catsdoingcatstuff

Whoa that's a seriously clean back. Very impressive, especially on the black fabric.

You are making good progress! What is the final size for this going to be?

Also a heavy computer user and I have terrible joints that hurt constantly. My tips (they aren't that great, but I'm still stitching even if it's less than I would like...) are as follows.

Check your ergonomics. Make sure you are staying relaxed while you stitch (no death grips). Look into getting a frame or another setup that lets you stitch with both hands.

Take frequent breaks. Massage your hands and stretch your arms and shoulders, look around the room and move your head and neck. You can find stretches and hand exercises specifically for crafters. I think they help with general stiffness.

Heat or ice your hands when you are done depending on what makes you feel better. Sometimes I also keep a hot tea near me to hold while I'm taking a break. Compression gloves might help if you want to try them.

You might also need to mix up your crafts and find some alternatives to do when your joints don't want to cooperate.

Good luck!!

Well...except maybe not so much electricity on cold mornings like today? :)

Nice work!! Your backstitching on the flowers is really pretty. What is your next project going to be?

You are making really quick progress. I love all the colors in the pattern.

Aw, kitty looks very comfortable. You are a good cat furniture.

So cute!!

We have far side at home.

Good idea for the rulers. That's a great find for $30!

My cats have a magnetic attraction to everything they shouldn't touch. They will stay off my desk for weeks, but are always around as soon as any thread or yarn comes out...

You could make an onion gravy with veggie stock and really caramelized onions. I'd add miso or nutritional yeast to add some savory flavour in with the sweet onions.

Or try this chickpea gravy recipe from ppk as a starting point. I've been making and tweaking it for years (see the comments about the lemon juice and texture). It's not like a smooth meat sauce gravy, but it is really tasty on potatoes.

Oh, one thing I do that's helped me with floss is break it into separate groups for storage. Mine are roughly in sets of 200s by dmc number. More empty space in the containers, but less annoying to shift when I buy new colors.