Nope, Not Dead Yet

For most folks, no news is good news;
for the press, good news is no news.
-Gloria Berger

I logged into my blog email account tonight for the first time in about 2 months, only to find out that a number of people think that there must be something dramatically bad for me to drop off the face of the (blogging) world.

All evidence to the contrary. Life has been so good, and full, that blogging has just taken a (distant) back seat. I'll have a longer post later this week, but in the meantime, here are the recent highlights:

1. My husband returned home from Iraq, safe, sound, and thrilled to be back.
2. Weekend trip to Catalina.
3. My orders changed.
4. Realized that grocery shopping is much more involved when there's a husband around.
5. Had houseguests 3/5 weekends.
6. Graduated from residency.
7. Started my new job as an attending in the Internal Medicine clinic at the hospital, which is good, but busy.
8. Gave my husband his second anniversary cotton sweater.
9. Studying for my boards.
10. Knitting, some.

I have a longer post planned for later this week, but I wanted to let folks know that life is good. I may not be returning to blogging in any serious way, but we'll wait 'til things calm down a little to determine that.

To Buy or Not to Buy . . .

I generally avoid temptation unless I can avoid it.

-Mae West

Yes, I did disappear to be completely engulfed in the Internal Medicine wards for 2 weeks. Why do you ask? The good news is legion, however.

1. I am done being the duty ward resident. Done. Wow!
2. No more tire blow-outs.
3. Flowers are blooming everywhere.
4. I am immune to typhoid. Again. It never fails that every time I open my medical record, I am somehow due for one more vaccine. Love those shots!

Also in the good news category filed under "knitting" is a great deal of progress on several sweaters, and some upcoming sleeve surgery on my almost-done Fair Isle Yoke Sweater. Photos to follow, now that my busy Radiology schedule will allow me to take some daytime shots.

So, now I'm torn. Deeply torn. Wrestling with my inner angels and devils as well as any number of other miscellaneous demons. You all know that I have a bit of yarn at home. As of April 1, we're at approximately 504 skeins comprising 87,500+ yards of yarn. This is a significant reduction from prior, and the goal is still to get the stash a bit smaller, say to the 60,000 yd range.

But (there's always a but . . .) it's the Webs tent sale. On sale at very very good prices are Cascade 220, Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton as I recently used to very good effect in the cotton anniversary sweater, and Berocco Peruvia.

Let's ponder.

On the one hand . . . I have a queue full of projects for which I already have the yarn.
On the other hand . . . That same queue has many projects requiring yarns I do not have, that are on sale.
On the one hand . . . I'd like the stash to fit into a smaller space.
On the other hand . . . Yarn is squishy.
On the one hand . . . I could knit for a year without spending any more money.
On the other hand . . . I can get these yarns at close to 1/2 price, and I'll use them eventually.
On the one hand . . . These are great yarns.
On the other hand . . . Yup, definitely great yarns at a great price.
On the one hand . . . They'll probably go on sale again at some point.
On the other hand . . . That's never when I feel the urge to start the project.
On the one hand . . . I really do need a grey sweater. Cassidy, maybe? And the husband is thinking he wants a burgundy sweater, or maybe charcoal gray, and one in cotton, and one in wool . . . gosh he's demanding!
On the other hand . . . I've forgotten which hand is which . . .

Pluses and Minuses

Never awake me when you have good news to announce,
because with good news nothing presses;
but when you have bad news, arouse me immediately,
for then there is not an instant to be lost.
-Napoleon Bonaparte

Sometimes I love being an adult. Sometimes not. There are pluses and minuses. And I'm a bad-news first kind of gal.

Minus: A tire blowout on the I-5 on my way to work.
Plus: I didn't die, cause a 5-car pile up, or get held up at gunpoint while getting my Starbucks . . . or any of the rumors my friends spread after I called them to cover my ward team while I waited for the tow truck.
Minus: Tires are expensive.
Plus: They really had my interns believing that I threw coffee in the face of an armed Starbucks-robber.

Minus: A crazy-busy week at work.
Plus: Being a doctor. Only three more months of residency.
Minus: Which means new orders (see below).
Plus: I saw a patient in clinic this week whom I've been following for just about 2 years, since the end of my intern year. I called a consultant for her, and as she left she commented on how wonderful it has been to watch me "grow up" and become such a confident physician.

Minus: Getting orders to a Marine unit.
Plus: Co-location with my husband. All those 96-hour weekends the Marines like to take.
Minus: Wearing camouflage.
Plus: I joined the Navy so that I'll have something to talk about when I'm 80 (you know, since I've spent my 20s talking about knitting). The Marines always give you something to talk about!

