So for the vast majority of workers with jobs that require working with your hands, there are pitfalls of the trade, and believe it or not that also applies to us! The majority of the time, it's the dreaded pin or needle stab. those pesky sharp little buggers, that manage to find their way into your fingers, or anywhere else they deem fit. They have a knack of repeating said dalliances many times over. You prick yourself in one place, you're sure to rinse and repeat.
Luckily, no real damage is done, but when that hits a nerve you definitely know it.
This leads me to another problem with working with your hands, RSI (or carpal tunnel syndrome). Most of you will know what this is, but if you're not aware of it I'll explain. RSI is short for Repetitive Strain Injury. In essence, if you repeat the same action over and over again, you can cause temporary or long term tissue/ muscle damage.
Sadly for me, I've had this for many years, but recently it has become a bit of an issue. Now, if you have ever suffered from this, I'm sure you understand how uncomfortable this can be. At it's worst it can be crippling, or at it's mildest it can feel like a nagging toothache that won't go away.
This has unfortunately slowed me down a little, but hopefully not too much. I'm right handed, but the pain is in my left hand. Fortunately the more technical side of the job, ie drawing and artwork on our dolls, isn't too much of an issue. But, the rest of the work, ie putting the dolls together is a little bit more tricky, and is actually painful to grip and hold work in that hand.
So the moral to this story is, "win the lottery", and get someone else to make the dolls for you! (Only joking)
Lee ;)