Tales from a Knitting Surgery Resident

2009-11-24T20:06:00.000-05:00

I recently received this lovely little award from Alicia. That combined with the fact that I actually finished an object for the first time in...a really long time has prompted me to post.

In order to accept this award I have to answer the following questions with only 1 word answers…

1. Where is your cell phone? Floor
2.Your hair? Brown
3. Your mother? Home
4. Your father? *love*
5. Your favorite food? Peanut Butter
6. Your dream last night? Interview
7. Your favorite drink? Grape
8. Your dream/goal? Surgeon!
9. What room are you in? Office
10. Your hobby? Knitting
11. Your fear? Scrambling
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Fellow
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something you aren’t? MD (yet)
15. Muffins? fattening
16. Wish list item? iPodTouch (I almost said iTouch but that just sounds dirty)
17. Where did you grow up? Massachusetts
18. Last thing you did? Study
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. Your TV? on
21. Your pets? none
22. Your friends? Rock
23. Your life? Crazzy
24. Your mood? Prickly
25. Missing someone? Yes
26. Vehicle? Wagon
27. Something you’re not wearing? Glasses
28. Your favorite store? Payless (Shoes of course)
29. Your favorite color? Eeyore (the blue part of him)
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Thursday (pre-interview drama)
32. Your best friend? AEES (combos rock)
33. One place that I go over and over? Hospital
34. One person who emails me regularly? Nobody (I'm a crappy correspondent)
35. Favorite place to eat? Conrad's

I will not tag people due to a lack of motivation...consider yourself tagged if you want to do the meme.

Knitting:

So, I finally finished my Dark Cowl. I started it at the end of May for some mindless knitting while studying...and now many months later I have finally finished it.

I initially planned to knit until I ran out of yarn...but I decided that it was already getting awful tall and thought better of it. I haven't decided if this means that I'm going to cast on for another project or whether I'm going to just work on my WIPs for a while. I'm leaning toward WIPs but I'll be checking out the Ravelry Queue.

Med School:

I have just started the interview process for residency. I'm applying for General Surgery with the plan to do a fellowship in something at the other end. One interview down...14 more to go! The knitting should be allowed to pick up again soon...I have another big test (Step 2) on 12/31 and then after that I should be home free! This is going to be a long year...but totally worth it. Which reminds me...I'm gonna have to change the name of the blog soon :P

Cute:

This was just too cute not to share with all of you...my mom picked it up at Hallmark a while ago. Perfect for when my hands are freezing...which is pretty much all the time :P

2

2009-07-12T19:57:00.003-04:00

Today is my second blogoversary...
Here's to more frequent posts and many more years...

Where Does the Time Go?

2009-07-05T20:09:00.002-04:00

Hey! Is anyone still reading this thing? Sorry about falling off the face of the earth there! The combination of crazy rotation schedule and busy personal life has conspired to make me really bad at posting...but I didn't die or anything...I swear...

The knitting front hasn't been too exciting. I've been plugging away on my Denise Scarf and Dark Cowl. The Show-off Socks have not been reclaimed from the frog pond...and the yarn may be coming back to life as a different pair of socks, I haven't decided yet. I haven't touched my Dorky Socks...but thinking about working on them a bit tonight while I try to convince myself that it's time to go to sleep. I have no pictures to show you because I'm impossibly lazy...or at least that's the best explanation to come up with right now. I've been thinking a lot about what I want to knit lately too...I find myself simultaneously wanting to knit lace and use heavier yarns so that I feel like I'm making more progress. I think I may strike a sort of balance by have two projects at either end of the spectrum going once I finish up the current contenders. I've been looking at a couple scarves...I feel like a triangle shawl is a bit too much for me to tackle at this point in time. I've struggled with lace patterns in the past so I feel like I should work my way up slowly and not make it into something that makes me want to cry... I also have a bunch of projects in my queue for worsted weight yarn etc, I just need to pick things that aren't scarves for a little while...especially not cabled scarves...

As far as school...I start my next rotation, a sub-internship in General Surgery tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous since I'm basically auditioning for the program and I really loved it there...but I think it'll all be fine once I get a better feeling for what's actually expected of me. I wish I knew who my housestaff was going to be...that would make me feel a lot better...but I'll find out soon enough.

I'd say that I'll try to be better about posting...but I think we all know that I don't have too much control over that. Happy knitting all!!!

On a happier note...

2009-05-31T01:02:00.002-04:00

I got an award! The lovely Dorothy gave me this:

RULES you must resend this to 5 bloggers and you must tell 5 things about your crafts you like the most...what inspires you to make home made gifts...

What inspires me?

1) I take great joy in finding gifts that are well-matched to a person. Making gifts for people gives me so many more ways to accomplish that. I have been known to see something that is *perfect* for someone in March and pick it up for them for Christmas because I know that they'll love it.

2) Knitting is soothing. If I'm too jittery to sit still or have too many things going on in my head, a little bit of knitting goes a long way to making me feel better.

3) Making beautiful things makes me feel proud of myself. Sadly med school is generally not conducive to pride/confidence...it's just the nature of the beast.

4) Knitting is productive. I start with a pile of string and I end up with something that will keep someone warm...pretty awesome if you ask me.

5) Knitters are awesome. The people I have met through knitting are some of the kindest, most generous people I have ever met.

I nominate:
1) Alicia
2) Bea
3) Cosmicpluto
4) Anne
5) Wendy

PS: I'm feeling much better now that I got all that off my chest earlier.

Stress and Frustration

2009-05-30T17:06:00.002-04:00

There are quite a few things that are either stressing me out or frustrating me right now. Let's go down the list shall we?

1) My grandfather is dying. He has been in some form or other for years now...but he's now in hospice, unable to swallow and therefore unable to eat, and he has a DNR order that includes no tube feeds and no IV nutrition. My Dad called me earlier today and told me that there was an estimate that he had 12 hours to live (who said this or when it was said I don't know) and that I should stay in Springfield and study etc. and wait to come home until the funeral. I know I need to study, and I know that my grandfather was incredibly proud of my going to medical school and would want me to focus on that...but it doesn't make it any easier.

2) I had my mid-rotation evaluation Friday. I'm doing well for the most part with a current grade of High-Pass. But apparently someone made a comment about my needing to cover up my chest more. I'm bothered by this on a few levels. The way I was given this feedback was rather hurtful, basically implying that I am a faithless, godless hussy who walks around all but topless. I am very self-conscious about my weight and my figure and generally don't show that much in the line of skin because I don't feel very confident about myself and generally have the feeling that no one wants to see that nastiness...so being told that I'm not covering up enough is frustrating. And then there's the part where I have a hard enough time finding clothes that fit, finding out that I am failing to look professional really bothers me. So this feedback has basically left me in the place where I just want to crawl into a hole and cry for a few hours. The ironic part here is that just about all of my friends when I had gotten similar feedback before (from a woman who felt that mini-skirts with fish-nets and 5-inch stilettos were work appropriate) were very emphatic that I dress very professionally and that they couldn't believe I had gotten than feedback.

3) My weight. I started on an OCP (the pill) in January or so...one of the ones where you don't get your period for 3 months. This seemed like a great idea since I tend to get pretty anemic and tired with my period and getting it less frequently would therefore be inherently awesome. Now we all know (well maybe not all of us but it's a well known side-effect) that the pill can cause weight-gain. I've been fighting my weight for years, admittedly unsuccessfully, so it really shouldn't have surprised me that I've gained 15 lbs over the last 5 months...but it's upsetting me nonetheless. This also ties into #2 since my boobs would be smaller if I lost the weight and therefore would not be the issue that they are turning out to be. So I've taken a page out of Alicia's book and joined SparkPeople. I'm hoping the combination of food journalling and quick daily work-out videos will help me have some more success. And then there's the part where I'm gonna come off the pill...because I'd rather get my period than keep getting fatter...and I don't think that's unreasonable.

4) My sock. I started my Show-off socks according to the pattern by CO 65 stitches and just knit happily along...I was just about to the end of the arch-shaping and decided to try them on...I can barely get them on. So they made a visit to the frog pond and I'm going to try again CO 75 stitches and see where that takes me. In the meantime I think I'm going to make a cowl with some nice thick worsted weight yarn...because that's a lot of stitches to rip out.

So yeah...I'm beyond stressed right now...kinda tearful...and struggling to concentrate on studying. I really just need this week/month to be over. Hope you're all doing better that I am! Happy knitting!

Labor and Delivery

2009-05-18T20:52:00.004-04:00

So the two weeks of vacation are over...one week of OB/Gyn clinic done and now I'm starting my week of Labor and Delivery. Saw my first delivery today...simultaneously the coolest and most disgusting thing I have every seen. The baby's face as the rest of her body was coming out was about to crack me up. As for the rest of the day...kinda boring...but that had more to do with the fact that there was an ER resident there today to make up his deficit in deliveries so he got all five deliveries on the low-risk service for the day.

As for knitting...there's been some!! Shocking I know. Mind you what I've been doing has been mostly in the realm of simple stockinette...but still. I finished my mom's mitts...which is good because it means she'll have them for when it gets cold again in like November. I also started on a new sock...I'm calling them Show-off socks because I basically picked the pattern to show off the yarn. Yes I am aware that I haven't finished the last pair of socks yet...but I needed something that was simple so that I could knit and read at the same time in the library and the Dorky socks were just way too fiddly for me.

Five weeks left of being a third year...kinda scary...then two weeks off before beginning a string of sub-internships and audition rotations...w00t. On the plus side I don't have to wear anything but scrubs for like the next three weeks! Alright...off to read about fetal heart monitoring so I don't feel like a total idiot tomorrow. Happy knitting folks!

Spring Cleaning

2009-05-03T23:05:00.004-04:00

Today I took out my stash. Quite an undertaking. I used my trusty ball winder to compact things a bit so that my yarn and notions all fit inside my two plastic bins and baskets. I donated some stuff that I will never use to the local trash can...mostly because I've never heard of any yarn-donation-type programs around here. In other news: I may actually have a sweater's worth of yarn in Cascade 220! I doubt I have it all in one color...but I might be able to do some yoke detail or something to make it all work.

Innywho...been doing some knitting too. My mom wanted some flip-top mittens after seeing the ones I made for my aunt (her sister).My mom has taken some pity on me as you can see...no fingers. The yarn is very very soft...I'll have to root around for the ball band but I'm pretty sure it's Patons Decor. I've started the second mitt, finished the cuff while watching Prisoner of Azkaban on TV last night. Once I'm done with that I'll take care of the tops...good stuff.Tomorrow afternoon I have two meetings...both of which make me slightly nervous. The first is with the Dean of Students to talk about how realistic my goals are and see if she has any advice for me as I get ready for next year. The second is with the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Tufts...he's the man who'll write my "Chairman's Letter" for my application next year so I kinda need to get to know him a little bit. There is a small part of me that is terrified that I'm going to be told that I have no chance of getting into a General Surgery residency...I'm trying very hard to ignore that part. Alright...time to go to sleep...untangling hanks of yarn is hard work!! Happy knitting all!!!

Staycation

2009-04-27T13:59:00.004-04:00

What is a "staycation," you ask? Well...it's kinda like a vacation...but instead of going anywhere you just stay home and relax. Staycation's are great for a variety of reasons: they're essentially free, you have time to do all the little things you've been ignoring, and you have access to your entire stash! No more worrying about what yarn/needles to bring! I am currently enjoying the start of my two week break that comes with my elective block. So far I've finished a pair of mittens and started on a scarf, and started reading House of God (everyone's been telling me I have to read it...I got it for Christmas and I'm finally getting the time to read...so far I love it). Another added bonus is that I have time to write a real blog post!

So now that I'm back home I really have no excuse to not give you some FO and WIP shots...well...except for the part where the rechargeable battery on my camera lasts about 30 seconds...but I plan to rectify that by buying a new battery when I'm out later today for my doctor's appointment. In the meantime I will take one picture of each thing...which is more than I've given you in a long long time.

First I give you my first BSJ. I finished this about a month ago (feels like much longer than that sadly) and sent it off to Dorothy for her newest little one. She posted about it here but it's high I time I give you pictures.
Dorothy of course sent me a lovely thank-you-note...which of course made my day when I got it like a week later (hooray for living an hour and a half from home!)
Next up is the hat I made for my aunt. I was looking for something simple enough to be wearable by a non-knitter but still complicated enough that it was still knitterly. I found this pattern (rav link) and went for it. So far I've opted to not make the little band...we'll see when I finish up with everything else for this lovely winter set.
Then there are the mittens. Flip-top mittens with cables and fingers. They are very loosely based on this pattern (rav link)...I think I used it mostly for finger placement and some clues on making the flap more-so than anything else. I still hate fingers...I might hate them less if I had shorter DPNs...if I find myself making lots more of these I may break down and buy some.
And finally there's the scarf. I'm using this pattern (rav link), I think it goes with the hat and the mittens rather well.
So what else am I up to? Well...on the weight loss front I have not been a very good girl. Lots of bad eating choices that resulted mostly from the fact that I was tired and wanted fast and tasty more than healthy. Then the part where I wasn't keeping track of my weight led to a special kind of snowballing that only I am capable of.

While I'm home on staycation there's going to be a lot of working-out and exercising going on...I hope to be back in the negative by the time I start up again.

On the school front things are going well. I've pretty much finalized my schedule for next year. I did manage to get the Radiology rotation I wanted, but still not luck with surgical intensive care. What is my schedule?

July - General Surgery at Lahey Clinic
August - Transplant Surgery at Tufts Medical Center
September - Honors General Surgery at Newton-Wellesley
October - Family Medicine in Wrentham
November - Radiology at Caritas Good Samaritan
December - VACATION!! aka studying for boards and going on interviews
January - Anesthesia at VA Medical Center
February - Pediatric Surgery at Tufts Medical Center
March - Gastroenterology at VA Medical Center
April - Emergency Med at Caritas Good Samaritan
May - VACATION!! aka prepping for graduation and getting ready to move to where I matched

I'm going to miss my Neurosurgery rotation. Good people that were lots of fun. They've invited me out to dinner with them when I get back for my OB/Gyn rotation in a couple weeks. Hopefully I won't be on call so I can go. Alright...this post is plenty long. Happy knitting all!!

