Sunday 27 January 2013

Second Year of Projects Week 31

So I haven't done any year of projects knitting at all this week, because I've been way too focused on my Celestarium.

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I'm now up to row 120, and I got my cable connectors through, so I'm able to spread it out a lot more, and I'm back to constellation spotting. I'm considering putting a few beads around the border, to demarcate the edge of the star chart, but I'm not sure I'll have enough. I'll have to see when I get there, it might be a while still.

In life news, we have had so much snow (for England at least).

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Photos taken by my friend out of the window of my car on our morning drives to Mansfield. It pretty much all melted in the rain that we had last night, but it was fun while it lasted (except for the 2 and a half hour drive home one evening... England doesnot  dealwell with snow).

So this is the most intensive 3 weeks yet of my course, since the entire module is over these three weeks, and it’s about an hour and a quarter each way to placement. I have to write two case reports and a home visit report, each 1500 words, do a ten minute presentation, do a mini mental state exam and be assessed on it, write three reflections and be on the ward all day from 8:30/9 - 4:30/5.

I found my first patient to do a case report on, talked to him and did an MMSE on him (very quick, he doesn’t know why he’s in hospital, or even where he is), talked to his wife to get a history, talked to the nurse, physio and OT looking after him and read his notes. I also saw him on ward round and went to the multi-disciplinary team meeting he was discussed in, so I have the doctor’s view as well. I do love this patient, both him and his wife are really nice people, and so willing to help out. Plus in the MMSE I got him to write a sentence for me as part of the exam, and his wife says he hasn’t been able to write for about 3 years, so she was so grateful to see it. I nearly made her cry though, because he had written “I wish I could do better.” She seemed really pleased that I had time to sit down and talk about her worries with her. He went home on Thursday, which I was really  pleased to see, because both he and his wife were desperate to get him home. He was definitely one of those patients that you remember for a long time.

And a silly picture to end

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There was a scratching toy with 30% off in the pet shop yesterday, because a bit of felt was coming away. We bought it for Tomcat, since he’s started scratching the sofa. It’s got a snazzy scratching slope, and a hole in the middle with a dangling toy. I’m not sure he’s really got the hang of what it’s for though…

So nothing YoP related for my YoP update, but never mind!

Wednesday 23 January 2013

WIP Wednesday - Twinkle Twinkle

So I've been getting on pretty well with my Celestarium. I'm up to row 90 in chart E, so I'm probably about a third of the way through.

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I'm still loving it, but I'm currently on my largest cable, and have a lot more width to add so it's getting quite hard to knit. I've ordered some cable connectors from KnitPro so that I can attach my cables together to make a longer one. No idea how well they'll work, but hopefully they'll mean that I can see the constellations again, which is what I'm really liking about this.

It's so addictive, I keep thinking to myself "just one more bead," and before I know it I've been knitting on it for half an hour! There are people in the knitalong who have already finished theirs. I know I started a bit late, but I have no idea how anyone knits that fast!

For more amazing WIPs, click here

Sunday 20 January 2013

Second Year of Projects Week 30

So I have a finish this week, yay!

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I've completed my Octarine socks, and I am loving them. I'm wearing them as I write this, and they're probably the best fitting of all the socks I have knitted for myself. Someone asked for modelled pictures, and I have a fair few.

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Please excuse my chubby legs! They're quite loose around my ankles, but that's fine because they go quite high up my calves, and are tight enough up there to stay up.

I've also cast on Celestarium this week, which isn't on my year of projects, but I thought I would post it here anyway. Last night I stayed up much later than intended, but I got chart D finished

Celestarium

This excites me, and I think I would get through it much quicker if I didn’t keep stopping to see which constellations I’ve got. I did have one wrongly placed bead, by reading the first 8 stitches of chart D2 as 10, but I was able to drop down and move it, so it’s all good now. I'm loving the yarn, which is really silky soft, and the beads pop really well, so it's exactly how I'd envisioned it.

I’ve managed to dent my needles though, because when changing the cable I’d screwed one in so tightly I had to use my teeth to loosen it :/

This shawl will probably take me a very long time, since I'm only about 10% of the way through the body, and I'm not even thinking about the edging yet!