Plus: Being married. Definitely the biggest plus to being all grown-up. It's no secret that I adore my husband. And he sends me flowers. To match my camouflage.

Blue and Pink

Observe the space between your thoughts, then observe your observer.

-Hamilton Boudreaux

Today's a two-fer, to make up for the posting I didn't do last week . . .

I find baby sweaters to be a crucial part of stash busting - perfect for all those 2 and 3 skein lots left over from other projects, or otherwise hanging out in the stash. And then you have the perfect gift ready for any baby-giving occasion.

Ribbed Baby Jacket
Pattern: from Debbie Bliss, available many places
Yarn: Lionbrand Cotton Ease in the old put up, approx 2 skeins
Needles: US 8
Notes: Unusual construction, but not difficult. My gauge was off so I used the numbers from the 2nd smallest size and the measurements from the 2nd largest.
Best Thing About This Project: I just love that ribbing.

Premiere Sweater
Pattern: from a free Classic Elite newsletter bouncing around
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Victorian Pink, approx 1.75 skeins
Needles: US 6
Notes: I accidentally forgot to increase needle sizes after the seed stitch on the sleeves. It looks fine.
Best Thing About This Project: A perfect paring of yarn and pattern.

I'm in for a long night of board review classes tonight. Which means quality knitting time! I'm almost to the good part of a Fair Isle Yoke Cardigan (i.e. the fair isle yoke part) after getting inspired by Jessica's here. Stockinette stitch here I come!

The Staff of Life

Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way. \

This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining.

-Jeff Raskin

Friendly reminder: Have you backed up your computer lately?

It's moved to the top of my to-do list after a bit of an operating system scare this weekend. Fortunately, the kind folks at the Apple Genius Bar were able to fix the software glitch (and for free!), but it did remind me of how much stuff only exists on one computer. . . . Not the least of which are many photos of knitted goods and my trusty yarn-stash spreadsheet.

At any rate, with my computer down for the count for a few days, you'd think I'd actually get some knitting done. And I did, but the photos still need to be uploaded.

While we wait, I want to refer you again to my new favorite cookbook. Complete with blog. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. It's amazing. Tasty. Great crust, nice soft insides. Good tasting. Easy. And really everything bread should be, but super speedy. Making this bread requires flour, water, yeast, and salt. It takes less time (and energy) than driving to the grocery store. And it tastes better.

Plus, the smell of baking bread really goes nicely with some knitting. Which is coming soon.

Why I Knit Socks

It's no use going to the goat's house to look for wool.
-Irish Proverb

This is my sister, about 3 minutes after I gave her a new pair of socks. Specially requested to be like the last pair - that is, "too soft to be wool." (Thanks Judy!)

These are in Fiesta Baby Boom - a delightful squishy sock yarn that is definitely "too soft to be wool" and meet the demanding requirements of my sister that they be perfect for reading legal treatises in a drafty apartment.

And that, my friends, is why I knit socks. Keeping feet warm and comfy from Somewhere, Iraq to Philadelphia to San Diego.

Bondegard

Being born in a duck yard does not matter,
if only you are hatched from a swan's egg.
-Hans Christian Anderson

Apparently, I like complicated things. Systems with a lot of rules, nuances, exceptions, and many, many layers. After twenty-something odd years, I finally learned this about myself from my husband; he noticed it almost immediately. While it probably explains a lot of life, from my chosen profession to my yarn spreadsheet to the long list of sales, coupon match-ups, and recipes I take to the grocery store, it also probably explains why I knit a baby sweater with fifteen colors.

You read that correctly - fifteen, one-five. Granted, many of those colors only required a few ounces of yarn, but it does take up a considerable amount of space in the stash. Regardless, whether it is because it is complicated or because it is just so dang cute, this may be my favorite baby sweater yet.

Bondegard
Pattern: from Dale of Norway's Soft Treasures for Little Ones (apparently OOP, but snatch up a copy if you can)
Yarn: Dale Baby Ull - why mess with their color sense? in the 15 colors as called for in the pattern
Needles: US 0 and 2
Notes: No changes to the pattern. I made the 24 month size - if I'm going to do all that work, I want the baby to get a lot of wear out of it!
Best Thing About This Project: After all that knitting, I'd hate to say the buttons. But look at the buttons!

I'm counting this sweater for NaKniSweMoDo (knit 12 sweaters in 12 months, in a mishmash of Latin and blog-speak). Technically, it's not an adult sweater. It is, however 28 inches around, knit on US2 needles, and contains 15 colors. It took probably two- or three-times as much knitting as my next NaKniSweMoDo sweater, Acer, which is also finished and will appear this week. And it involved steeks. Plus, it's just so cute!