Success!!!

2009-04-18T14:41:00.002-04:00

I really wish I was kidding...I've been trying to post here almost all week but for one reason or another my computer and network are conspiring against me to prevent me from accessing the Blogger site. I could see my blog...but I could not log into blogger...it was just really odd. But in any case...I have successfully managed to log in and start a post.

So what's going on? Well, on the knitting front I've managed to knit the hand portion of both mittens that I'm making for my aunt. I also started working on the second Dorky sock. You do not get any links right now because the hospital network seems to be under the impression that Ravelry is spyware. As far as these things go I feel like I'm getting a fair amount of knitting done...but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that I have little else to do in Springfield at this point in time.

As far as med school, the eternal time suck that it is, this rotation seems to be going very well. I don't get to do as much in the OR as I would ordinarily like...but I have to respect that 3rd year med students should most likely not be allowed too close to people's brains and spinal cords. Just one more week and then I have two weeks of vacation!! Admittedly in this one remaining week I have to give a 15-20 minute PowerPoint on Shaken Baby Syndrome and take an exam...but two weeks of vacation is hard not to get excited about. Yesterday I got my schedule for next year...so far so good! There are a few things I would like to change around, like not having any radiology or ICU rotations but hopefully some will open up as the year progresses.

Alright folks...I should really get back to making said PowerPoint about Shaken Baby Syndrome. Happy knitting to all...hopefully next time I post I'll be able to give you all some pictures!!!

New Beginnings

2009-03-29T22:22:00.001-04:00

Today I moved back to Springfield for another set of rotations. Three months of internal medicine are behind me with a paltry bit of knitting that I can't even show you because I'm not sure that the recipient of said knitting has gotten it yet. I did manage a small bit of knitting over the weekend in between packing and meeting up with people and lunch and such things. But I forgot to pack my camera so I can't even take advantage of all of the windows in my room and take some pictures for you. I know...I am a bad knit-blogger...but med school is totally eating my life right now.

Speaking of med school, I just submitted my rank list for the lottery for next year's rotations. I've decided that I'm going to go for General Surgery internship and residency so there's a lot of surgery planned for next year. I got a very good number for the lottery so things should turn out at least half-way decent (I'm not even going to try to explain how the whole system works because the computer science majors in my class tend to find the algorithm "elegant" and other such words that mean "way too hard for anyone else to figure out."

As for right now? I'm starting my Neurosurgery rotation tomorrow...hopefully it'll be lots of fun. Baystate is a trauma center and the main referral hospital for western Mass so that should help keep things interesting at least. Alright...time for all good little med students to get to bed. Hope you're all having a lot more knitting time than I am!!

Whoh...where'd I go?!

2009-02-17T20:34:00.002-05:00

Where did the last month go? Seriously! My medicine clerkship is more than half over...I find this more than slightly terrifying since that means I have another shelf in less than 6 weeks and I've barely started studying. Speaking of my medicine rotation things have been going pretty well. Outpatient is over (which in my mind is awesome) and I'm on my third week of the wards. My team is awesome, my resident has taken to calling me "rock star" at just about every opportunity. He is sufficiently impressed with me such that as of tomorrow he's going to start treating me like a Sub-I (I admit and take care of the patients on my own with only the resident coming by to cosign all the orders and double check me, no intern involvement at all). I don't know how much of my readership understands how odd this is for a third year student...but trust me...it's weird. I'm not going to lie...it makes me a bit uncomfortable, but more with respect to how appropriate it is for me to be doing this as a third year than my ability to do it well. I guess I'll find out next week when my clerkship director is my attending :P

In weight loss news...there hasn't been any. In fact there's been weight gain. This is what I get for eating pizza from the cafeteria on a semi-regular basis. I need to be stricter with myself as far as eating the lunch I bring goes. Part of my plan includes not having money with me (can't buy lunch if I don't have money!).

Knitting news...well there really isn't any. I was trying to make two baby sweaters...but realized pretty quickly this wasn't going to happen...so I amended my plans to one sweater, two sets of booties, and a hat...babies will be born before this gets done...le sigh. I'm not going to show pictures so that recipients who might read this blog won't get a sneak preview...also because I'm too tired to go dig out my camera and fight with lighting to get good pics.

Alright...it's time for me to read a little bit more about working up chest pain and then head off to bed. After all, my instructions when I was sent home this afternoon were to rest up for my big day tomorrow, my first day as a Sub-I. Happy knitting all...I hope that you're all knitting more than I am.

Update

2009-01-10T20:56:00.003-05:00

Yep...lost about 4 lbs since the New Year...hope I can keep it up!

In knitting news...the hat is finished. I have failed you and have not managed to take a picture of it despite the fact that it's been finished for almost a week now. I have started casting on for the first baby sweater. A BSJ of course. This is for a non-knitting friend so I'm using some non-gender-specific acrylic that will survive a bit better (I hope). I plan to make some booties too.

In med school news...I've started my Medicine rotation in outpatient clinic (think like a run-of-the-mill doctor's office). Lots of colds and coughs with a few physicals on middle-aged and elderly men. The physicals are kind of painful in their own way...if I ever have to do a prostate exam again (which I'm sure I will before my 4 weeks on outpatient is over) it'll be too soon.

My parting gift to you? The fortune I got today when I met a friend for lunch in Chinatown: "In order to discover who you are, first learn who everybody else is. You're what's left." It's just too odd to not share with as many people as I can :P

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2008-12-30T20:37:00.004-05:00

I hope you all had good Christmases (or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate this time of year). Mine was pretty good...it's a bit sad watching my Grandfather decline so quickly, but it was good to be home and spending time with family. I managed to get a pretty good knitting haul. I was actually quite pleasantly surprised that my parents got me some yarn (my mom seemingly abhors the concept of a stash). I also got a fair few books and some needles. As far as the yarn, my parents got me some Risata that I have been pining for as well as some Swish DK. More yarn came my way thanks to the lovely Alicia. She saw these and thought of me...I daresay she was right...it's like a colorway made especially for me...and it's even lot 1, I feel special :P She also got me a super cool needle gauge from 7 Yaks Designs. (Sorry for the blurry pic...it didn't look that bad on the camera I swear.)

In other news: I'm so excited words cannot describe. I feel like I'm a real knitter now! Now I'm trying to decide when I want to wear it...out to dinner and the movies with a couple friends on Thursday...or out with more of them on Friday...silly I know. What am I working on now? Well, I struck a bargain with my aunt; she makes quilts (she made the one on my bed here) and the one I have is about 15 years old and is really beginning to show it. She will make me a new quilt if I make her a hat, flip top mittens, and a scarf. So I poked around on Ravelry for a million years and chose this hat, which I have now cast on for. I plan to knit coordinating mittens based on this pattern. And a scarf/neckwarmer using this pattern. All of this using the same yarn I used to make my sweater (I can hardly believe how much I have of this stuff).

Now...New Years. I made some knitting resolutions last year. Let's see how I did.

Finish my Warm Up America Afghan (including sewing it all together)
Check. Got this one done some time around the end of September. Only took me a little over two years! :P
Knit my Doctor's Bag
Check. Finished up in April I think. I know I've used it a lot already this year...although I do want to reinforce part of it with fabric before I start using it regularly again.
Knit for charity
Not so much. I thought I would knit a lot of things for the Sharewood auction. But the auction came and I had nothing to give them.
Knit primarily from my stash
I look at the things I've knit this year and I've knit more than half of them from stash...but I bought so much yarn this year I accumulated more that I used...so I feel like I didn't really do this.

What are my resolutions for this year? I plan to include some more personal ones as well...accountability and all that :P

Knit from stash as much as possible
Avoid buying more yarn unless absolutely necessary (this yarn diet will also prohibit sock yarn...because I have plenty of that for the time being)
Knit another sweater (I'd like to do NaKniSweMo again...perhaps with Francis Revisited. This will necessitate buying yarn...because I don't have a sweater's worth of anything anymore)
Get in better shape/lose weight (I'd like to look at least halfway decent in pants again. I'm thinking a good goal for the year would be to get back to what I weighed at the end of Freshman year of college [about 40lbs less than what I weigh now] but I've love to make it to what I weighed at the end of high school [closer to 60lbs]. I think my high school weight is too ambitious a goal for me short term given how difficult it is for me to find time to eat well and exercise regularly...but it's definitely the goal long term.
Knit some baby clothes for expecting friends (I've got a couple due around March that I really need to get cracking on)
Be the best medical student I can be, read as much as I can, take a more active role in caring for my patients, do more procedures (when reasonable of course), and generally get as much as I can out of the experiences given to me.

Alright. I'm off to knit a little bit and relax. Happy knitting to all and to all a good night!

Close...

2008-12-04T22:38:00.004-05:00

But not quite...

I'm a little bit farther on the sleeve now...but that's how far I had gotten as of midnight 11-30-08. Good effort I say. Not having the crazy Psych attending who kept me in the hospital until all hours would have been helpful but I learned a lot and that's what really matters.

I also bought yarn...some of it for Christmas presents...but mostly because it was pretty and I needed something to make me feel better after my three weeks from heck on Consult Psych...little did I know that Inpatient was going to be a whole new kind of painful. My attending has a very hands-off approach...which makes me feel totally useless and unwanted. I wander up and down the hallway of the locked ward talking to the 66 year-old guy with the teddy bear and the bajillion suicidal people and then go eat lunch for a couple hours go walk up and down the hallway some more and leave way too early for conference because I just can't stand it anymore. Innywho...here's the yarn: Lots of Happy Feet from Plymouth Yarn Co...courtesy of Webs.

And now a meme:
Things I've Done (In Bold)

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity (This has more to do with the fact that I'm dirt poor than my being particularly generous)
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo (here...I'm the first one)
11. Bungee jumped (NEVER)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (But I slept on the commuter train at least once daily for the last two years!)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (But I have a small mortgage's worth of debt! YAY Med School!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (Give it time folks...I've only been on the wards for 6 months)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

On Sweaters

2008-11-16T21:29:00.002-05:00

Well...it's about half way through the month of November and this is my current progress: I have no idea when it got that long (it's at my waist)...I was just freaking out the other day about how I was barely into the lace. Now, admittedly, I did spend approximately 20 hours in the library this weekend knitting and reading (not necessarily in equal proportions)...but I didn't think it would make that much of a difference. I also bought buttons...aren't they pretty!I love the iridescent quality they have...but then again I tend to like shiny things like that. So, right now I've used up about 2.5 balls of yarn (about 575 yards). I'm thinking that I'm gonna finish up the ball I'm currently using with lace and then decide whether or not I want to knit more lace before the garter stitch on the bottom. At this point I'm figuring that the sleeves are gonna use a lot more yarn that I think...because otherwise I can't quite figure out how I'm supposed to use just over 1000 yards. I'm also leaning toward making long sleeves...not only for yarn usage (I have about 1600 yards of this stuff total), but also because I tend to prefer my sleeves on the long side. Well, that's not entirely true, I seem to prefer either 3/4 length or half-way-down-my-hand length...not anywhere in between. But enough about NaKniSweMo.

Now, I don't know how many of you out there watch Grey's Anatomy. I feel like everyone does...but I'm a medical student and I feel like most of us feel duty-bound to watch it every week. But they are currently playing out a rather horrible version of the boyfriend-sweater curse. I noticed it this past Thursday and and started freaking out about how Izzie was a victim of the curse...and then had to explain to my two non-knitter classmates who were watching it with me what the sweater curse was, I suspect they still think I'm a bit crazy. Although I kinda doubt that the curse is meant to kill the recipient...but you know what I mean.

Speaking of spending 20 hours in the library this weekend...yeah I know that wasn't what I was just talking about but my brain is getting fuzzy...bear with me. One of my fellow classmates, who spends just about as much time in the library as I do, has been giving me a hard time about virtually living in the library. Admittedly, he seems to be of the persuasion that because I am on Psych I don't have to study. This would be true if I hadn't been completely stupid and chosen Consult. Seriously, I am regularly in the hospital until 6:30 or 7:00...Psych is supposed to be a "vacation rotation"!! The attending I'm with is brilliant and I'm learning tons from him, but it's kinda making me hate the rotation. My first day was by far the worst day of medical school so far. I was given two tasks for the day, do a Mini Mental on this patient, and find out more about what's been going on with her and her past psychiatric history. I was in and out of her room all day trying to do the exam, she wouldn't stay awake long enough for me to do it. I spent hours combing the records in the computer and the ones sent from the nursing home to find out who to call for more information and was greeted with dead-ends all over. I expressed my exasperation to the social worker who helped me get the records from one of the hospitals...but they didn't come until after 5PM. I met with the attending at about 4:30 and was basically forced to admit that I had managed to do nothing all day, though not for lack of trying. The records came from that one hospital before he was done with me for the day so it wasn't totally useless...but it was damn close. I actually almost cried...that's how frustrated I was. I will make sure to warn all of my fellow medical student about the horrors of Consult at Baystate. Now...I'll stop being a baby about it and just be grateful that I'm learning so much from this guy...even if he does think that it's perfectly acceptable to keep me in the hospital till 7PM on a Friday for no apparent reason.

Happy knitting everyone!! Good luck to all my fellow NaKniSweMo knitters!!

NaKniSweMo Begins!

