Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Stripey Summer Socks
I am nothing if not consistent.
And I am consistently drawn to colors a 5 year old would choose. But these look nice and summery. That's all I really have to say in defense of these socks. That, and the yarn was on sale.
Just your basic top down socks, with a garter stitch heel flap. I do really like the thick stripes this makes. In retrospect, I wish I had chosen an afterthought heel so I didn't mess up the striping, but I still think it came out okay.
However, one can only have so many pink, obnoxious socks. Even I'm getting tired of it, and cast on plain black.
In Summary:
Pattern: 64 sts, 2x2 ribbing, garter stitch heel flap, regular toe
Yarn: Trekking XXL (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon)
Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm) dpn
Time: About two weeks of light knitting
Cost: $11
And I am consistently drawn to colors a 5 year old would choose. But these look nice and summery. That's all I really have to say in defense of these socks. That, and the yarn was on sale.
Just your basic top down socks, with a garter stitch heel flap. I do really like the thick stripes this makes. In retrospect, I wish I had chosen an afterthought heel so I didn't mess up the striping, but I still think it came out okay.
However, one can only have so many pink, obnoxious socks. Even I'm getting tired of it, and cast on plain black.
In Summary:
Pattern: 64 sts, 2x2 ribbing, garter stitch heel flap, regular toe
Yarn: Trekking XXL (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon)
Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm) dpn
Time: About two weeks of light knitting
Cost: $11
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Sarah's Continuing Comical Medical Adventures.
In case you're the sort of person that likes to skip to the end of a mystery book, this story ends with 8 EMT's, an ambulance, and a firetruck. Ready?
There has a been a blood drive at the lab the past two days, and I decided I would give today. I'm type O, so I sort of feel obliged to. In the past, this has not gone well. I have been rejected at all stages of the screening process (okay, except for the part where they ask you if you'd had sex for money) including: not weighing enough, not eating enough, not having enough iron, having had a tattoo, low blood pressure, and unconsciousness. However, for some strange reason I remain undaunted. Or maybe a little daunted, but determined anyway. Each time, it seems like I make it one step further.
This time, I passed all the tests and made it into the vampires' lair. Last time they actually got about half a pint out of me before I went down into the aforementioned unconsciousness. I warned them that I get queasy and faint like a Victorian woman, so they took extra precautions. They had me lying full down, with the fan and several cold cloths on me from the very beginning.
There were actually really gentle with me, and I made it through the actual blood giving part without much incident. So, victory for me, I finally made it.
Unfortunately, my reaction to injury is to get queasy. I have absolutely no idea how my ancestors ever survived with this trait. It seems like a bad idea, evolution. So I could handle the mild pain of the needle inside me, but when I had to put pressure on my own arm, the nausea started to hit me. I got dizzy, I got weak, all those fun things. But they reapplied some cloths, gave me some Gatorade, and it seemed like I was okay. I took lots of time afterwards, I really did, but I guess it wasn't enough.
I was doing okay until I went out to the snack session. I had an orange juice and some cookies, and all that food that fast, right after a big lunch and the previous incident, led to a bit of a relapse. I started feeling a little icky again, and put my head down on the table.
Well, this was apparently cause for alarm. They convinced me I needed to lie down on the kindergarten style mat they had dragged out for me. This was in the middle of the foyer of the main building at work, so people were walking past me on the way to the bank, etc. But they came back with the fan and cold cloths, and that was nice, and I was starting to feel much better again. However, apparently when someone goes down on the floor, they have to call the EMT's.
At first, the doctor from the medical office showed up. I could understand that, it was just down the hall from where I was. Then the EMT's started showing up. First it was just one, taking my blood pressure. Then another one came, and decided I needed an oxygen mask. Then suddenly, the room was swarming with them. I wondered where they all came from and glanced outside. There was the ambulance and the fire truck. I don't recall being on fire, but it could have happened.
This was a high quality overreaction as only a government institution can do. When the EMT's asked me how I felt, I answered, "Silly." I was lying on the middle of the main building's floor, surrounded by medical personnel, wearing an oxygen mask and several bandages. They asked me drunk-test questions (name, rank, and ID number), many questions about my medical history, and hauled me off in a wheelchair(!) the 100 feet down the hall to the medical office. There, they tested my blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar, etc, all over again, went though a lot of paper work, and finally let me go. I caught the lab shuttle back to my office, and I've been just fine.
It was all extremely silly, but at least the EMT and doctor were cute.
Yeah, I'll go back to showing you knitting someday.
There has a been a blood drive at the lab the past two days, and I decided I would give today. I'm type O, so I sort of feel obliged to. In the past, this has not gone well. I have been rejected at all stages of the screening process (okay, except for the part where they ask you if you'd had sex for money) including: not weighing enough, not eating enough, not having enough iron, having had a tattoo, low blood pressure, and unconsciousness. However, for some strange reason I remain undaunted. Or maybe a little daunted, but determined anyway. Each time, it seems like I make it one step further.
This time, I passed all the tests and made it into the vampires' lair. Last time they actually got about half a pint out of me before I went down into the aforementioned unconsciousness. I warned them that I get queasy and faint like a Victorian woman, so they took extra precautions. They had me lying full down, with the fan and several cold cloths on me from the very beginning.
