FO: Butterfly



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.

10 weeks

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!).



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