Sunday 13 January 2013

Second Year of Projects Week 29

I'm pretty happy today, because the house is tidy, the laundry is on, I don't have any work to do, and I'm planning to spend the afternoon re watching Dr Who and knitting. I'm really looking forward to it.

This week, I've finished one of my Octarine Socks, and am well on the way with the other. They fit perfectly, and  I'm really pleased with them. They are small enough that when I put them on, the lace really pops, but not so small that they're tight around the none lacy bits. And this is the first time that I've knitted a heel flap and gusset heel and not had holes at the top of the heel flap, so even better!

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I'm off to sit under a blanket on my sofa now, and relax! Sleepy Sundays are the best, hope you all have a good day.

Sunday 6 January 2013

Second Year of Projects Week 28

I've just got back to Nottingham, and let the cat out for the first time in 3 weeks. He was delighted to be out, but was back home in the warm in half an hour, so I feel very relieved that he doesn't hate us! I've got all my unpacking done, so I think it's time to update you on my Year of Projects.

So my actual update this week is a bit of deja vu! I frogged the much too big socks from last week, and started the smaller size. I'm now nearly at the point which I was at after all my Christmas knitting. They're coming out at a much better size now, and I think they'll fit.

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Since we're half way through the year, I though I would take a look at how my year of projects is going.

Knitting
8/19 completed

Socks
5/12 completed
Confetti Socks - completed 11th November 2012
Basketweave Socks  - completed 21st July 2012
Ghostie Socks - completed 30th August 2012
Staked Socks - completed 4th October 2012
Socks for Connor - completed 15th December 2012
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Other
3/7 completed
Top Down Raglan Sweater for Mum - completed 10th August 2012
Annikin palmikkopipo Hat - completed 24th July 2012
Hat for Dad - completed 17th December 2012
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Preemie Baby Items
Total: 6 cardigans, 4 hats, 3 blankets
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Sewing
1/3 completed

Tatty Teddy bookmark - completed 1st September 2012 
So I'm not doing too badly, I am a little bit behind where I would like to be, but I will have more knitting time this term since I'm not commuting as far, so I think I'm on track! 

Tuesday 1 January 2013

So long 2012! Welcome 2013!

So it's the time when I look back over my  year. I think 2012 has been a successful year, I finally feel like I'm becoming a doctor, being on the wards and helping patients. I was the first person in the world to hold two new lives this year,and that is just incredible. I also got my first degree, and now have letters after my name. Oh, and we gained a new member of the family, Sir Tomcat Fluffbucket Littlehales Moss, aka Mister Tomcat
Tomcat
Knitting and crafting has also been very successful, 33 projects knitted, which is more than the 25 of last year, 4 handspun yarns and 4 cross stitch projects. The knitting involves 6 pairs of socks, 6 hats, 2 jumpers and 15 preemie charity items
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Last year I wrote a list of goals for the year, and I thought I'd see how they turned out.
  1. Finish my dissertation - check, and came out with a first!
  2. Lose weight - done, but gained some back over Christmas, so still ongoing
  3. Go to the gym 3 times a week  - I managed this for 6 months,and then ended up working an hour away for the last 6 months, so need to get back into going
  4. Knit an adult sized garment  - two adult jumpers knitted, and both fit!
  5. No buying yarn  - lets not talk about this one...
  6. Learn to spin - I think I've done ok on this one, I've spun a couple of yarns, both on a drop spindle and a spinning wheel!
  7. Write more blog posts - well I wrote 82 in 2011, and 93 in 2012, so I've not done too badly, though I would like to write more
So 4 full successes, 2 partial success and one major failure.

My goals for this year:
  1. Continue to work hard and do well at my medical degree
  2. Lose the weight I've gained and go to the gym more
  3. Learn to do a back somersault in trampolining
  4. Spin some more handspun
  5. Knit a complicated shawl
  6. Update this blog more than once a week
  7. Edit: Read more books for pleasure!
Happy New Year to you all, and I hope 2013 brings you all the joy and happiness!