There are some amazing new knitting patterns coming out this season, which I'm dying to try. Here are my favourites:
I'm heading for a seriously stressful weekend - 3 days on call on an empty stomach! I was on yesterday as well, and while fasting wasn't too much of a problem, it does tend to make me a bit more intolerant of the usual ridiculous referrals to orthopaedics without x-rays, bloods or even a proper clerking by A&E. I even went to the great lengths (for me) of berating an A&E Middle Grade for sending me a patient that needed a cannula put in, which the nurses refused to do. On the other hand, I saw the sweetest old lady yesterday, and when I left she insisted on giving me a kiss on the cheek!
Pattern: Rowan Butterfly (short version)
Book: Rowan 37
Yarn: Kidsilk Haze in Smoke
Pattern notes: I knit thesecond smallest size, and threaded size 9/0 beads (I think) on to the yarn before I started. I didn't bother with provisionally casting on and then grafting the sides of the edging, but it would probably have been better to have had an extra stocking stitch on either end to make it easier to sew up, as other people have observed.
It fits pretty well after blocking, but after seeing everyone else's Butterflies I'd probably like to knit one in a burgundy non-mohair lace without beads.
Not much else to say that's not been said already, it's a lovely pattern and not really too hard (saying that, it took me three attempts to get the edging right!). I didn't touch it for a couple of months after knitting half of the second side, but picked it up again weekend before last to finish it in time for Jug's Knitsoc stall at the Freshers' Fair. I didn't quite get it done, but it gave me the last push I needed. I still have two straps to do before I can say it's really finished.
I worked over 90 hours over the past week. Last night, I saw 9 patients in A&E, with broken arms, legs, fingers, wrists, spinal fractures and crush injuries. Before August, I had never done any orthopaedics. What I learned at medical school was negligible, and I was terrified of doing nights. Firstly, because I knew so little, and secondly, because I had no idea what it would be like to essentially be deprived of sleep, or to work completely alone with no support in a specialty you have very limited knowledge of. I dreaded the morning traume meetings, where you sit in the hot seat and present each patient to the consultant, and wait for your management to be picked apart.
I was really fortunate though, in having a couple of nice A&E SHOs on call with me, who I could discuss patients with, and being able to get a couple of hours' rest in between most nights. But I still feel proud that I survived as an Orthopaedic SHO - who would have thought it. And I have ten days off - which is fantastic during Ramadan - I don't remember when I last had such a long break whilst fasting. And Jug and I are off to the Knitting and Stitch Show in Birmingham tomorrow! I think I'd better get some sleep before though.
Wow has it really been ten weeks? I was heartened to find that I'm still getting visitors to my blog, and thought it would be worth starting up again. To be fair, I've never been so busy in my whole life. I'm so busy, that until last week I didn't even have the energy or will to pick up my knitting needles. I moved house, entertained hosts of visitors, started a new job, learned a whole new specialty of medicine, my sister got married...I think I have enough excuses there. Oh, and my laptop died. The nice people at John Lewis gave me a new motherboard - it pays to keep your receipts.
Anyway, the wedding was lovely (I look horrible in the photos though - so tired!) and the bride and groom are enjoying an extended tour of Turkey. I'm on nights at the moment - funnily enough I have far more free time than I had working normal days, which is not at all what I was expecting. The weekend was much quieter than I thought it would be, to the point I was almost hoping for an interesting admission in A&E! I even managed to get some sleep AND leave on time, compared to the night SHOs in other weeks who have ended up staying til past 12pm (after starting at 8pm the day before). I shouldn't speak too soon though - it's supposed to be worse during the week.
Mr C is away on his MBA residential course - he's really been looking forward to starting the course, although I can't imagine why because the course material looks incredibly dull to me! I decided it would be nice to buy him a shiny new laptop, so I went for the Dell XPS M1330, which research tells me is a good one to go for at the moment. I got the red version (it's so pretty!) and Mr C firmly believes that I am buying it for myself really, and will hand him my scratched up old one in exchange as soon as it arrives.
His next-in-command has just had a baby girl so I have been doing some knitting at last, leaving more UFOs in my wake! It's just in the finishing stages now, so will take a photo and post it as soon as it's done. I've also made a start on Mrs Darcy using Sublime kid mohair, which is going relatively fast (compared to Thermal!).