2008-11-02T23:32:00.003-05:00

This is was my progress after two days of knitting/studying at the same time...hooray for endless garter stitch. I now understand why people like have a "mindless stockinette" project. This is up to the row before the eyelet increases (essentially the entire yoke), which I have since completed after much math consternation. Seriously...I can do calculus...why was that so hard? Oh wait...that's right...I've never been very good at simple math. If anyone else out there is making the February Lady Sweater in the large and would like my incredibly OCD even and symmetric spacing for the eyelets leave a comment and I can email it to you...I'm good about sharing info like that :D So far I'm really liking the sweater. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised at how high everything is on me right now but I think/hope that it will all work itself out as the sweater gains weight and has something to make it stay under my arms.
In other news, my Halloween costume was a hit! I was even given an unofficial "Best Costume" by a good 5 people at the party (I think there were maybe 20 people there). A good friend of mine who's been having trouble conceiving announced that he and his wife are pregnant which is awesome...looks like I have some baby clothes to make!! Perhaps it's about time I bought the BSJ pattern. Good times were had by all though. And I continue to astonish people with my knitterly behavior...I was in the library knitting/studying today and one of my classmates (who watched me knit the hat and went to the party) was asking me if I was knitting next year's costume...I told him that I was knitting a sweater simply for the purpose of having a sweater. He actually laughed at me! :P

Yesterday was also lots of fun...after a good long morning/afternoon of studying I went out to dinner with several classmates/friends and saw the director for my current rotation at the restaurant celebrating his daughter's birthday. She was adorable and the director was great as always...right down to buying us a bottle of wine...now that was definitely unexpectedly generous. We "countered" with a piece of chocolate torte to his daughter with a candle and singing for her birthday...mostly as a thank you, but we realized much later that we are also the biggest group of suck-ups in the history of man...4 of the 7 of us at dinner are on that rotation right now...AWESOME. All in all a good weekend. Now I need to get ready for bed (when did it get to be so late!!!) so that I can get up and study lots more tomorrow!! Happy knitting to all and to all a good night!

HAT! ...and other ramblings...

2008-10-29T23:22:00.003-04:00

I made a hat! And it fits my head!! I apparently have a very large head...too much stuff in my brain I guess. I'm relatively happy with it as an FO. It is reasonably good looking and it will serve its purpose well. I have to admit I'm not much of a hat person so that is kinda affecting my level of excitement about it...but here it is my Meg Griffin Hat:Looking at this picture I'm just now seeing how lopsided my glasses are...I should probably try to fix that a bit before Friday. Although in all honesty I'm not sure how long these glasses will stay on...see...I'm one of the fortunate few who does not have any significant visual acuity problems, my glasses are for reading purposes only. This means that when I'm wearing them I generally can't see things more than 3 feet from my face with any real clarity...which is bothersome because I actually have pretty good vision.

In other news, I'm enjoying my week in the nursery a lot. The babies are adorable...and they do hilarious things like sneeze so hard they send a jet of poop all over myself and my resident...and then the little guy peed on me too. Some of the moms are a little bit militant/crazy but that's to be expected...I mean they just carried these little guys around for 9 months and who the hell am I to want to look at their precious little bundle of joy? I say that with some degree of irony...I mean I get that mom wants to protect her baby from the medical student, but how does she think the doctor learned how to do this...magic? The doctor wouldn't send me in if she didn't think I was fully competent to do the exam and no harm the kiddo. I'm by no means saying that I'm entitled to learn from/on these babies...I'm just saying there's no need to be nasty about it when I introduce myself. Last night I was on call in the NICU...which was interesting. Premature babies with giant nasal cannula attached to their face are quite possibly the cutest/funniest looking things ever.

What will I be knitting next? I think I'll just bide my time until November 1st to start my February Lady. I have a fair amount of studying I can and should be doing so it's not like I'll be lacking for things to do. Happy knitting all!!

Craziness

2008-10-26T15:18:00.004-04:00

Clearly I am crazy...there's really no other way I can explain this. I mean what medical student in their right minds would make such a commitment?! But I did it...I signed up. What on earth am I talking about? I have selected the famous February Lady Sweater (as discussed in my last post), I have measured myself...rather than just guessing what size I should make, and I have swatched. I got gauge on my Harmony US8s, and I've selected the Large size to accommodate the mammaries and I will now wait rather impatiently for November 1st so that I can cast on.In the meantime I will be busting my ass to finish my Halloween hat...how on earth did it managed to be a measly 5 days from Halloween? Uncalled for I say! Better get to it! Happy knitting everyone!

Thoughts on Practicality

2008-10-24T23:55:00.003-04:00

As we all know, the February Lady Sweater has taken the knitter-verse by storm. Everyone and their grandma is making one (over 2000 projects and in over 6000 queues on Ravlery). I have to admit that I am very eager to make one myself. It's simple and lovely and professional and knitterly all at the same time. I can actually see myself wearing it on a semi-regular basis...although probably not while I'm wearing my white coat but only because that horrible piece of polyester is a marvel of heat conservation. I dream of making this lovely garment! (Actually I have no idea if I dream about it...the last dream I remember having involved a somewhat exciting trauma coming into the ER and my getting to do something other than stand in the corner and get in the way...yet another sign that med school is slowly destroying my brain) The point of all this being that I'm just not all that excited about knitting my Pimlico Shrug. Even the thought of knitting on the giant rectangle that turns into a garment after some clever seaming and endless amounts of ribbing makes me want to find something else to knit. Although when I put it that way is it any wonder I don't want to knit on it? So after a little bit of double checking and some serious consideration I think I'm going to rip my 1.25 repeats of the lace pattern for the Pimlico Shrug and re-assign this yarn to the February Lady Sweater. Because after all...what's the point of knitting something for myself if I a) won't enjoy the process and b) won't get much use out of the end product.

In other news, I am chugging along on my Halloween hat...no pictures because I'm lazy. I'm almost done with the endless stockinette...another inch and a half or so...then the decreases. The second Dorky Sock has been cast on...I think I knit all of 2 rows of the ribbing before I decided to do something more entertaining. My Lacy Scarf is in limbo...I'm also questioning the practicality of this knit...and seriously considering ripping it back as well. Not sure what I would do with the yarn instead...but I think actually knitting a pair of socks from it might not be a bad idea...some relatively simple ones so that I don't need to cart a chart around with me. As you can see...lots of thinking and not a whole lot of knitting. But I have another shelf in 2 weeks...so that's not likely to change all that much in the near future. What are your thoughts? Am I the only one falling out of love with her projects? Happy knitting all!!

Pilgrimage

2008-10-18T17:11:00.003-04:00

I made my pilgrimage to Yarn Mecca...and I returned with 5 delicious balls of this:I am now faced with a bit if a conundrum as to what exactly what I want to do with it. Anyone have any suggestions for approximately 500 yards of DK weight superwash merino? I was hoping for a short-sleeved cardigan or something but I think my bust is not going to let that happen (one of the few times I will lament the reasonably ample assets God gave me). I'm sure I'll figure something out...in the mean time I plenty else to knit...and I can continue to pet it...mmmmm...merino...*drools...not on the yarn of course*

What about my knitting? I've made a fair bit of progress on the hat...a good 5 inches of stockinette so far...another inch and half or so before I start the decreases...this hat may very well be finished by the end of the weekend. No other progress since I NEED to get this hat done where as everything else is a labor of love or one sort or another. Back to the studying...shelf exam in three weeks!! Happy knitting all!!

All Hallow's Eve

2008-10-13T20:39:00.003-04:00

There comes a time in a girl's life when she is invited to a Halloween party. If she is a crafty girl of meager means she will often look to her closet for inspiration...and her local Walmart for yarn to complete the costume.

And so it came about, after being invited to "the biggest med school shit-show ever" by one of my good friends that I was in need to a pink hat. You see...being rather poor I decided to see what I could make into a costume from what was already in my closet. I had jeans, a pink t-shirt, and brown shoes...I decided to go as Meg Griffin from Family Guy. (Shameless hyperlinking included for those who don't know who that is) All I needed was black rimmed glasses and a pink hat. I rummaged around my room a bit and found my own black rimmed glasses, and looked at my stash (via Ravelry...God Bless Jess and Casey) and realized I didn't have anything of a suitable color pink. So off I went to my local Walmart to get the cheapest most obnoxiously pink yarn I could find. After a little bit of trial and error I settled on a pattern and got to work. Right now it looks more like a ruffled triangle...but it's gonna be a hat I promise. Since it's just stockinette for the first 7 inches or so I can knit while I'm reading...which is always a bonus. I *should* be able to complete this by Halloween...barring disaster of course...and after that I will have to find something else to do with all this hot pink sport weight yarn...perhaps some baby hats. Off to continue studying about how to treat the illnesses of the little ones. And remember folks; babies are not just little adults!

Being Productive

2008-10-06T21:46:00.005-04:00

As of right now there are many reasons why I love my Peds rotation...not the least of which being the amount of knitting that I've gotten done in the past week. I finished a sock, made a couple tribbles, and started on my Pimlico shrug. Seriously.

That is the first of my Dorky socks...I love them. As for the shrug...well I opted to go for a different pattern for the body of the shrug...mostly because I found the written pattern to be way too much effort for how simple it looked. So I give you my first repeat on the shrug:
Just a simple Diamond Eyelet pattern from Super Stitches Knitting...but I'm loving it to death so far. I was basically looking for something that was interesting to look at, wouldn't look silly upside-down or on it's side, and wasn't too complicated to knit...So far this meets all those criteria.

Other things that I love about my Peds rotation:

The kids...seriously...I love little kids, and somehow I'm finding the sick kids unbearably cute...although this probably has something to do with the fact that when I'm done I get to give them back to Mom and leave the room
My intern wears a bow-tie...need I say more?
I'm generally kept pretty busy during the day without being overwhelmed (little secret...compared to surgery I feel like I'm not doing anything all day)
Any time I'm asked to look something up I can generally find an answer in under 10 minutes...no more searching for hours for statistics that don't exist on incredibly rare diagnoses!!
I got home at 2PM today...nice change from the 5AM to 7:30PM life I was living before. And it's not like I didn't do anything today. I pre-rounded, went to a conference, did walking rounds with the attending where I presented my two patients, wrote a progress note on one of my patients (we weren't sure he was definitely going home today) and wrote the discharge note on the patient I knew was definitely going home, went to another conference, and then wrote a discharge summary on the other patient in case he did actually go home later today...I like that I can be efficient and get my work done and not have to find something to make me look busy.

Things I don't love so much about Peds:

There is no OR...I miss the OR horribly. At this point I'm thinking Pediatric surgery as a career...hopefully I'm smart enough to get into one of the 30 spots in...6+ years.
I have a lot of weekend call (I was on call all day yesterday and I'll be on call again on Friday).
I got home at 2PM today...there was nothing else for me to do...the gunner in me is distressed by this.

I hope that all of you are enjoying your knitting as much as I am. And for those of you who enjoy the cooler weather I'm happy for you. I'm not so happy that the house I'm living in is currently approx 60F. I just checked the thermostat...I am not lying...that is the current temp INSIDE my house. One of the other girls supposedly asked for the heat to get turned on...but I'm not too optimistic (UPDATE: I have heat!! The only problem is that one of my floormates either doesn't understand ow thermostats work or wants us all to die in a fire...I felt like my room was getting way too hot, when I looked at the thermostat in the signficantly cooler hallway it was set to the max of 90-something and the current temp was 72...I turned it down. I mean...I don't want to die in a fire...I think that's reasonable). Ah well...that's what sweaters and afghans are for...right? Happy knitting everyone!!

PS - I don't want to sound whiny about the temp...I know that there are many people who can't afford to heat their homes and they survive in much lower temperatures throughout the winter. And that doesn't even cover the homeless people throughout the country who sleep outside in the dead of winter. I know that I am relatively privileged...but that doesn't make me any less cold...and I have a mild form of Raynaud's so I don't have a very good tolerance for cold.

PPS - One of my readers mentioned in the comments on my last post that she lived in these houses once and she had a hard time getting the heat turned on when it was below freezing. This is why I am not optimistic about the heat coming on when it's *only* dropping down into the low 40s overnight. However, it is my understanding that living conditions in these houses have improved significantly over the past year...we have internet and stoves now!! We also supposedly have cable for the TV in the living room downstairs...but I haven't watched any TV yet to confirm that for myself.

Changes

2008-09-28T17:50:00.005-04:00

There's been a lot of changes happening around here lately. Not the least of which being that I finished my surgical rotation. I had my oral exam on Thursday which went well I think. I had three relatively simple cases that I knew my way around fairly well. Then on Friday I had my written exam (aka "The Shelf") which was painful but I think I did pretty well. Nothing quite like 100 multiple choice questions to make you feel like you haven't learned anything despite all the studying you've been doing. I spent most of the rest of Friday knitting (OMG!!!), or eating/hanging out with friends I haven't seen in an eternity. Friday was awesome because I knit almost an entire hat (no pictures because I forgot to take them and now the hat and my camera are on opposite sides of the state). Saturday I packed...just about everything I own. Not all my yarn though...much to my mother's chagrin I'm sure. And I finished weaving in all the ends on The Afghan!!! It only took me three months :P And today...I drove across the state and moved in to the awesomeness that is student housing at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Here's a picture of my home-away-from-home for the next three months: As you can see The Afghan is proudly displayed. That little basket between my bed and my nightstand is all the knitting that I've brought with me. I have my current WIPs (Lacy Scarf, Dorky Socks, and Tribbles) as well as yarn for another pair of socks, a Pimlico Shrug and a pair of fingerless mitts. I also have intentions to visit yarn mecca...I even have a gift certificate, but I want to wait a bit until I figure out how much money I'll be spending a week to see how much I can reasonably budget. I should probably do some reading in prep for the wards and such tomorrow. Hope you're all doing well!! Happy knitting!

Random Intermittant Post

2008-09-20T12:21:00.002-04:00

I saw this on I'd Rather Be Knitting and felt compelled it use it as a procrastination tool...

The Big Read is an National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six.)

*Look at the list and bold those we have read.
*Italicize those we intend to read.
*Underline the books we LOVE. (I don't know how to underline...so I am going to color blue the books I love...

Share this list in your blog, too, if you like.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas in French
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery in French
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Ronald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo in French

I've read 41 books...almost all of them in high school in college I'm sure...since it's not like I have time to read anything that isn't a textbook anymore.

When pimping becomes fun...

2008-08-28T20:56:00.002-04:00

So...it's been a while since I've posted. But I have a rather fun story for all of you today. First I'll start with a little bit of medical education so that it all makes a little more sense and seems a whole lot less random.

