Half Way Day

Today I am officially 183 days from graduation! I can't believe that 6 months have gone by so quickly. I have 2 weeks of maternity and 5 weeks each of pediatrics, community, mental, leadership, and my preceptorship left. That's so soon!!!


On the knitting front, I'll probably finish my BIL's Koolhaas tonight. Then I have 1 hat for my older sister and the scarf for my MIL. Not too bad in terms of timing. I promise not to get cocky since it's not even December. The next couple of weeks will be busy, busy bee for me. But I have confidence!

You Should Have Warned Me

What was I thinking???? I thought I could knit 2 Shedir hats before Christmas. Have you seen the cables on that thing???? Why didn't you save me from myself? I'm in serious cable overload.

I just finished the first and, although I love the result, I will be rethinking the pattern I use for my other sister's hat. Maybe Odessa? Maybe a plain ribbed cap.



Pattern: Shedir from Knitty.com
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in Calmer
Needles: KP classic circular in US 3
Date Started: 11/14/07
Date Finished: 11/25/07
Mods: None- Although I could/should have done an extra pattern repeat. This fits me like a beanie. Hopefully, my little sister's head is smaller than mine and it hugs her ears a little tighter.



This is my favorite part of this hat. I love how it looks like a snowflake on the top. Perfect for Christmas.

OK- I'm off to cast on for Koolhaas.

Although I really should be doing school work.

Getting It Done

I cast off last night for the fastest Christmas project I've ever knit.



Farmer's Market Bag for Abby
Pattern: Elisa's Nest Tote
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Barn Red
Needles: Addi Turbos size 9 US
Mods: There are supposed to be 2 handles. But I stopped reading the pattern. So the one shoulder strap is now a design element. I'm also a little bummed about the size. The one I made is much smaller than the one on the pattern page. Oh well. What do you want in a day's knitting? Next time, I'll knit this in the round too. The pattern calls for crocheted seeming. And I'm not exactly adept at that.
Date Started: 11/22/07
Date Finished: 11/23/07

I stayed far far away from any stores yesterday. But the yarn still came to me!



Yarn Pirate BFL in Solstice. This is the November edition of the Booty Club. I love this yarn. The colors work so well with the yarn. It's nice and soft. Love it.

Like I said, I've been laying low. I watched Shrek 3, Hairspray, and TONS of football. Did you see the LSU game? 3 or 4 OT's. That was crazy! Hope you all are enjoying this weekend. And, if you're shopping, I hope your sanity is intact!

Check One Off the List

I'm making progress on the Christmas knitting.



Pattern: 3 A.M. Hat
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Continental Blue
Needles: Clover dpn size 10
Mods: None- this hat is a great quick knit. And it used about 1/2 a skein of Malabrigo. Quick and cute. Gotta love that.



Isn't it cute?!?!? I'm tempted to keep it. I'm looking a little bedragled. Sorry about that!

The other thing that happened is the last installment of the Sundara Yarn Petals Collection came.



Magnolia. This has been a great sock club. Sundara's yarn is lovely but so are the patterns and the packaging. I've really enjoyed each package.

Now I'm off to start the cooking!

The Po Po are here!

I usually don't post twice in one day. But I just drove into my parking lot and there are 4 (FOUR!?!?!??!?!) cop cars in the parking lot. Apparently the couple that fights loudly and lives below us, finally took the volume up too loud. (hopefully it was just yelling.) I eavesdropped a little to find out what's going on. I heard "domestic," "violence," and "jail." Someone downstairs is going to the clink.

I live in a big apartment complex in a really boring suburb. It's gated and there's generally not a lot of action around here. But there are a couple of volatile apartments. Not too bad. Once in a while I take note of the fight time so I know what to tell the cops if something really goes down.

That's why I'm kind of surprised that the Po Po turned out in force.

As soon as I graduate and have a job, we gotta get out of here.

Good Mail Day

Do you ever get a package that's so pretty you kind of hate to open it? I did yesterday. Check this out...



It's my custom tote from Freckled Nest in that pretty blue paper. It's almost too cute to ruin by opening. Almost.



This is my new custom knitting tote. I bought it for myself for my birthday in September. Since it's hand made, they take a while to produce.



This bag is seriously heavy duty. It's really thick canvas and the pockets are stitched on very securely. Even Eva is taking a peek. Here's the best part...