Ravelry is a fantastic concept. The very act of documenting all your projects (finished, unfinished, hibernating etc) and the horror that is the stash makes you look full in the face of your crazy obsession and actually take stock to some extent.
Knit using South West Trading Company Bamboo, which is my least favourite yarn, I think. It was rough and made my fingers horribly sore after a few days of knitting. It does drape nicely after washing, but is still not beautiful and glossy, like some other bamboo yarns I have seen. Shame really, as I have a whole ball left.
In Spain, I knit my first Pomatomus. The pattern is easy to memorise (with a bit of checking the chart) and it was so MUCH easier to knit with bamboo dpns than the metal knitpicks ones! I'm using the metal ones for the interminable thermal sleeve and they keep slipping out, and you have to grip them to stop them falling out of the stitch as you knit and they are so painfully pointy....on the other hand the takumi needles are very comfortable, strong and have a nice point without stabbing you as you knit. Commiserations to Jughead for losing her Pomatomus, thus forfeiting the competition we were having for the fastest Poms.
I have yet again taken a long leave of absence, mainly because I usually come home from work totally shattered and am not really prepared to apply myself to anything too strenuous. Also, as Mr C will testify, I have become obsessive about interior decorating, and finding things for the flat. I collected some photos in a file (some of which follow) but am frustratingly very limited by lack of space/money and is it really worth all the effort if we're moving in a year? I'm not really sure. But as this may be the only year Mr C and I have living alone, we may as well make the most of it.
We don't have a great solicitor and she's really dragged her feet all the way through, which is why the earliest we'll move is next week. That gives us 3 weeks to get everything ready before we move in! You're all welcome to pitch in! (Jug/Cow - you don't really have a choice in this)
Also congratulations to Bikey for graduating this year! After 3 years (and a year abroad) filled with delightful escapades she finally emerges from the cocoon that is Cambridge. I'm going down this weekend for the garden party and will also meet up with a good friend of mine whose sister just happens to be graduating from the same college. And there's also Esma's wedding to look forward to Sunday - should be fantastic, especially as most of the old uni guard will be coming! Fun!
We also get our fair share of IV drug users, who use up all the veins in their arms and then try to inject in the groin and end up with infections, heart valve problems, DVTs etc. The main problem we have is that if they can't find their veins, then we most definitely won't be able to..which means blood tests are a nightmare. It's also not the best idea to site an IV line, as its just one long stairway to heaven for them. Mr C's cousin works with IVDUs and has a totally different perspective on them, a more 'helping and healing' approach, you could say. But I say, so this is where my taxes go! Oho!
I have been knitting, although you wouldn't believe it from the stagnant state of the blog. Thermal rather destroys your will to live actually. I have finished the body which I am very proud of, but the sleeves are on dpns and are going veeeeery slowly. I caved in on my shortlived yarn ban and bought the gorgeous Tilli Tomas Pure and Simple pictured below. It is just lustrous. Isn't that a very onomatopaeic word? I bought it from www.dreamweaveryarns.com and they posted super fast and even marked it a gift! And it was super cheap as well. Shame they don't have a better selection though.
Thermal - that much took 2 months! The sleeves will take another two...
Tilli Tomas Pure and Simple
I'm going to blog about pattern and decor websites, which are my latest obsession next. Also my Spain trip - I'm sure it won't be as amazing as the Spain trip with Pink etc, but a holiday is definitely in order after 2 months of vascular surgery.
I'm on call this afternoon..so far things are very quiet so I'm just hanging out in the mess waiting for something to happen. Jug, Cow and I went to see a recording of QI - the quiz show they have been raving about. Due to an unfortunate anomaly (they tell me) the panel made a lot of off colour jokes, but it was overall a Quite Interesting experience :) Completely different from the 'It's My Life' recording Fudge and a few other fellow mancunians participated in a few years back.
Forgot to say that before we went in, everyone had their bags checked in the queue. All was well until the security folks spotted Cow's ginormous and evil-looking metal knitting needles, at which point all three of us had to surrender all our knitting paraphernalia, as well as the boxed up yarn swift and ball winder they got me for my birthday. The two in combination, by the way, are the best and most clever inventions ever..so simple yet so effective.
I'm going up to Manchester at the weekend - its going to be a busy one - a uni reunion, a visit to Ilva to check out the hype, people coming over and what promises to be a fun night at Pink's, especially for all the young folk. I get to wear my new superstar black sari :)