Sometimes people's arteries dilate and form aneurysms. When the aneurysms get big, they are prone to rupture or clotting. Rupture is bad because you can bleed out pretty quickly, and clotting is bad because part of the clot can break loose and then something farther down the artery loses blood supply. So when aneurysms are found and they get big enough to be concerning, the patient will typically have and operation to repair said aneurysm. There are a few different options for repairing the aneurysm, most of them involve some sort of synthetic artery substitute. One brand of substitute is made of fabric...this is where the pimping became fun :P

Attending: So Moriah, what's the difference between woven fabric and knitted fabric?
Moriah: *looks like Christmas came early* Well, woven fabric involves many separate fibers that are placed around each other such that they form a mesh of sorts. Knitted fabric is a series of inter-locking loops.
Attending: *looks slightly startled by the rapidness of my response* Yes, exactly. Now, how do you think they make these knitted grafts?
Moriah: Hmm...probably some sort of modified sock-knitting machine.
Attending: *looks slightly baffled* Close...technically the machines were originally used to make pantyhose. So, how do you think they add arms to these knitted grafts?
Moriah: I have a pretty good idea about how to do it as far and knitting is concerned, but I'm sure they do it a little bit differently in this case.
Attending: *clearly feels better now that I haven't completely stolen his factoid thunder* They have little old ladies who sew them on! Isn't that amazing?!?!?
Moriah: Yeah, that's pretty cool. *misses having time to knit things...like socks*
*Some time later*
Resident: You seem to know a lot about knitting...
Moriah: Yes, well, it's one of my hobbies. I used to knit all the time...knit all through lecture last year, but I haven't had much time to knit during this rotation.
Resident: Wow...that's pretty cool. Ok, you're gonna sew now. *hands me the loaded needle driver and forceps* Watch me and I'll show you what I want you to do.
Moriah: *does happy dance in her head*

Today? Inherently awesome...almost as awesome as when a different attending let me remove a patient's appendix (have no fear...he was in complete control of the situation the entire time).

I'm loving this rotation for the most part. I have days where nothing is going on and there's nothing for me to do and I kinda want to stab myself in the eye...but most days are lots and lots of fun....hard work, but fun.

Things I Learned on Overnight Call

2008-07-27T13:46:00.003-04:00

My brain starts to turn into mush after about 22 consecutive hours of consciousness.
Stream of consciousness pimping from my resident is an excellent way to keep me one my toes
Nothing helps time fly quite so well as a trauma
If you want a consult to be done quickly...don't ask me to do it
Call beds are surprisingly comfortable, although this may have had more to do with the fact that I had been up for 23.5 hours
I actually know how to manage acute cholecystitis (gallbladder infection)
I can run very well on 2 hours of sleep...until I get a chance to sit down and then I'll probably face plant on the nearest horizontal surface...kinda like I did when I got home at noon and tried to check my email
Pagers completely boggle my sleep-addled brain
I love the patient that is happy to answer all my questions when I come in to write his post-op note at 1AM, and I love the nurse that gives me a hard time about how exhausted I look and then starts laughing with me when I tell him how long I've been up.
Sleep is precious and AMAZING!

The Crocheting Surgeon

2008-07-21T19:25:00.002-04:00

Today I scrubbed in on an incisional hernia repair. The attending placed all the sutures through the fascia (the tough part beneath the muscles for you lay people) and then placed mesh over the hernia. He then set about trying to pull all of these loose threads through the holes in the mesh, he started out with some small pointy clamps but then one of the nurses asked him if he wanted a crochet hook. I'm pretty sure my eyes bulged out of my head. The nurse came back with this crazy crazy small hook and the attending set to work...he kept getting caught on the mesh and I couldn't help snickering to myself. Why, you ask? Because I couldn't help but get the feeling that my fiber arts skillz would have made me much much faster that both the attending and my resident. But I was a good little med student...I did not give them pointers, I did not laugh, I stood there holding my scissors ready and waiting to cut any knots that might need trimming.

The saddest part of this whole story? Aside from petting my Doctor's bag everyday on the shuttle to and from the hospital this is the only remotely fibery thing going on in my life. I have not knit a single stitch since orientation on the 7th. Ah well...better get back to my reading, I have a conference on lung cancer tomorrow and I need to be prepared! Happy knitting everyone!

Happy Birthday, Blog!

2008-07-12T13:45:00.002-04:00

Today is my first blogiversary. I started this blog due to a combination of a desire to talk about my knitting and my extreme boredom at my summer job. Over the past year I've found many other blogs that I read on a regular business and made a few friends. In the future I hope to have the time/money to participate in some swaps and get to know more of my fiber-loving comrades.

I got my Pay It Forward Exchange gift from Alicia! They're beautiful aren't they? There hasn't been too too much going on on the knitting front lately. I spent most of my 5 weeks off reading for pleasure and hanging out with people that I never seem to get a chance to see anymore. But I do have a some progress to show you. First of all, I managed to finished sewing The Afghan together. I still have approximately 1 million ends to weave in. Sadly I don't have any knots to tie so I can't practice my surgeon's knot on it. I've made a fair amount of progress on my Dorky Socks...not that far from finishing it but I don't think there's going to be much knitting time on this rotation. I also plugged ahead a fair amount on the Lacy Scarf. I really like the way that it's coming out...and I love all the compliments I keep getting on it, even from people who don't knit!

I'm sorry to say that the likelihood of my updating frequently looks like it's going to be pretty small for the next few months as I will have very little knitting to show you. There's only so much surgery I can talk about before I might start grossing people out :P

Things that I have learned so far on my Surgical rotation:

The OR is my crack...seriously
ENT is awesome
Head and Neck is even more awesome
Holding retractors can be a lot harder than you might think
My very asthmatic body doesn't like it when I try to sprint up three floors (each story about 15-20 feet) to get a scope and a light source for a STAT page for ENT to the MICU...the best part of that whole situation being that they ended up not needing us.
Surgical rotation is the best diet I could have ever asked for, the combination of never getting to sit for more than 3 seconds and rarely getting to opportunity to eat is doing wonders for my weight.
When they tell you to go home...GO!

Too neat for my own good

2008-06-09T17:22:00.002-04:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Superior

Take the test!

I saw this on Lick My Sticks and Ponyknit and was way to entertained to ignore it. I am apparently way too neat for my own good since that's the only way I figure I got a score that high. They didn't have a box for "is a doctor"...I'm sure that would have been about -100 right there. Almost done knitting The Afghan...pictures coming soon!!

I Survived!

2008-06-02T21:38:00.003-04:00

I did it! I finished the Step 1 and I lived to tell about it! However I haven't knit much of anything in the past month or so...so I have nothing to show you. I'm working on finishing up The Afghan and getting a few small projects done over the next month. I've already managed to finish a book for pleasure-reading...something I haven't done since the last Harry Potter book came out. I do have a couple pictures for you...because I wanted to document some things. First my hand is healed (has been for a while now but I finally bothered to take a picture)!I also went through all my syllabi and put just about all of them into recycling. Here you see in the first stack (on the left) all of the syllabi from first year plus my anatomy coloring book, in the middle all of the syllabi from this year, and on the right the four books I used to study for the boards (these books covered everything in the first two piles)And this is the recycling bin...I think I may have participated in the killing of a small forest as a result of picking up my syllabi...Happy knitting everyone...hopefully I have something to show you soon!!

1/2 M.D.

2008-05-11T18:30:00.003-04:00

I have completed two years of medical school. This of course prompts me to immediately ask where the the last two years of my life have disappeared to. I'm not really feeling anything profound at the moment...this is perhaps because I still spend all day studying for the boards. *sigh* Not much knitting going on at the moment because I can't knit and write/underline/take notes at the same time. A little bit less than three weeks left...then I can knit and get nerdy about surgery to my heart's content. In the meantime, I have my entire first year of medical school to re-learn. Happy knitting!!

Is it May 31st yet?

2008-04-23T20:07:00.002-04:00

I am done...I am so done it's not even funny anymore. I realize that most of you are really excited about the super nice weather that we've been having lately but it has been MURDER on my willingness to study. I'm still managing to get a fair amount done...with much effort. But I really need it to be after boards so that I can stop freaking out about the hellish 8 hour exam that's looming in front of me and start enjoying life again.

Today was my last day of my Physical Diagnosis class. I have mixed feelings about it. I really liked getting together with all of the people at my site every week and I usually enjoyed the various specialties that we saw in the morning; but I'm glad that I won't be losing my entire Wednesday every week anymore. Irony: there's only like two more Wednesdays left in the semester.

Yesterday I got my first lecturer comment on my knitting. I was happily knitting away at a square for the The Afghan when pretty much out of nowhere the lecturer asked me what I was knitting...from clear across the room. She's the course director for Reproductive Pathophysiology and an OB/Gyn. Apparently last year the class made a whole bunch of hats for the babies in the NICU and such. Awesome moment...awkward...but awesome.

I also decided to use a different pattern of my lacy scarf. The Tiger Eyes just weren't doing it for me anymore. So now I'm using the Swirled Scrolls Scarf pattern. I like now it's turning out so far. It's complicated enough that I'm not bored out of my mind but not so complicated that it makes kidneys look like nice easy simple organs (hint: they are so totally not). I think I might be disappearing for a little while. In part because my brain is slowly becoming saturated with all things medical school to the point where I don't even want to listen to myself think...so I will try to spare you...unless something totally awesome happens of course at which point I'll be sure to fill you in. Wish me luck on all the studying that I have to do between now and May 30th! Happy Spring! Happy Knitting!

So much news!!

2008-04-16T20:09:00.004-04:00

First, Alicia tagged me for a little meme that's running around:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Be sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.

My things:
1) I cut my pasta. Whenever I get spaghetti or anything else that is long and floppy I cut my pasta (using a grid pattern because I'm that OCD) so that the pieces are smaller and I don't get sauce all over myself
2) I always carry a tuning fork in my white coat...I'm pretty sure I haven't ever used it on someone who isn't one of my classmates or a standardized patient
3) I have a lot of stuffed animals on my bed. I make my bed every morning and they go back on the bed the SAME WAY every single day...and it's a very symmetrical arrangement too
4) I color code my class notes by learning objective. This is part OCD, part studying tactic, and part three-year-old being easily entertained by my amazing technicolor syllabi
5) I died my hair black once. I thought it was awesome. My mother was horrified at how pale I looked; but this was probably due tot he fact that I was wearing a black shirt at the time and (unknowingly) mono
6) I eat the food on my dinner plate in the inverse order or how much I like it. For example: Broccoli, Mashed potatoes, chicken, stuffing. No matter what else is on the plate...stuffing always goes last.

I tag Dorothy, KnittingNurse, and LadyLungDoc.

Second: I won the lottery!! Sadly not the money kind but I did pretty awesome in the lottery for my third year rotations. I'm off to Lahey Clinic for Surgery and Medicine and Baystate Medical Center for Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and OB/Gyn. I also got the family medicine rotation I was most interested in...but I think I would rather do a Neurology rotation during that time. The only one open right now is Neurosurgery at Baystate...the irony is killing me...but I think my mother might try to kill me if I went to Baystate for that rotation too (Baystate is really nowhere near my house and I'd be living in glorified dorms across the street from the hospital)

Third: Knitting! I promised more pics of the Doctor's Bag...and I'll show you those shortly. But I also have two socks now...I am so proud of them! I started to make a pair of ankle socks with the remaining yarn, but I'm pretty sure I don't have enough to do it on US2s so I need to rip back and try with something a bit bigger...and fewer stitches. I also made a hat. Stephanie's Unoriginal Hat to be exact. The pattern say it's for a women's small head. Now I realize that I used slightly smaller needles because I live in the US and don't have much choice...but I didn't think my head was that big...apparently I was wrong. Now for the Doctor's Bag. Here is it with just about all my stuff in it (I usually keep my purse and a small textbook to study during downtime in there too). Just in case you don't realize how much stuff is in there...here it is all laid out on the coffee table. I also wanted to show you my general over-achiever-ness: the feet that I put on the bottom. I personally think they're pretty awesome and it just goes to show that deep down inside I really am a gunner (sorry for the profane language :P)And, or course, the arty button shot:

What's on the needles now? Well I've decided to make a concerted effort of crank out the squares for the Warm Up America Afghan. They're not exactly the most exciting knitting which means they aren't terribly great at keeping me awake during class but I need to finish that sucker like it's my job. And for a little bit more exciting knitting I've cast on for the Tiger Eyes Lace Scarf. I haven't even managed a full repeat of the lace pattern yet but I'm already loving the way this yarn is working up in the pattern...I can't wait for it to be done so I can wear it all the time for no good reason.

IT IS FINISHED!!!

2008-04-07T22:44:00.002-04:00

More pictures to come...when I find the time to take them...Happy knitting!!!

I has a sock!!

2008-04-03T21:16:00.003-04:00

I finished my first sock...and I'm just about done with the cuff of the second one. I have also suffered my first knitting-related accident. This will perhaps remind me that talking with my hands while holding US2 needles is a bad idea...ow.
But enough of that...On with the sock! Nothing too terribly special, just a simple sock with a flap heel and a poorly grafted toe. But it's my sock...and I am proud.
Also...I saw this add in the paper today and almost died from the cuteness...so I felt compelled to share it with all of you:

Because everyone likes a contest...

2008-03-27T22:10:00.000-04:00

Yet another contest guys...go on and check it out!!

Hello. My name is Moriah...

2008-03-25T21:58:00.002-04:00

...and I am a yarnoholic. Seriously. I went to Windsor Button today with my friend from school because she wants to start knitting socks...and I walked out $41 and change poorer. But it's all pretty!!! And now I can't think of any yarn that I want to buy so hopefully I can be content with working through my stash for...well a couple years until I have an income again. My haul:Some Malabrigo, because it's delicious; some Comfort Sock because it's sooooo soft; some Sockotta because I loved the colors. I almost bought some more Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, but I realized that it was handwash...which is completely impractical for socks (for me anyway)...and at $23 a hank I'd kill my mom if she felted them.