I asked Leigh-Ann for a bird and my initials. I gave her really rough parameters and she came up with this awesome customized patch. The bird's eye is a little sparkly bead. She has all kinds of designs- skulls, cupcakes, etc. It turned out better than I could have hoped. Thanks, Freckled Nest!

I also got a package from Blue Moon Fiber Arts.



I've been wanted Gingerbread Dude for a couple of years now. Isn't he perfect for Christmas!



This is Rook-y. One of the raven series. It's hard to see how pretty it is in the picture. It's black with green, teal, and purple. To me, it kind of looks like oil in water puddles in a parking lot. That's not the most flattering description. But the colors just shimmer and shine through the black. I love it.

Finally, I may have crossed a line here.



It's a Sheep to Shoe kit in Korppi. Black and purple and so amazingly soft.

And, no, I don't spin. Why do you ask?

Sit Down and Get Comfortable

Because I have a lot to say today.

First of all, thank you so much for the nice compliments on the baby sweater! Hopefully when the family gets it, I'll get a picture of the baby in it.

I've also contracted a wicked case of knitting ADD. Suddenly, I'm feverishly knitting for Christmas. I know I'm totally deluded that this is going to work out. But I have faith. Here's the Christmas List...

1. Martha's already got a scarf. But there's a lot of Malabrigo left in the second ball I had to buy. So I thought a matching hat would be great.



There will be cables and ribs.

2. Two sisters. Two Shedir hats. Plus single balls of Calmer were 35% off at Article Pract.

For my little sis, icy blue. I cast this on yesterday on the train to the dentist.



Big sis will want something a little more serious. How about black?



3. Brother-in-law should get a hat too. Plus it gives me an excuse to knit the Koolhaas.



I had my hands on the super soft yak down. But I settled for the Ultra Alpaca. There was a $24 difference in price. The budget won this round.

4. Some kind of Farmer's Market bag for little sis who is really into the slow food movement.



Bright red Cotton Fleece looked like just the thing.

5. Finally for Christmas will be a lace scarf from the Malabrigo lace weight for my mother-in-law. I'm sort of making up the pattern as I go along. So we'll see how that goes.


I have a few other things on the needles too.

My friend from school Susan finally told our class that she is expecting a little boy. I've known for awhile. Here's the Baby Surprise Jacket I started for her.



It's in Royale Hare sock yarn.

I also cast on the second Anastasia sock on the train yesterday. (it was a long ride.)



Add that to the Kusha Kusha Scarf and the Strangling Lace Scarf and I have way more projects than I should. Good thing I have all next week off. And this does mean that a steady parade of FO's should be coming soon to a blog near you.

After the dentist yesterday I noticed that they had put in a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Yummy! I promised myself a hot beverage and a treat if I didn't have any dental issues. Luckily, I got to buy this...



It smells divine. I'm going to jump in this afternoon.

Last but not least, I was inspired by reading this post to clean up my cleaning routine. I've also been watching too much Oprah. I went to the Shaklee company and bought their starter kit.



So far, I love it. I may not stick to their products because they are pricey. But I'll definitely shy away from the more toxic "cleaning" methods that I used to use. If you have cleaning tips, I'd love to hear them.

As I said, I have all next week off. (Except I have to write a paper or two. But they're easy.) I'm so excited. There's always lots to do around here. But for now, knitting has to come first!

Drive By Entry

I just wanted to show you the baby sweater with the buttons.



I'm really happy with the results.

Back to studying for maternity!

A Little Sweater

I finished the baby sweater for Brian's cousin's little girl, Eleanor last night. I think it's pretty cute.



Pattern: EZ's Baby Sweater on Two Needles from Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Sundara Sock in Lenten Rose
Needles: KP Options in US 6
Date Started: I think around 10/30/07
Date Finished: 11/6/07

It still needs buttons. I'm going to go out and grab those today at lunch. I'm thinking little pearl buttons.

My schedule changed again this week. My weekends are now Mondays and Thursdays. Yup- I don't get two days in a row for the next 5 weeks. It'll be interesting. So today is for laundry, errands, and playing with my new toy.

Procrastination Post

I will do anything not to write my paper. Granted, it isn't due until next Wednesday. But I really should get ahead of things this term.

