Legos!

[nuthatch]

This is an interesting article about how building with Lego blocks can help with MS.
As I posted awhile ago, I learned how to do peyote beading in the hopes it would help improve my hand dexterity. It did and believe it or not, I find it quite relaxing. Building with Legos could certainly do the same. Besides, who doesn't like to play with Legos?

I recently sent my grown son home with Lego sets that I had saved from his childhood. The space set was his favorite and we spent many hours playing and creating fabulous flying spacecraft with those Legos. I'm glad I kept them all those years. I'm sure his son will get many hours of enjoyment out of them too. They don't wear out or break like so many toys, but are rather expensive new. Better to get them on E-bay or at yard sales.

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P.S. This is right up your alley, Howie! I'll keep my eyes open for a Star Trek/Star Wars set for you!

[Catdancer]

My doll house building and decorating achieve similar goals for me, particularly the relaxing and stress reducing part. And hand coordination.

[Howie]

Beam me up Legos!

I used to build model cars and airplanes. That might help with dexterity issues too.

[agate]

For many years I worked on jigsaw puzzles (usually 1,000 pieces) while listening to recorded books. Maybe it helped in the same way that working with Legos might be helping.

[nuthatch]

All great activities for improving hand dexterity! A few years ago I decided I wanted to learn how to do tatting. You Tube is a great source for learning how to do just about anything, so I watched instructional tutorials on You Tube and learned how to do needle tatting (there is shuttle tatting also, but that looked more complicated!).

Agate, my daughter gave me a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle when she visited last month. Haven't tackled that one yet, but will soon!

Another thing to sharpen the mind is playing games, word searches, crosswords, Sudoku, Scrabble. Lots of great, puzzle solving computer games to try too.Mom spent endless hours playing Scribbage alone. We always played Boggle when together. Miss my Mom.

[agate]

I try the New York Times crossword daily.

As for tatting, I've never tried it but it's probably a bit like crocheting with cotton thread. Years ago I tried very hard to crochet with cotton thread--even made a vest--but it was tough going for me. My hands aren't very good with thin thread.

My father's generation must have been enthusiastic about tatting because both he and his sister knew how to tat, and most people's households seem to have had at least a few examples of some relative's handmade lace--a doily, a collar, an edging on a pillow.

Doilies may have gone completely out of fashion but even in the 1950s they were common--on tables and on furniture (the arms and the headrests of upholstered furniture). They were always getting out of place, and some people pinned them. I used to think they looked fussy but I see why they were popular. They kept the upholstery from wearing thin or getting discolored.

What kinds of things will you be making as you do your tatting, Joan?

[Howie]

My Granny did the crossword puzzles that were in the newspaper everyday. She was very good at them.

[nuthatch]

Agate, I made some edging lace, a few lacy bracelets with bicone crystal beads incorporated into the design, a some tatted butterfly pins and earrings. Needle tatting is a bit similar to crochet.
I never learned to knit, but would like to. I'm left handed in a right handed world, so it's challenging to learn most anything from a right handed person. All the tutorials seem to be showing right handed instruction.

Next I want to learn the art of Kumihimo braiding.
Would like to get back into macrame too, only doing small jewelry pieces rather than large hangings.
So many interests, not enough time!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention origami. That can be learned on You Tube, starting with basic easy folds. All you need is paper!
Paper quilling is fun too.
Don't get me started!

[Virginia]

Nuthatch, you have so many interest. So does Agate. That is a good thing. When I moved where I am I thought that someday I would use part of my upstairs to set up a place for me to work on things (not that I know how to do that much, but at that time I thought I could learn). Then the MS and tremors set in and the stairs became too hard to do accept once a week to clean up there. However, I love my reading so I am not sure how much I would go up there anyway. I use to absolutely love putting puzzles together and would sit for hours, but I really don't have a good place to do it downstairs. Books and music are my love I guess.

[agate]

Virginia, where there's a will there's a way. I'll bet that you can rig something up where you can do jigsaw puzzles.

When I was doing them I happened to have a large piece of posterboard, large enough for most jigsaws, and I think I put it on my ironing board. I wanted to have a puzzle I could move around, so as to put it out of the cat's way when I wasn't working on it. I put the board with the puzzle on it on top of the refrigerator at night because the cat liked to do puzzles too.

nuthatch, kumihimo braiding is lovely--a bit like the lanyards kids used to make years ago but with a much nicer result and much more challenging to make.

I've watched quite a few tutorials on crocheting and noticed that some had left-handed instructions. Maybe knitting tutorials have started doing that too. I hope so!