I've been progressing on the embroidering on the Doctor's Bag...and I have some pictures for you. It's by no means finished but I figured I could show you some of what I did. First, I would like to show you my dad's somewhat ancient sewing machine...it's from when he was in the Air Force in the 70s and weighs approximately 4000 tons. I had way too much fun with the sewing machine...quilting may be in my future...but not for a long while. I put a little ring in the corner so that I could attach my keys to something and not lose them. And I sewed some elastic onto one of the short sides to hold my tuning forks and my reflex hammer. Here's a shot from when I finished getting all the pieces seamed at the bottom. And here's a pic of what it looks like right now...not terribly impressive since it's all floppy but I'm happy with it.

I've been working on my sock to...I even have pictures of it!! I'm using Yarn Harlot's generic sock pattern from Knitting Rules. I'm using the Cascade Fixation that I won from Miss Me...I'm loving it! It's very cushy and I think I'm going to love these socks when it comes to my Surgery clerkship and I'm standing all day every day for three months. I just started the heel flap and I'm vastly entertained by the difference it the way my stockinette stitch looks in the round versus flat.
Things are getting very interesting at the moment as far as scheduling for next year is concerned. For those who are lucky enough to not be fully immersed in this: Medical school is four years in the US, two are all classroom all the time like college on crack, and the second two are in the hospitals on what are called "clerkships." I'm just about to finish up my second year, so we're doing all of the scheduling for next year. Tufts does a series of complex lotteries to first determine your schedule order, and then determine your hospitals. We got the results for our order back just before spring break. I'll be doing Surgery (12 weeks), Pediatrics (6 weeks), Psychiatry (6 weeks), Medicine (12 weeks), an Elective (4 weeks w/ 2 weeks off!), and OB/Gyn (6 weeks). My top choice for hospitals as of this moment is Surgery and Medicne at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Pediatrics and Psych at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, and OB/Gyn and MetroWest in Framingham. I haven't decided exactly what I'm doing for elective yet so I don't know where I want to go for that. For those of you who are wondering why I'm not going to more well-known hospitals like Brigham and Mass General; I don't go to Harvard...Harvard has all the famous hospitals...Tufts and BU get to split everything else in the city. I'll keep you all posted as I find out more/want to procrastinate. Happy knitting...and think spring!!

More Contests!

2008-03-23T22:32:00.002-04:00

Anne is having a contest...you should enter.

My Doctor's Bag is coming along slowly. I did not achieve my goal of getting it assembled over break...but it shouldn't take too much longer now. The biggest hurdle is getting to the hardware store to get all of the random notions (plastic for the bottom, little feet so it doesn't get dirty, dowels). I ran out of yarn...like I ended up crocheting the seams (which was actually kinda fun but you didn't hear me say that) with a single strand of yarn (the whole project is double stranded) and have about a yard and a half left over. So...I thought for a bit...and discussed/thought out loud with my dad...and I determined that since my lining was black, and the handles were black, and the button was black, I could use black yarn to attach my handles and make the loop of the button. Upon further thought I realized that I could also use said black yarn to reinforce my seams from the outside with a back stitch (thank you embroidery) and tie it all together a bit more. I'm liking the looks of it so far. Pictures will follow soon once I get off my but and load them onto my computer. Happy knitting!!!

More Contests

2008-03-21T12:38:00.002-04:00

There's another Malabrigo contest over at Happy Handwork. Don't forget to tell her I sent you!

And just for fun...and also because I like to have more than two sentences in a post...I give you my favorite flower: the iris.I love the bluey-purple with the bright yellow peeking through. My sense of smell isn't too good since my allergies at ALWAYS acting up, but they don't bother my nose at all which makes them even more awesome. What are your favorite flowers?

Spring Break!

2008-03-19T20:53:00.002-04:00

Time to take a break from studying for class and...study for the boards. Med school is kinda awesome like that. But I am having some fun this break though, I promise. Friday I traveled to Porter Square and visited Mind's Eye Yarns and picked up some Kureyon and some Amity. Logic here: I got my tax returns back and therefore have some money (for now), I had two GI finals that morning, and well...because Noro is pretty and I didn't own any black yarn (those of you who actually know me will understand how fundamentally wrong that is).

I also finished up my Cashmere Charlie Mitts and Tudora. I really love the buttons I found.I picked up some other buttons that I thought I would use for my Doctor's Bag...until I realized that the straps have some gold-tone metal on them and I'm way to OCD to put pewter buttons anywhere near that. Speaking of my Doctor's Bag, I finished knitting it (again). I had a little problem where the long sides were a good 3 inches longer than the bottom of the bag. So I ripped and re-knitted and ripped and re-knitted some more and now it's all done...DONE!!! Now I just have to go buy some black canvas and a button...and some dowels, a little bit of Plexiglas, some feet (like on the bottom on a suitcase), some cap-nuts...I think I'm gonna take my dad with me to the hardware store. I also need to convince my dad to show me how to use his sewing machine again...or at least get the bobbin threaded since I'll be all set once that's done. As much as the final assembly seems like it's going to be more work than knitting the bag (a couple times :P) I'm really looking forward to the finished product. Now I just need to figure out how to crochet all the pieces together since that much three-needle bind-off seems like it will make me homicidal.

In other news, my buddy Dennis (we go way back...like elementary school way back) is trying to raise some money for the Bike and Build project that he's doing this summer. So if you have a few bucks lying around, click on over to his blog and find out how to donate.

And contests...what would life be without contests. Alicia's having one...you should go enter...don't forget to say I sent you!!

Lecture time...

2008-03-03T21:03:00.002-05:00

Today was a long day class-wise. I had lecture starting at 8AM and classes of various sorts running until 4PM with a 45 minute lunch break. I was very productive today seeing as this is what I accomplished in the 5 hours of lecture I had today:
It's another pair of Subway Mittens (Ravelry link) using the Cashmere blend that Alicia gave me for Christmas. Thus far they seem as though they will be an impenetrable shield of cashmere and acrylic against the Boston wind...I'm very pleased. I plan on making some kind of neck warmer to match...perhaps Tudora.

As promised I give you the people that make my day...in no particular order
Alicia
Dorothy
Yarn Harlot
Wendy
Soule Mama
David

I won't be holding anyone accountable for passing it on since I took well over a month to get around to it. Med school is eating my life. Which reminds me...I have some studying to get back to...happy knitting!

Photo Blogging...

2008-02-20T20:02:00.004-05:00

...because it's just been that long.

I won Miss Me's contest. She is awesome. Smarties are almost as awesome as Miss Me.
I finished the first panel of my Doctor's Bag (Knit 2 Together). I'm a decent way into the second panel. I feel like I'm gonna run out of yarn...but I'll deal with that when/if it happens.
I finished the Alpaca Handwarmers (Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last Minute Gifts). They're purty.
I got a Christmas present from Enid and Adam. She addressed it to Dr. Moriah Wright...this was quite possibly the most awesome part of the present simply because I laughed REALLY hard.
Column of Leaves in finally done...all of it. It has been blocked...and worn a fair amount. And I finally got a color accurate picture...shocking!
I succumbed to the lure of a yarn sale...and escaped for less than $10...I was proud of my self-control.
Dorothy told me that I make her day. I will tell you who makes my day when I have more of my wits about me. Happy knitting!

I've been tagged!

2008-01-25T19:16:00.000-05:00

Dorothy was kind enough to tag me in her 7 Random Things Meme. First time I've been been tagged for anything so I'm stoked. Alright...here goes!

Here are the rules, and they must be posted to your blog.
Link to the person’s blog who tagged you (see above).
List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.
Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog and also so they can look at your blog and not tag the same people all over again!

My 7 Random Things:

1) I have a single fake tooth

2) I was born over a month early

3) I was 8.5 lbs and over 2 feet long at birth...I think I came early for a reason.

4) I am the youngest person in my medical school class

5) There is only one person younger than me in the class behind me

6) I have an uncanny ability to remember things that I don't even realize I know. This is coming in handy as I spend more time in hospitals and am getting "pimped" by physicians. On another note I will never quite understand why getting asked random questions on the spur of the moment is called getting "pimped."

7) I have a massive thing for Eeyore. There are 12 different Eeyores within sight of my computer...I don't want to think of how many stuffed animals I have in my bedroom upstairs.

I tag:

1) Alicia

2) Ann

3) Kniterella

4) Fiberjewel

5) KnittingNurse

6) LadyLungDoc

7) The Knitting Doctor

ETA: Go enter Miss Me's Blogoversary contest...and don't forget to say I sent you!

Snow Day!!!

2008-01-14T20:20:00.001-05:00

I was very surprised to find that I did not have school today. Not that long ago it had been mentioned by one of the deans that they haven't canceled school in years. Thankfully my Mom thought to check if school was even open because otherwise I would have been in Chinatown with no where to go.

This weekend was very productive, I got all caught up on my schoolwork (which almost never happens...especially with 7 hours of lecture to take notes on almost everyday), and bought Super Stitches Knittin g with a 25% off coupon. I love Barnes and Noble for giving me coupons all the time. Not too much has occurred on the knitting front this past weekend, but I do have some stuff to show you from last week. First, I finally finished the Column of Leaves Mittens. I can remember exactly when I finished them but I finished weaving in the ends on the train home one night as I remember. Next up was a Column of Leaves Calorimetry...because I have a lot of yarn and I liked the idea of being all matchy-matchy. I finished this in one day, cast on on my way in on the train in the working and wove in the ends just before the train pulled into the station on the way home. It was kinda impressive. I also tried to start some fingerless mitts of one sort or another with the Inca Alpaca that I got for Christmas, but nothing really seems to be working out for me at the moment. I think I'll keep going a little bit farther on what I'm doing right now (Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts) and see if it will work out but I'm not all that optimistic.
And because I have have severe knitting ADD at the moment, (I think because I'm a bit sick of the Column of Leaves pattern and as much as I want to make the scarf longer with the remaining yarn I'm sick of knitting the same 8 rows over and over and over again) I cast on for a test swatch for my Doctor's Bag!!!! (Pattern is Doctor's Bag from Knit 2 Together). I'm trying to figure out what size needles I want to use. The pattern is written for US11 and I like the fabric well enough (the whole inch of it :P) but I only have 14" straights in US11 and would not be able to take it around with me. I have some US10.5 circulars but I really want to stay as close to gage as possible...but I'm nervous about running out of yarn (even though I bought more than the pattern says I need)...and I'm generally being wishy-washy about it. My thought is that I will knit a swatch on US11s and another one of the US10.5s and use the fabric I like the best...and if I have to go out and buy some US11 circulrs so that I am not limited to home knitting time to make this bag...because at my current rate it might not be done before I graduate.
Ah well, back to work! Have to work ahead so that I don't want to kill myself when I find out how they rescheduled the classes that we missed today. Happy knitting!!!

Last Day of Freedom

2008-01-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

First: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope you all had a good time ringing in the New Year. I went to a friends house for a little party and had a lot of fun. I don't really make New Year's Resolutions because I know I'll break them within a week and here's a few knitting ones for you:

Finish my Warm Up America Afghan (including sewing it all together)
Knit my Doctor's Bag
Knit for charity
Knit primarily from my stash

Second: A contest. Head on over here for a blogiversary contest for yarn or fiber...and don't forget to tell them I sent you!!

Third: Christmas! I've gotten a fair amount of knitting related items for Christmas...mostly yarn so I can't really complain to much about that! Here is a little collage for you so that I don't completely drown you in pictures :P Now admittedly the one in the top left corner isn't knitting related but it's from Alicia so I wanted to put in in there anyway...by the way Alicia, have I mentioned lately how much I love you?

Fourth: Knitting!! I know...it took me long enough. There hasn't been as much knitting as I would like this break but I did manage to turn one long-standing WIP into an FO. The Champagne by Night Afghan!! I started this shortly before I started medical school but since it ws on US50 needles it was anything but portable and difficult to stay focused on. But after a long day of knitting yesterday, with the help of LibriVox, I finally managed to get it done. I used Jiffy in Camel, Color Waves in Pebble Beach and Trellis in Champagne.

I've also gotten a teensy bit of work done on my Column of Leaves Mittens. I've been running around too much trying to see everyone to get much done but I will show you my meager progress: I'm sure with the 14 hours of class that I have between now and this weekend that I will get a fair amount done...if I can just manage to stay awake! I doubt you'll be hearing much from me this semester since it seems to be a bit of a marathon but happy knitting! And remember, knit fearlessly!

I DID IT!!!

2007-12-23T15:42:00.000-05:00

I finished the semester and my Christmas knitting and I'm still in one piece!! I also abandoned my blog for about a month but I was doing a lot of knitting during that time I promise. I'll even show you most of it! I spent most of the last month studying my buns off for the three finals that I had this past Wednesday. I'm sure I passed all my tests but I won't know how well until probably a few weeks into next semester. Speaking of school, my class does a Secret Santa-esque gift exchange that we call Holiday Ho (not sure why but we do) and this year I opted my make my Ho the Subway Mittens from IK Winter 2007. I know that she rides the T everyday and that she's always cold so I figured I couldn't really go wrong. I missed her face when she opened them...but I found out from one of our mutual friends that she not only loves them and wears them everyday...but she thought that I bought them at a store!!! I love that. I already felt super smart when I was closing up the holes at the tops of the mitts and the thumbs...but to find out that it didn't even occur to her that they were hand-made just makes my month. My Holiday Ho gave me a Dunkin Donuts gift card which is always loved and appreciated and the book Knitting for Peace. I read the book pretty much in one sitting and I want to do all of the projects now. One of my other in class knitting projects over the past few weeks was a pair of Irish Hiking Fingerless Mitts for my Mom's friend. She works at BJ's and sometimes ends up working the registers and the cold from outside was really bothering her carpal tunnel so my Mom asked me to make a pair for her for Christmas...so I did. I like the way that they came out...but if I ever have to work with whatever yarn that is again it will be too soon. It's a very thick acrylic that just made my hands ache.I also finished up the Column of Leaves Scarf! I haven't blocked it or woven in the ends yet but I also want to make mittens and a Calorimetry to match so I'm gonna wait until they're all done so that I can wash them all together. I started out just planning to modify the fingerless mitt pattern to make them mittens, but I decided that I didn't really like the way that they were coming out so I'm improvising something on my own. I'll post details when I'm finished. Yesterday I exchanged Christmas presents with my friend Sarah from home. I gave her the Gusseted Dashing and she took me to Graceful Stitches in Medfield. She bought me three beautiful hanks of yarn and I love her for it.

