Baby Uggs

I made these for a classmate (my cellmate on the recently concluded Oto rotation, actually) who is due in 4 weeks.

Profile view:


Super up-close profile view (Greta's paws in the background for scale):


Full frontal:


Specs:

Pattern: Suede booties by Candi Jensen
Yarn: Soles and body of booties were done in Berroco Suede (in chocolate brown and tan colors) and fleece trim in Berroco Plush.
Needles - size 4 for the soles, size 5 for the body and trim.

These booties were a fun knit. The pattern is easy to follow, and I was able to knit up both in a total of about 5 hours. Super fast.

I finished Oto on Friday, and all in all, it was not that bad. The residents were nice, and they taught me how to do a thorough head and neck exam. I also learned the importance of providing your patients with adequate pain relief when you're manipulating a head/neck wound - the head and neck are heavily vascularized and innervated, and it seems that any repair of anything on the head/neck can be exquisitely painful. I saw several patients writhe in pain while they were being treated - it seems unnecessary to make someone endure something so painful when narcotics and other very good analgesics are available.

On a lighter note, I have a free weekend! I have some plants outside ready to go in the ground and a truckbed full of mulch. I see some gardening in my future.

Happy weekend!

Anemoi Mittens

Finished!





Here are the specs:
Pattern: Anemoi Mittens by Eunny Jang.
Yarn: 'Palette' from Knit Picks in colors blush and bark.
Needles: size 0 circulars for the cuff, and size 2 aluminum circulars for the body of the mitten.
Overall, I really enjoyed knitting these mittens. I like small projects on small needles - you can throw them in your bag for knitting during meetings and downtime, and because they are small, you can finish them in a relatively short amount of time. I will most likely be knitting another pair sometime in the future. The pattern was very well written and easy to follow, and Eunny includes a blank mitten template so that adventurous knitters may create their own colorwork designs. The colorwork was very fun, and the second mitten was much easier than the first. (Actually, I liked it so much that I am making plans for future fair isle projects. Raul's requested a hat - maybe this one will do?) So, overall, I am happy with the way these mittens turned out although I do wish that I had made the thumbs a tad bit larger. I may block and stretch them at some future date, or I may wear them as is. Also, I also was very happy with this yarn - very inexpensive, fun to work with, and it hear that it holds up well with minimal pilling. I will keep you posted! I have quite a bit left - I'm not sure if I have enough to make another complete pair....but I do have a friend with a little daughter that is very partial to pink. H - do you think Maria might like a pint-sized pair?

I finished the mittens last night, and this morning I promptly cast on a new project. The Bayerische socks also by Eunny Jang. It's been quite a while since I've done cables, so this should be an adventure.

Dr. H's slippers and Grandma L's scarf

While waiting for the weather to improve this weekend, I was able to finally finish some knitting projects, and here they are:

Dr. H's slippers (pre-felted with iPod for scale):


Slippers (post-felting, again with iPod for scale):


Details: These are my oft knitted, Fibertrends Felt Clogs. I used Cascade 220, but you could use any worsted weight, wool yarn. The clogs are knit on size 13 circular needles using two strands of yarn held together. Knitting these slippers actually goes very quickly. I've given several pairs as gifts, and I have been told they're comfortable. This pair is almost ready to go - they just have to dry and have some non-skid coating applied to the soles.

My grandma had requested a warm black eyelash scarf, and I am happy with how this turned out. I used Debbie Bliss alpaca silk in black (gifted to me by a very good friend) knit together with Plymouth Yarn Whisper also in black on size 19 needles. I use this pattern often for scarves, and using such large needles, the project always goes very fast. For you scarf knitters out there that would like to try this pattern, email me, and I will send it to you!

Here is Grandma L's scarf (I like this scarf much more than I like the photographs. My photography skills definitely leave something to be desired.)


A close up of the stitch pattern.


Ready to be mailed!

Enough already

So, for those of you keeping track of the weather in Iowa, we are currently in the midst of a blizzard as predicted. We received several inches of snow last night - think maybe 8-10"? I'm not sure. When I awoke this morning, all the roads (including the interstate) leading in and out of Mason City were either closed or completely covered in snow with travel not advised and towing services prohibited. Good times. So, I am here for tonight - I think things should be better tomorrow. Raul is also stuck in Des Moines - apparently, yesterday visibility was only about 1/4 mile due to the storm.

I want to go home! I am frustrated and somewhat angry at being stranded in Mason City, and I have decided to blame the captains of industry that pumped pollutants into the environment that are warming the jet stream currents that mixed with this front and prompted it to drop 10 inches of snow and ice on all the roads between me and Iowa City. Despite my Al Gore inspired rant (and he is quite the inspirational figure), apparently storms of this nature are not completely unheard of in these parts. During the many hours I spent listening to NPR this morning, I learned that the word blizzard originated in Iowa (not a surprise) and a similar storm swept through this area back in 1982. All my clinical activities were cancelled today due to inclement weather. I spent my morning knitting, obsessively watching the weather channel, listening to NPR and digging out my car. All and all, it was a grand time. Here are photos:

The car (buried.) I was not excited about the prospect of unearthing the car. I contemplated asking Raul to make a detour through Mason City on his way home to help me clean off the car. I came to my senses and realized I could do it myself.

After 30 minutes of brushing and scraping, here is the finished project. Thankfully, Raul had two mismatched gloves stashed in the car. This work freezes bare hands. And no worries - Raul just reminded me that I need to clean the snow off the taillights.

Here is a completed mitten for the right hand. I wore it on the walk to the hospital this afternoon, and my right hand was quite toasty. Hopefully, I will get to start and finished the mate soon (my left hand was cold.)