Oh, I also have a sore throat. And that's making me a little grumpy. I hope it's gone by Friday when I start my maternity rotation. New moms LOVE it when you're sick and handling their newborn.

Anyway, here's a meme from Elemmaciltur of the famous Knitters Uncensored. Feel free to join in if you want!

01. Can you cook? Yup- I make a mean Pad Thai and a few other dishes.

02. What was your dream growing up? Orthopedic surgeon. I still wish I was in med school. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy in my life. But fixing broken bones would be a killer job!

03. What talent do you wish you had? Singing. I suck at it. Ask anyone.

04. If I bought you a drink what would it be? Gin martini, extra olives

05. Favorite vegetable? Does fried green tomatoes count?

06. What was the last book you read? The Time Keeper's Daughter. I'm working on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle now. And by working on, I mean it's on my desk

07. What zodiac sign are you ? Virgo

08. Any tattoos and/or piercings? I just took out my belly ring. I took out my nipple ring when I graduated college. Still 5 holes total in my ears. No tattoos. I couldn't get over the permanence.

09. Worst habit? Nail biting. And I swear like a sailor.

10. If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride? Totally, jump in!

11. What is your favorite sport? To play- Volleyball. I played in college. Some of my best friends and memories are from that sport. To watch- Baseball

12. Negative or optimistic attitude? I would say usually optimist. But not annoyingly so.

13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? We'd whip out our knitting and chat it up.

14. Worst thing to ever happen to you? My mom died unexpectedly almost 5 years ago.

15. Tell me one weird fact about you. I have a double jointed collar bone.

16. Do you have any pets? 2 big, fat, spoiled kitties

17. What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly? That would be so cool! I'd show you around the Bay and all the good LYS.

18. What was your first impression of me? I had a completely different picture of you in my head from your voice. But now, I don't know what I was thinking!

19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary? scary

20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? I'd be willowy and lean.

21. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience? partner in crime. Especially after that martini.

22. What color eyes do you have? Green

23. Ever been arrested? Nope. Close but no cigar.

24. Bottle or draft? Draft

25. If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? Citibank would come calling. I know that's totally boring but it's true.

26. Would you date me? I'm married. And female.

27. Where's your favorite place to hang out? My Laz-E-Boy. I'm so sexy and cool that it scares me.

28. Do you believe in ghosts? Not really

29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time? knit. sleep. knit.

30. Do you swear a lot? Yeah- I'm not umm... "lady like."

31. Biggest pet peeve? Loud eating. So gross!

32. In one word, how would you describe yourself? Funny

33. Do you believe in/appreciate romance? I believe but I'm not a sap.

34. If you could spend 12 hours with me and ask/do anything you like, what would it be? We'd hang out around the Bay. And I'd make you teach me to spin.

35. Do you believe in God? God- yes. Organized religion- no.

36. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same? It's all here!

Knitting Resumed

So here's what happened. Somehow when I was watching Sopranos on DVD last night, I got off a stitch in the lace pattern in the EZ pattern Baby Sweater on two needles from The Knitter's Almanac. Then, I callously pulled the needles out and tried to put the stitches back on. That didn't work. And I got frustrated. So the sweater went into time out. Today, after ACLS (which I passed with flying colors, YAY!), I took out a smaller needle, carefully tinked back, and I added yarn overs when needed. Thank goodness!



Here's the sweater so far. I'm knitting it in Sundara Sock Lenten Rose sock yarn. I really like the dusty purple for a little girl. It's a little more unexpected. Brian's cousin has a new baby girl, Eleanor. So I'm furiously knitting so she isn't too big by the time I get this done.

I also received October's Swag from Scout.



Scout's Swag in Ballooney. Love the colors! And it came with a cool pattern from Lisa Shobhana Mason.

For those wondering, ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support. It's not required for school but if I want to work in the ICU (which I do), it's a good certification to have. The professors at school tried to discourage us from taking it. But I really don't want to be cramming it in at the end of the year when I'm worried about the board exam.

Finally, remember that bucket of candy? Yeah- I had 0 trick or treaters. So Brian and I are slowly working through it. What diet????

UGH!

My EZ baby sweater on two needles is in a time out. We will not talk about it until I figure it out tomorrow.

Wish me luck on my ACLS test.