Cascade 220 The Heathers in 9491Classic Elite Inca Alpaca in 1107 Camacho Periwinkle

Hopefully I'll be writing again soon. Most likely after Christmas. Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy Solstice or whatever you celebrate at this time of year but most importantly Happy Knitting!!

Let Them Have Cake!

2007-11-24T19:41:00.000-05:00

Yarn cake that is!! It's been a hectic couple of weeks over here in med student land. I had three finals right before Thanksgiving, then a big family Thanksgiving dinner at my house, and finally a little bit of relaxation before I get to hunker down for this next block of classes. Yesterday I went with Alicia to (blog-free) Enid's for a little surrogate-family time. Earlier in the day I was on a mission to purchase a ball-winder...a mission that failed horribly I might add since apparently neither the Michaels nor the A.C. Moore in Natick/Framingham had ball-winders...heck the Michaels didn't even have DPNs! At least I managed to find the DPNs I wanted and some very pretty yarn to make myself feel a bit better after all of the traffic and frustration I dealt with trying to get around the Natick Mall area on Black Friday.

Caron Simply Soft in Deep Plum Heather

So I was resigning myself to learning all about winding on a Nostepinde using lace weight when Enid busted out her ball-winder. Then the hilarity ensued. Alicia and I had far too much fun winding my hanks into yarn cake...apparently I had quite the entertaining panic face anytime the yarn got semi-tangled as it was coming out of the hank. Our first labor of love was the Gossamer that I purchased a while ago.

Knit Picks Gossamer in Sunrise

Then came the purchase that I made on Wednesday after my combined Microbiology/Infectious Diseases finals. After a quick stop by the local dive bar for some liquid relaxation, Sarah (also blog-free) and I wandered over to Windsor Button to pet some yarn and look and books and things. I found some yarn that was just too beautiful to leave behind...even if it was more expensive than I should really afford.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Jewel Potluck

Now it is also a beautiful yarn cake.I've also managed to get some work done on my Column of Leaves Scarf. I'm on to the second ball now...I think I'll be done after three.

Column of Leaves Scarf in Tahki Chelsea Silk

I have one more day of freedom before it's back to the awesome-ness that is 4 lectures everyday starting at 8AM. Hopefully I'll be doing more knitting than sleeping and I'll finish this scarf before winter break! Happy knitting all! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Charging Forward

2007-11-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

First...I got my Microbio exam back this afternoon...I did pretty well on it...but it's hard to tell how I actually did since they dropped 7 questions and took 2 answers for another 2. Knitting has been progressing quite nicely. I finished my second Calorimetry, my last Christmas present, and I've actually made some headway on my Column of Leaves scarf.

Second Calorimetry: Cast on 100 stitches and 12 repeats of row 5. It's a little bit smaller than I would have liked so I think it'll be 112 stitches for the next one (yes I am already planning to make another one).

Christmas present is top secret so no pictures for you!

Column of Leaves Scarf: Started using the charts on the pattern website...much easier to read than the written out instructions. When I first looked at it I wanted to run and hide but it's a lot easier than I thought it would be...and I get to frighten/disturb my classmates by having it out next to my notes while I knit during class :P I frogged what I had before(a little more than one repeat) and started fresh on US8 needles. As of right now I have about 8.5 repeats completed!!!

I have been all kinds of exhausted lately. I mean I'm used to being able to fall asleep sitting upright without much difficulty...I'm sure this will come in handy during internship. But it's not that often that I manage to sleep a full 40 minutes past my alarm...and even then I only wok up because my Dad came in to see why I wasn't moving around. This weekend doesn't look too promising on the sleep front either. My plans for the long weekend? Saturday: Study in the local public library Sunday: Church, drive to school and study in the library Monday: Drive to school and study in the library...I am so not prepared for the finals that are coming up right before Thanksgiving. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend...and I want stories so that I can live vicariously through all of you :P Happy knitting!!!

Accomplishments

2007-11-05T10:28:00.000-05:00

I have managed several accomplishments in the past week: I went to Windsor Button...and I survived only $15 poorer. I finished a Calorimetry in a single day of class (4 lectures and 2 train rides). I actually went out to a med school party. And this morning I took my Microbiology midterm.

Windsor Button was amazing in sooo many ways. So much yarn to pet...it was all so yummy!! I brought one of my friends from school who is a recent convert to knitting. I helped her find some new yarn for washcloths and needles to make them with. I escaped with a single skein of Trekking XXL in the 147 colorway. That same day my order from the Knit Picks Clearance came in. Two beautiful hanks of Gossamer in the Sunrise colorway.
My Calorimetry (the first of many seeing as I've already cast on for a second one :P) was from the sparkly White Multi Wool-Ease I bought a while ago. I followed the pattern as it was written...but I'm definitely downsizing for the next one since this one just kinda sits on my head. I love the buttons I got...they work so perfectly!! My second one is a smaller version of this one casting on 100 and working 12 repeats of row 5...but I'm using the same yarn and buttons because I love them so much...and the first one is a present for a friend.
Actually getting out to a party with my friends from med school is always an achievement on my part. They always start so late and it's such a pain for me to get in and out of town at night that I don't do it that often. But this past Friday was the second annual Stache Bash, a fundraiser for the Niramaya Foundation (which I think may have been founded by one of my classmates) involving a moustache competition. This of course results in a lot of nerdy fun...and the money raised provides micronutrients for children and their mothers in India. It was tons of fun...right down to a group of my classmates performing Stroke Heroes Act Fast.

As for the Microbiology midterm...it's over...which means that it's time for me to start getting caught up on Oncology and Infectious Diseases. Happy knitting!!!

The Confessional

2007-10-28T20:03:00.000-04:00

So...I have a few confessions to make. First of all...I am an ignorant knitter. Why do you ask? Because I came to the realization that for the past year I have been going to school just over 2,500 feet from Windsor Button. This is sad given the number of times I've gone shopping in Downtown Crossing...and the fact that I take the train from Boylston out to my lab twice a week. Care to see how pathetic this is? In the picture below you will see the approximate walking path starting at the bottom and going toward the top...this will take less than 10 minutes. I virtually live less than half a mile from WINDSOR BUTTON...I have failed as a knitter.
Second confession: I found the knitting section of my public library while I was there this past weekend. I took out three books...I have already photocopied several patterns and have been neglecting my school work in favor of reading Knitting Rules. Part of this confession is my contemplation of using the Interlibrary Loan System to get copies of certain IK patterns...especially since the Fall 2007 issue is sold out. Not so bad as confessions so...all things considered.

Third confession: There is a significant part of my stash that I have not been owning up to. This wasn't on purpose. It wasn't in with the rest of my stash in the big Rubbermaid bin...and it's all jumbled together in a bag such that it's a bit difficult to figure out what's what...and I'm clearly making excuses for myself. So here it is:What I'm assuming to be about 6 hanks of Cascade 220I can't believe I forgot about it since I was thinking about making a striped tube scarf with it...Not sure when I'm going to do that...but I'll post the pattern when I do. I hope you don't think poorly of me for keeping these things from you :P Happy knitting everyone...I need to go learn about fastidious bacteria...

Ultimate Me-Time

2007-10-19T19:43:00.000-04:00

As some or all of you may know. I take the commuter rail into Boston everyday. Depending on my level of exhaustion and the amount of room I have I usually knit on the train (there is another knitter on the train that I usually take home that seems to be making a sweater in a very pretty orange). This past weekend I saw on SouleMama's blog mention on Librivox, an awesome website that offers free audio recordings of books in the public domain. Well after my recent run-in with Jane Austen I felt compelled to listen to all of her novels. So now I have turned the train into the ultimate me-time: knitting and Jane Austen. My mood has improved remarkably...despite having class at 8AM all week. I can't show you much for knitting since I am working on Christmas presents and I do not want the recipients to see the finished product ahead of time. But I do have one thing I want to show you:
Not only am I knitting something that isn't gray...but I'm using the beautiful stitch markers that Alicia made for me.

I got all of my finals back today...I passed everything...no honors again *le sigh* (Medical school is honors/pass/fail) hopefully someday soon I will stop missing honors my mere fractions of points. Back to work! In the hope of maybe getting honors in something this block.

Now With More Knitting Content!!

2007-10-08T15:05:00.001-04:00

It's been a helluva week over here in med student land. Way too much studying than is good for anyone's mental health and three finals. Have no fear though...I start three new classes next week...and this is supposed to be a much more difficult set of classes. The things I have to look forward to hunh?

So much knitterly stuff has happened since the last time I gave you anything! I finished the Gray Dashing that I had been working on...after running out of yarn and having to buy more. I bought some really pretty yarn while I was at JoAnn's getting the yarn I needed for my Gray Dashing...because I am dangerous when in the presence of yarn. I started a new set of Dashing...now with gussets! And I have a couple funny stories for you. So let's start with some pictures...

These are the Dashing that ran out of yarn. In a desperate attempt to not run out of yarn I shortened most of the hand portion of the gloves. I did 20 of the 24 suggested rows between the last cable and the opening for the thumb; and 10 of the 18 rows between the thumb and the top of the glove. I still ran out of yarn...so off I went to JoAnn's where I purchased: I got some acrylic fingering weight yarn in a pretty lavender to try my hand at socks...I also picked up some US1 DPNs for the same purpose. I was also unable to resist the shiny white Wool-Ease or the pretty pretty colors of the Decor. I have no concrete projects for either of these but I'm thinking a simple scarf for the Decor to show off the colorway. Here's the first funny story: As I was going through the check-out at JoAnn's the cashier said "Wow, you're one of those really talented knitters!" I have no idea what she's talking about since I do not think of myself as all that talented...I mean c'mon I haven't even made a sweater! She indicates that I must be talented if I can use all of those needles...I tell her that I plan to teach myself to make socks. I think I may have become some sort of idol for her in that moment...it was more than slightly unnerving. As I was leaving I found myself thinking...I know they're supposed to be friendly...but that was just odd.

After my exams were all done I started in on my next pair of fingerless mittens. My friend Sarah had expressed interest in my first pair of Dashing so I decided that I would make a pair for her for Christmas. She also expressed her dislike for the gap-y thumb that is built into the pattern. So I've opted to use a gusset thumb. I'll give more details when I've finished the pair. But here you can see the first one finished: I suppose I do have some level of talent hunh?

Since this was the long weekend and my break from studying I spent a fair amount of time out and about with friends this weekend. Friday involved a little bit of morning drinking celebrating the end of hell week...followed by a very yummy and very cheap lunch in Chinatown. It was on the way home from the train station that my second funny story happened. Let me start by saying that my dad drops me off and picks me up at the train most days to save money on parking ($10/week adds up!). But because I was coming home early on Friday and my Dad had taken some of his use-it-or-lose-it vacation I got to take the car. On the way home from the train I drove home the same was as always and I looked at one of the stores across the street from me. "Fancy Purls"...I thought "Hey, that's spelled like a knitting purl!" I continued down the street trying to look in the window to see what's inside while not getting myself killed...and I see shelves full of yarn and I scream "Ohmigod YARN!!!!!" At this point I had to remind myself that I was driving and that I should pay attention to the road...but YARN!!! Later that night Aaron took me out to dinner for my birthday to Aculpoco's. It was good to catch up and see him again. Saturday I went to the Cranberry Harvest Festival in Wareham with Enid and her adorable son Adam. It was so pretty! We went to dinner and did a little shopping at the Wrentham outlets. It was fun and I was definitely glad to see them again. Then last night I want to see The Jane Austen Book Club with Alicia. It was cute...decent movie but I wouldn't go see it in the theaters again. We then went to dinner and talked and went back to her place and knit and talked. I love her so much! She gave me shiny pretty stitch markers too!!!
*sigh* Now I have to get back to med school...since I should really read ahead for tomorrow. Happy knitting!!!

Nope...not dead yet

2007-09-30T13:21:00.000-04:00

It's been a while hunh? Not much to show in the realm of knitting since I ran out of yarn to finish the mitts I was working on so I cranked out a few squares for my afghan. School is keeping me very busy right now. I have three finals this coming week and none of them are going to be fun (as if a final could ever be fun...but that's beside the point). But next weekend is the long weekend and I'll get to see a whole bunch of people I haven't gotten to see in a while. In lieu of something actually worth reading I give you my results for a quiz I found on Dorothy's blog a little while ago.

You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of silliness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed.

Take the Quiz here!

I must say I'm not all that surprised...although I'm definitely happy since that is one of my favorite books of all time. Someday when I have money I'll have to buy the A&E miniseries...because Colin Firth is love. Ah well, back to studying!

Thomasina

2007-09-20T22:58:00.000-04:00

That's what we call the turkey that lives in my backyard. Why Thomasina? Because she's a mom...earlier this summer she had two turkey chicks but lately we've only been able to find her with one (sad panda :'( )...that is when we've been able to find her. She doesn't trust us even when we're in the house...to many sudden movements (such as running to go grab a camera to take her picture) and she runs away/flies into the trees. But one morning not that long ago I was awoken by my Dad with a "Where's your camera?!?" It took me a minute to figure out what was going on...since it was about 6AM and I am chronically sleep deprived/a med student...but I managed to get downstairs (without hurting myself!), grab my camera, and take the following picture of Thomasina in my backyard (She's that weird looking thing between the two trees...I promise)
In other, more knitterly news, I have completed my Gray Fetching and moved on to a pair of Dashing. Both are of Wool-Ease in Oxford Gray on size 7s. The Fetching took me about 8-10 hours I think. I'm quite a bit farther along on the Dashing since I took that pic, but there's still a ways to go. I think I'll knit for a bit tonight before I finally go to sleep...maybe I'll make it to the thumb.
Now, I love my DPNs...and I love fingerless gloves, but I need some more interesting patterns. I've been looking all over Ravelry...but I can't seem to find anything that I really like. I'm thinking about trying to make something up on my own since I've made a few pairs now and I have a pretty good idea of what I like and what I don't like...but it's a bit intimidating. So, I have a question for all of you: What is your favorite stitch pattern (links with pictures/instructions appreciated and welcomed) and why? Also, if you can think of any particularly awesome free fingerless glove patterns that would be good too...because I know that Ravelry doesn't have everything just yet.

