure that too much use of the heat can lessen the life of the machine. I presume that using the heat will also use more electricity.
I have only used it a couple of times so I can't say what the long term effects will be but when I used it yesterday I could actually bend down to my shoes without straining and my back was still more mobile this morning. I am resisting the tendency to over use it as I feel that it might make my back tender in the long run. I am pleased with my purchase and as it has cost me less than a tenth of the price of that vibrating mattress and has a similar effect on my back, but without the headache, and that pleases me even more.
I have finished the one sleeve of my younger niece's charcoal cardigan and started the second sleeve. I feel like I progress so slowly when I am knitting. I am so tempted to crochet but as I am on a deadline I must push onwards. I am hoping though to do a bit more machine knitting today and make the other pieces for the white baby cardigan that I started before I forget how to do the nice cast on for the ribbing.
It's nice Spring like day. No sun visible but at least the days are getting brighter which lifts my mood considerably. I think that I should hibernate when winter comes and emerge again when Spring arrives. I do hope that we get some summer this year as I love the warmth of the sun. Notice that I said warmth and not heat. Unfortunately in the UK we get so very few days when we can say that it's too hot. My old bones just feel the benefit of a bit of warmth and no dampness in the air.
Coffee time, time to tackle the dishes and hoover and then hopefully tackle the knitting machine for an hour or so.

3 comments:

marg41 said...

The new toy looks very impressive! Hope it does the trick for you. When I lived in England, I loved the spring, my faviourite time of year. When I was last over there it was May, and I loved it. Here in Central Queensland it is rather hot and humid. I love the winter here, never gets too cold. I have been very busy with my prayer shawls, number five is alsmost finished. Not sure what I will be knitting next. Take care Jan.

marg41 said...

Your new toy looks quite impressive. Hope it works well for you Jan. Glad your weather is getting better. When I lived in England I loved the spring, my favorite in of the year. When I was last there in 2006 I went in May, it was just beautiful. Here in Central Queensland it is rather hot and humid. I enjoy the winter here, it never gets too cold. I am in the middle of my 5th prayer shawl - not sure what I will knit next! Take care Jan.

marg41 said...

Sorry for the double comment Jan, I had trouble with the first one - so did another one! Hope this one gets to you ok.