Nate

2007-09-13T22:52:00.000-04:00

Success! I have completed yet another pair of fingerless gloves! I have also learned that I *hate* making fingers. These are a birthday/Christmas gift to a friend of mine who saw pictures of my DK Dashing and decided that he *had* to have a pair for himself...I showed him a few patterns for him to choose from and he picked Natalya...but insisted I call it something more masculine. So here's Nate:
Nate is *just* over one skein on Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Oxford Gray on US8 DPNs (only the thumb and pinkie on the second glove are from the second skein...so close!). I made the arm portions a good 3 inches longer than the pattern suggested per the recipient's request. Now all they need is a wash to get all of the nasty train and lecture off of them and they are good to go!

Of course I have already started another project...because I would go crazy if I didn't have something to knit in class...so I show you my meager process on my first pair of Fetching. I say first because I intend to make a few pairs as gifts. I don't know if you have all seen the new Knitty, but there are two things that I want to make so bad it hurts. Obviously they've been added to the Ravelry Queue...to be added to the queue here when I have the time and presence of mind to edit that code.

Classes are progressing. They've decided to give us the questions we missed on our last exam as a separate "mini-exam" on Tuesday...which means that I do not get this weekend off from hardcore studying...and that makes me a little bit sad. But at least I only have to study the Psychopharmacology this time. I'm loving Neuroscience in the kind of dork-tastic way that only I can manage. You would not believe how totally enthralled I was by the lecture on the Thalamus that we had the other day...I actually stopped knitting *gasp*! Tomorrow night I'm headed to see Wicked as my birthday present from my friend Sarah.
I'm so excited! I'm meeting her and her mom for dinner and then it's off to the show! I have been listening to this soundtrack all summer and I can hardly wait to see it live! Someday when I have time (hahaha...hilarious I know) I'll read the book that it's based on...but that day will not be here anytime soon. Have a good weekend everyone!! Happy knitting!

Ok, ok, ok!

2007-09-10T10:34:00.000-04:00

Alright...you've convinced me...I'll but new yarn! I'm gonna wait until I get closer to actually knitting it to buy the yarn...but I'm going back and forth between the Claret Heather and the Onyx Heather. I know I want dark and something that looks good with black since I have the black handles already.

Had my Psychopathology midterm this morning...it would appear that they left off a whole section of questions since there was no pharmacology on there whatsoever. Now I just have some time to kill until my next class. Someday they will not inadvertenly schedule like an hour and a half for most of us to be free between the exam and class. Ah well...time to get back to studying for that online quiz that's due tomorrow night.

Dilemma:

2007-09-08T14:11:00.000-04:00

I now take this quick study break to present you, my fellow knitters, with the following dilemma:

Thinking about what I want to use to make my Doctor's Bag, I came to the realization that I have more than enough of this old acrylic in my stash. But I could also buy new yarn (KnitPick's Wool of the Andes) for about $20 (including shipping).

My reasoning thus far:

I should buy nice new yarn because I want this bag to last for a while since I will most likely be using it all the time.
I should use stash yarn because I am a poor med student and $20 buys a lot of coffee
I should buy nice new yarn because the pale gray isn't a great color for something I'm going to be using all the time and getting really dirty
I should use stash yarn because it's acrylic and therefore washable...if it gets dirty wash it!!
I should buy nice new yarn because this is a gift to myself...and I deserve better than old acrylic (or some other such entitlement-type logic)
I should use stash yarn because there's nothing inherently wrong with it
I should buy nice new yarn because then I will have the stash yarn left over to make other things with...like present for people...which will probably cost more than the $20 I would probably be spending on new yarn

So tell me what you think...because my mind is far from made up...

Weeee Birthday!!

2007-09-05T19:52:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all of those who have given me birthday wishes. It's been a great day. I'm here to show you all of the amazing things that my awesome friends (and parents) have given me. Let's start with cards:

Two of these cards were especially awesome. The one on the bottom left with the girl and the donkey on the front had this on the inside (This is why I love Julie)

But the card that made me laugh so hard I almost cried was from Laura...she made the card work for her:
That's right...I got a card for a 2nd birthday with extra 2's and twenties written in as necessary. My friends rock!! Laura also got me a book of crossword puzzles to honor our times in the library doing crossword puzzles instead of last-minute studying for our Anatomy exams *sigh* Ah, memories!
Susana got me a gift certificate to Au Bon Pain...and therefore has my love forever. Elinor made me brownies and gave me an adorable card. I of course gave most of the brownies away to my fellow classmates since there was no way I could eat a whole pan by myself. Alicia and Enid got me a bouquet, Michael's gift certificate, balloons, and a little hand-crank music box that plays Happy Birthday. I cannot begin to explain to you the amount of entertainment I get from this music box...something about it just makes me want to giggle uncontrollably.
My parents got me Knit 2 Together (which I have wanted forever because of the Doctor's Bag pattern), purse handles for when I make said bag, and a gorgeous aquamarine necklace.
Yes...I am that freakishly pale. I've also been knitting Natalya...what you see below is the product of 6 hours of lectures and 4 train rides:
Time to get back to studying!!

Speed Blogging!!

2007-09-03T22:56:00.000-04:00

Alright...it's been a while since I've given you much of anything to look at...which means that I have a ton of pictures for you. But since I am fast approaching bed-time I will try to be as fast a possible.

So, during my first week of class I pushed to get all of my PIF Exchange done before I became so bogged down that I forgot to sleep. That resulted in 4 washcloths due to a relative lack of creativity on my part. My thinking was that everyone likes nice soap...and one can never have too many washcloths...so it was basically a win-win. These were the end result:
They were all done in Sugar 'n' Cream in either the Jewel or Patio Pinks colorways. The lacy-cabley one is the Lacy Mock Cable Cloth and the other is just the simple bias-knit washcloth pattern which I didn't actually look up a pattern for. Now...I would like to remind you that I bought the yarn for these before classes started...and that I did not know what colors my syllabi were going to be for my first set of classes...but somehow I managed to do this:
I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit scared.

Then last week I started working on some fingerless mittens for my Mom to go with the Reversible Cable Scarf that I made her. I used Carissa Knit's Cabled Fingerless Mitts pattern as a starting point. I added some seed stitch on either side of the cable to match the scarf and changed the ribbing a little bit around the fingers (my Mom and I have kinda short palms and I didn't want these to get too long). So after a week of knitting through class to stay awake I present another FO.

Classes have been going well. I had my first test last Friday in Pharmacology. I wasn't very pleased with the class because it was structured horribly...but I'm pretty sure I passed the test and that's all that really matters. Had an awesome time this weekend in Amherst with Alicia and our amazing blog-free friend Enid. They threw me a little bit of a surprise birthday party...and locked me out of the apartment to do it *glares* I love those two so much!! No tests this week...but I have my Psychopathology Midterm coming up on the 10th. I know you all want to be me right now :P Hopefully I'll be back with more knitting soon...at the very least I'll be by later this week to show you my birthday haul. Happy knitting everyone!!!

Pay It Forward

2007-08-26T12:56:00.001-04:00

The projects are done and packed, the packages are sealed...all that's left for me to do is go to the post office tomorrow and send them on their happy way! There are so many things I want to say about the projects but I'll wait until the recipients (Mommy+Knitter and KnittingNurse) get them so as not to ruin the surprise.
Now its time to go back to making fingerless gloves...because it seems like everyone wants a pair. But hey...it gives me a reason to continue my Japanese Death Star knitting...I mean using DPNs :P

Classes are going well so far...I've been getting lots of knitting done in Pharmacology since it's about the only way I can stay awake, but Neuroscience and Psychopathology are incredible and interesting and generally awesome. Almost as awesome as my med school friends who took me shopping with them at Downtown Crossing on Friday. I forgot how much I miss these people. *sigh* Time to go back to studying though...I have a test in Pharmacology on Friday...eek!!!!

First Day of School

2007-08-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Today was my first day back at school!! It was great to see everyone again...although a little weird to keep hearing them refer to us as second years. I'm trying to get my desk organized and all my syllabi unstapled so that I can actually read them. But I did manage to get a fair amount of knitting done today. I finished my second DK Dashing shortly after they finished talking at us for the day. I waited until I got home to weave in the ends since I wanted to use my tapestry needle (using a cable needle to stab the end through a hole was really not very effective). Overall I must say that I am extremely pleased with the final product.
I also got started on one of my PIF items on the way home today (no pics because I want them to be a surprise). I really like the way it's turning out so far...but I'm also only bout 7 rows in. Speaking of PIF, I spent yesterday helping Alicia move...good times. Well...except for the part where my bumper got in a fight with a retaining wall and lost. Good thing is the parentals weren't really upset at all.

Right now it's time for me to finish re-configuring my desk so that I can actually get my binder and my keyboard on the desk in front of me at the same time. Posting's going to be slow from this point forward but hopefully I'll be able to keep going at a respectable rate. Happy knitting folks...hopefully I'll have something pretty to show you soon!

YARN!!!

2007-08-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

First, head over to Jean's blog right now and enter her amazing contest...and don't forget to tell her I sent you!!

Second, last night I went to AC Moore to get some yarn. This in and of itself is amazing since I have more yarn than I could ever hope to use from my grandmother's stash. The best part though was that I got everything for $15.29.
I picked this stuff up for some projects I had in mind and since they are of a gifty nature I just couldn't bring myself to subject the recipients to that various kinds of acrylic that lie in a plastic bin under my bed. The needles and the hook...well, despite the fact that my grandmother was fully convinced that I would never need to purchase another needle she was very wrong. Ok...here's some yarn pr0n...cheap yarn pr0n...but that's better than nothing I suppose.

Wool-ease in the Denim Colorway

Wool-ease in the Oxford Gray Colorway

Sugar 'n Cream in the Jewel Colorway

Sugar 'n Cream in the Patio Pinks Colorway

One Down...

2007-08-15T21:51:00.000-04:00

I finished one! Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out...the perfectionist in me is having little mini-fits over a couple mistakes I made but I can fix that for the other one. I cast on the mate before I go to bed so that I can easily knit on the train tomorrow. And...close up cable shot!!!This makes me happy...hopefully it will make my fingers warm in lecture too. Time to make with the casting on!!!

Simply Dashing...

2007-08-12T22:04:00.000-04:00

So...since I have become familiar with the art of DPN knitting, it is clear that the very next thing I would want to do would be to knit something with DPNs. This, combined with my severe project ADD/cast-on-itis has led to this:

My very own pair of Dashing! I'm knitting them in some acrylic DK weight stuff I have from my grandmother's stash...so amazingly soft!!! I think the second picture is closest on color and I apologize for the fuzziness of the pictures (they looked a lot better on my camera). I would also like to point out the latest JAMA in the background...med school has taken over my life in so so many funny ways.

Speaking of med school...I saw this in KnittingNurse's blog and I just had to do it. I must admit, although I loved Arthur...I will not miss going down into the basement of the Tufts M&V building to discover all the wonders of a cadaver on an almost daily basis. This also reminds me that I am one week from starting classes again...and that means that I'll probably be blogging a lot less. Hopefully I can finish at least one of these up before I start back...don't see why not since I did most of this today.

$5875.00

Mingle² - Dating Site

PS - If there's anyone still interested in PIF I have one more slot left!!! Better get it while it's hot!!!

I Did It!!

2007-08-10T22:04:00.000-04:00

Today at work, I taught myself to work with DPNs!!! I feel so accomplished!! For me the main thing was using the knitting cast-on instead of my usual backwards loop cast-on. I also let my mini-tube hang out with the bamboo! Now I can knit all sorts of cool stuff!!!
I also have a couple more slots open for the PIF Exchange if people are still interested. Let me know!!

PIF Exchange

2007-08-08T14:34:00.000-04:00

I saw this on Alicia's (look I got the second "i" in there this time and EVERYTHING!) blog and I really like the idea. It will be good to have people other than my family to knit for :P It's based on the movie Pay It Forward with Helen Hunt; I've never seen the movie but I'm familiar with the concept. For those of you who also haven't seen the movie this is how the PIF Exchange gonna work...

(I copied this from Alicia who copied it from Alaina who copied it from Jodie etc)"Here is how it works! I'll send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange! I don't know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week...LOL... but you will receive it within 365 days, that's a promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog..."

So if you're one of the first 3 people to leave a comment and I'll make you something pretty! Can't wait to see who it'll be!!!

OMG FO!!!!

2007-08-07T20:03:00.000-04:00

Behold the finished Reversible Cable Scarf:
I have no idea why I am so proud of myself...perhaps because this is the second thing that I have actually finished since I started medical school. Also probably because unlike the purse I made over Christmas Break this is not going to fall apart on me. (I would like to point out that I am not actually tall enough to take this picture...I managed to get this on my first try just holding the camera in the air over the ironing/blocking board.) I'm actually really pleased with the way it turned out. Here are some more lovely pictures for your viewing pleasure one of the blocking process and a closeup.

I have been contemplating making some matching mittens, and I think I'll give it a shot, but I'm concerned that I won't have enough yarn. There's also the part where I have never worked with DPNs before and my first attempt a few minutes ago failed horribly. Alica, we need to get together and knit...and you need to teach me how to do this mitten thing!

I've also updated my queue on the side-bar. I was looking at my Ravelry Queue and noticed that I was very much behind on that front. I have no idea when I'm actually going to knit all these things, but the goal is to use up most of the yarn my grandmother gave me before I actually go out and buy some.

I hope that all is going well with your respective projects. Time for me to get back to work on the Champagne by Night Afghan...maybe get it done in time for my Grandmother's birthday on the 13th? I doubt it but it's worth a shot!

ETA: I'm sorry I suck at formatting so bad...I think I finally got it right this time!

"We don't knit for crack-hoes!"

2007-08-03T15:20:00.000-04:00

Last night was Yarn Harlot's visit to Burlington. It can really be summed up in one word: AMAZING!!!! Her blog may be funny but she is absolutely hilarious in person. There was a bit of a fiasco on my part getting there. Because I work all day everyday it did not occur to me that there would be a Red Sox game getting at at the time that I was trying to get to the commuter rail station right next to Fenway (Yawkee for those who care/didn't know). So I got on the bus that the MBTA website told me to take at the time the MBTA site told me to take it. We turn onto Broolike Ave...and then we stop. We inch along for a while and I'm looking at my cellphone wondering if I'm going to make my train. So I get off the bus and I jog/power walk down Brookline, up Boylston, down Yawkee and then book it through the parking lot. Get on the train without issue but then there's a medical emergency so we're waiting and waiting. I was supposed to meet Alicia at 5...I got off the train at 5:30. After that it was pretty much smooth sailing...the traffic wasn't that bad at all. We got there at about 6 and decided to just grab seats and start knitting since there were already a fair number of people there. So we were just sitting there knitting and talking about the parts of Alicia's life that are not going so well at the moment, when Jess (Frecklegirl and Ravelry inventor extraordinaire). She skwooshed my Reversible Cable Scarf *glee*. Sorry, it's not too often that I find myself sitting nest to someone famous. That sucker's getting huge now...less than ten repeats left to go...I sense an FO in my future!! I also got one of the amazing Ravelry pins which is now prominently displayed on my backpack. Then it was Harlot time. Again...AMAZING!!! Then Alicia and I headed off to dinner at Not Your Average Joe's which was really good...and was made even better when Alicia decided to pay...oh how I love that girl.

As for other knitting, I have not touched Column of Leaves...I just can't bring myself to do it at the moment. So most nights I've been working on my Champagne by Night Afghan...I've determined that the best part about this project is that the needles are so huge that I have tripled the length in a few distracted hours. Still a long way to go since I still have quite a few balls left to go but it's making me happy and that's what matters.

HELP!

2007-07-30T15:24:00.000-04:00

So...this weekend I tried to work on my Column of Leaves scarf a bit just for a change of pace. I'm struggling so hard on this sucker its not even funny. I'll make it a couple rows and then out of no where I've skipped a few stitches in the directions or something because I have far many more stitches than I need to finish the row. Now there are a few things that I think may be causing some or all of my issues.

1) The directions for a specific row wrap to a second line
2) I have yet to implement a lifeline
3) This is my first lace-type project
4) I seem to only be working on it really late at night

So my thoughts are that I will frog...again...find some yarn to use as a life line so that I don't have to start from scratch all the the time. Rewrite the pattern so that the directions for a single row are on one line. Put the pattern in a sheet protector and grab a dry erase marker so that I can cross off stitches as I do them. Try not to cry. Any other suggestions that you might have for me are more than welcome.

I think that it's time for me to go back to the mind-numbing cables of the Reversible Cable Scarf and the never-ending moss stitch of the Warm Up America Afghan.

On the plus side I get to see Yarn Harlot later this week with Alicia. Hopefully I won't have to get into work too early so that I don't pass out in the middle of something important/fun.

Oooooo Quiz!!

2007-07-26T14:09:00.000-04:00

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are "turbo" charged.Fast moving and classy, you get things done with power and grace. Your expensive tastes can be deceiving, since what you really value is quality and efficiency. As you're careening around those corners in life, finishing a dozen knitted objects each month, stop and smell the roses. Don't miss the beauty of process!
Take this quiz!

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What a Week!

2007-07-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a week around here...not much knitting got done but I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a while. Let's see how much of this I actually remember.

Friday
Ah the night of Harry Potter. So the thing in Harvard square wasn't all that fun while we were there...but then again we were there at like 5:30 so that may have had something to do with it. There wasn't really anyone at the Barnes and Noble party at the Prudential Center..like it was the typical amount of people you would expect in a bookstore and 7PM on a Friday night...just some of them were dressed up like witches and wizards. We catch a train home and get out wristbands for our books and then leave to go eat dinner and pick up my car and drop off leftovers from dinner. Back at the store we nab some of the last trivia sheets and Sarah bought a bunch of books and cds. We head outside at like 11 to go wait in line and there's a nebulous group of people standing in the area where our group is supposed to be so we stand in said nebulous group...shortly thereafter one of the employees says to get on the sidewalk or go to the end of the line...so we get on the sidewalk. About a half-hour later big-gray-haired bouncer-type guy walks up to us and calls us scum for cutting all those little kids who have been waiting for this book. Looking back on this we should have moved toward the back of the line when they told us to get on the sidewalk but that didn't occur to us then and my friend refused to be bullied my this stranger who had no apparent authority. Time progresses and these two little girls, I'm talking like 6 - 8 range are making their way to the front of the line with Dad. Big bouncer guy comes over and says hi to them and has a nice little conversation about them about how excited they are for the book...no mention of them cutting the line at all! Clearly it's okay for Dad to teach his kids to cut in line because they're little and they deserve to get the book before the kids who have essentially been waiting for this book since BEFORE THEY WERE BORN!! It's time to go inside and bouncer guy starts having a fit and swearing at my friend and I as we go in (PS the two little girls wedged themselves in between me and my friend) he appears to be on staff in some way because he is also inside directing the line and proceeds to swear at us again when we get to that portion of the line. Again I'll admit to being an ass...but you don't yell at me for cutting in line, ignore the fact that other people are cutting in line just because they have little kids with them, and then swear like a truck driver at me within earshot of said little kids because I didn't do what you wanted. You, sir, are not my mother, and therefore I will not put up with your attempts at guilting me, end of story.

Saturday
Read Harry Potter. Was good. Not going to say anything else since it seems that most people did not sit down and finish it in one day.

Sunday
Made my way out to Amherst to see Brendan...we went to lunch, played with the cats, and just hung out for a little while nothing terribly special but it was nice since I haven't seen him in about a year. On the way home I stopped for gas because my trip odometer has been wonky and I knew I had driven at least 230 miles and since the gauge said I had about a quarter of a tank I thought it was time. I turn up a random side street to go by CVS on the way home and I happen on a motorcycle accident that had happened about 30 seconds before I got there. Not sure what happened exactly but I do know that the poor guy probably lost his foot because of the accident and that his Mom who was not that far behind him on her own bike will take a very long time to stop blaming herself. I say this because after lending her my cell phone and driving her to the hospital he was being MedFlighted from I know that she was definitely blaming herself because she encouraged him to get the bike in the first place. It was very sad and very nerve-wracking. I was a little bit shaky when I finally got home.

Monday
Just work nothing too special.

Tuesday
Work...of course. After work I headed over to Chinatown to meet a couple of my friends from med school for dinner. We were waiting for Elinor to show up from Wellesley but she either missed the train or the train decided not to come. After about an hour she decided not to come in because she wasn't going o be in Boston very long before she had to head back home. So Laura, Susana, and I headed over to Rock Bottom for dinner and had a good time for ourselves. Then I headed back to Laura's apartment to get the keys to her boyfriend's car. We walk over to his car to find it booted because he didn't pay his parking tickets. So we walk back to her apartment to see if we can borrow his friend's car since and this point I have missed the commuter rail back home. Boyfriend and friend are gone to Best Buy so we wait for them to come back so that we can borrow the car. I finally got home at like quarter of 11...awesome! At least I had fun...it was definitely and adventure.

Wednesday
Went over to Sarah's to just chill and watch TV for a while. Nothing major. I also had an appointment with my allergist and was given a Nasal Lavage kit to try and make my nose happier. "Lavage" makes this process sound pleasant...it is not. This morning I took warm salty water and sprayed it up my nose until it came out the other nostril...definitely not a pleasant experience. I did knit for like 10 minutes last night...I did the first pattern row on the Column of Leaves scarf. Pathetic I know but it's all the knitting I've done this week!

Today
Is payday and therefore awesome. Other than that I very much intend to stay home tonight and knit...most likely the Reversible Cable scarf since I would very much like to finish it at some point in the near future so that I can get to work on something else. Hopefully I'll have some pictures next time.

The Offer

2007-07-20T09:34:00.000-04:00

So, I think the best way to start this entry off is with a little more background information. So I've just finished my first year at Tufts Medical School (1/4 MD YAY!!!). This summer I'm working in a Neurology lab at Beth Israel/Harvard doing some research on a rare kind of genetic epilepsy (Autosomal Dominant Lateral Temporal Lobe Epilepsy or ADLTE). The only reason I have this job is I happened to be the first to respond to an email that my entire class received when my boss was looking for someone to take a NIH funded training position for the summer. For some reason my boss was like beyond amped when he got my email so I basically had the job is just over 24 hours.

Fast forward to the present. I've been working my ass off running tons of experiments and writing protocols and doing research for a review on the protein complex that we're studying that's going to get published...at some point in the near future. Earlier this week my boss came up to me within minutes of my getting in and offered me a job. Like take a year off from med school and work in his lab and get a few papers to my name including one where I would be the primary author. I can only imagine the look of bewildered panic that must have been on my face. So I'm thinking about it...and my first reaction is "Wait, when do you want me to do this?" Well of course he would prefer this coming year but if I really wanted he supposed he could wait a year. So I'm thinking some more...I don't really want to take this year off but maybe taking a year off before clinicals wouldn't suck too bad. Except I've always put school first...but that was so that I could go to med school and I'm already in med school so maybe it doesn't need to go first anymore? Except this whole idea of taking a year off makes me really uneasy and I just can't put my finger on it. So I talk to my parents because I'm living at home so it's going to affect them the most. My mom brings up the fact that by taking a year off I will a) probably have to start repayment on my loans (EEEK!!!) and b) not be able to get converage from my parents health insurance through the rest of med school. So I think some more...my brain is a little worse for wear at this point...Tufts has this program called Selectives...I could do a research selective and then come in one more afternoon a week...that would give me 8 hours in the lab a week and that's plenty of time to run one of my experiments!

So I'm all pumped because I figured out a compromise and I might even get paid for the second afternoon that I come in every week...and getting a paycheck even if it's tiny is awesome!! So I try to talk to him yesterday but whenever I actually had more than 5 minutes to talk to him he was either on the phone or meeting with someone. And the one time I did get to talk to him some random person showed up unannounced to talk to him...GAH!!! So I go home last night a little irritated because I wanted to get things settled so that I could plan...cuz I'm a planner and that's what I do...I really need to finish that chapter in my Psychiatry textbook to see if I really do have Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (probably not since I manage to function relatively well...just don't move my things around or I might have to kill you :P) Innywho, I get into work this morning and I get started on my experiments and I look to see if he's here...no...of course not it's 8AM and I'm the only person on the entire floor! So then he finally comes in at like 9:30 and starts talking to me about all this stuff I need to order and all the experiments I'm going to have to run and pretty much out of nowhere is like "So you're not going to be staying here next year are you?" So then I explain to him how I can come twice and week and he looks like Christmas came early. So in sort I apparently not only managed to get myself a job in a Harvard lab for the summer but one for the school year too...I'd say that's pretty sweet.

And on a slightly more interesting note, Alicia and I are going to see Yarn Harlot when she comes to Burlington, MA in August...this is squee-tastic!! Also Harry Potter tonight...lots of Harry Potter. A friend (Sarah) and I are planning to go to the party at the Prudential Center Barnes and Nobles at 6 possibly hop over to the party in "Hogwarts" (Harvard) Square to see Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, and the Hungarian Horntails then head back home to the Barnes and Noble in Walpole to get our numbers and at some point get dinner. And then it's home to read until I fall asleep then wake up early and finish reading. I love you Harry...and I will miss waiting for the next book to come out...but I will stay strong and I will survive.

Insanity

2007-07-17T19:29:00.000-04:00

Ok...so I had heard how much Ravelry could eat my time and how I was going to have a million things I wanted to knit after browsing around for a few minutes but I didn't think it was going to be so bad!!! I have 11 patterns in my queue after 2 days...11!!!! So so many things I want to knit and so little time!! Hopefully once I get my big afghan projects out of the way I can move on to smaller things that I can actually feel like I'm getting something accomplished with. I've made quite a bit of progress on the Reversible Cable Scarf since Friday...watching movies for almost 4 hours Friday night definitely helped on that front:P Now if only my boss would stop giving me so many papers to read and experiments to run so that I could actually enjoy my summer and knit till my heart's content.

Ah well, at least I got my experiments up and running again today. I was having some issues with getting my gels to...well...gel these past few days. Turns out that since no one has done my kind of experiment (Westerns for those of you who are scientifically inclined) for years that one of the most finicky reagents had gone so bad that it made rancid meat look good. So I bummed some off of one of the other people on the floor and got everything working. Now if only I could figure out what happened to that fourth set of sponges...

Innywho time to get reading in the vain hope that I can knit a little bit later on tonight. Maybe I will take a break from the cables for a little while...maybe not...

Ravelry!!!

2007-07-13T15:31:00.000-04:00

Finally got my Ravelry invite today. Quite possibly the worst day for it to happen since I am desperately trying to read approximately a million papers to write a review for the lab that I'm working in for the summer. But I think that I have managed to organize and play enough that I can concentrate now. But first as promised I have some pictures of WIPs and FOs

Reversible Cable Scarf
Warm Up America Afghan
Champagne by Night Afghan
Cabled Purse
Coasters
I've also cast on the Column of Leaves Scarf...because I have knitting ADD...but that only has like 4 rows on it and therefore isn't really worth posting. Ok...time to get down to business on this damn paper...

And so it begins...

2007-07-12T19:52:00.000-04:00

Hi...I'm Moriah and I just finished my first year of medical school. I spend most of my time studying because that's what med school's all about but I love knitting. I've been finding myself reading all sorts of knitting blogs and it makes me want one too...so here I am with my knitting blog that probably no one will ever read except me. I'll post pictures of things that I'm working on and the like when I actually get my camera and computer in the same room at the same time :P