There were actually really gentle with me, and I made it through the actual blood giving part without much incident. So, victory for me, I finally made it.
Unfortunately, my reaction to injury is to get queasy. I have absolutely no idea how my ancestors ever survived with this trait. It seems like a bad idea, evolution. So I could handle the mild pain of the needle inside me, but when I had to put pressure on my own arm, the nausea started to hit me. I got dizzy, I got weak, all those fun things. But they reapplied some cloths, gave me some Gatorade, and it seemed like I was okay. I took lots of time afterwards, I really did, but I guess it wasn't enough.
I was doing okay until I went out to the snack session. I had an orange juice and some cookies, and all that food that fast, right after a big lunch and the previous incident, led to a bit of a relapse. I started feeling a little icky again, and put my head down on the table.
Well, this was apparently cause for alarm. They convinced me I needed to lie down on the kindergarten style mat they had dragged out for me. This was in the middle of the foyer of the main building at work, so people were walking past me on the way to the bank, etc. But they came back with the fan and cold cloths, and that was nice, and I was starting to feel much better again. However, apparently when someone goes down on the floor, they have to call the EMT's.
At first, the doctor from the medical office showed up. I could understand that, it was just down the hall from where I was. Then the EMT's started showing up. First it was just one, taking my blood pressure. Then another one came, and decided I needed an oxygen mask. Then suddenly, the room was swarming with them. I wondered where they all came from and glanced outside. There was the ambulance and the fire truck. I don't recall being on fire, but it could have happened.
This was a high quality overreaction as only a government institution can do. When the EMT's asked me how I felt, I answered, "Silly." I was lying on the middle of the main building's floor, surrounded by medical personnel, wearing an oxygen mask and several bandages. They asked me drunk-test questions (name, rank, and ID number), many questions about my medical history, and hauled me off in a wheelchair(!) the 100 feet down the hall to the medical office. There, they tested my blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar, etc, all over again, went though a lot of paper work, and finally let me go. I caught the lab shuttle back to my office, and I've been just fine.
It was all extremely silly, but at least the EMT and doctor were cute.
Yeah, I'll go back to showing you knitting someday.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Attention World
My mom has a blog.
Go see her artwork, pictures of the animals and funny stories about Marigold.
And who knows, she might update more often than I do.
Go see her artwork, pictures of the animals and funny stories about Marigold.
And who knows, she might update more often than I do.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Stripey Socks
I am displeased with blogger. This picture came out just fine on the camera and on flickr, but it's really doing something weird in here. For a better view, go see it there.
Anyway, these are some super basic socks I finished up while I was in DC, so nearly a month ago. I've just been so lazy with the blogging.
This is not really my usual colorway. I don't remember buying it, I don't know why I bought it, and I'm not entirely sure why I knit it right now. It's not like I don't have a million other sock yarns in the stash. I think I was just in the mood for something self striping.
It's the usual formula, plain stockinette with a little ribbing at the top. The only change up here is the improvised German heel. I'm not claiming it's a real German heel, because I don't know much about it. I do know that the first and last three stitches of the heel flap are in garter stitch, and the rest is in stockinette. I think that's the defining characteristic of that type of heel, but part of me suspects there's more to it.
Anyway, these are some super basic socks I finished up while I was in DC, so nearly a month ago. I've just been so lazy with the blogging.
This is not really my usual colorway. I don't remember buying it, I don't know why I bought it, and I'm not entirely sure why I knit it right now. It's not like I don't have a million other sock yarns in the stash. I think I was just in the mood for something self striping.
It's the usual formula, plain stockinette with a little ribbing at the top. The only change up here is the improvised German heel. I'm not claiming it's a real German heel, because I don't know much about it. I do know that the first and last three stitches of the heel flap are in garter stitch, and the rest is in stockinette. I think that's the defining characteristic of that type of heel, but part of me suspects there's more to it.
I've tried really hard to capture my improvised German heel, but I can only contort so far, and it doesn't look right on the sock blocker. I need a Cookie A style model foot.
Nothing to sing about, but a nice pair of socks. I may find more use for them than I'd think. I do really like that kind of heel, and will probably use it again.
In summary:
Yarn: Schoeller and Stahl something or another (I'll look this up later), basic sock yarn, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon, 450ish yards.
Needles: Size US 1 (2.25 mm) dpns
Pattern: CO 64 sts, about an inch of 2x2 ribbing, stockinette cuff and instep, improvised German heel, standard toe.
Time: About two weeks of random knitting
Cost: Probably about $18 for the yarn. Although it was probably less, because I'm pretty sure I only would have bought this yarn on sale.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Okay, okay
I've been a bad blogger. Really bad. But I have a good excuse for the last few days (I'll ignore the rest of this month) because I went to St. Louis this weekend! And then I found five dollars.
Not only did I go to St. Louis this weekend, I went to crash a physics conference. No, ladies and gentlemen, it does not get any nerdier than that. But a bunch of my friends were going, including some from far away that I never get to see.
Also, not that I am bitter, but approximately 8 years ago, my high school choir took a trip to St. Louis. We sang at the Six Flags there (why, I've not yet figured out, but it was a free trip, so I wasn't complaining). Now, I do not ride roller coasters, so Six Flags holds little thrill for me. The arch, being a catenary and all, on the other hand, is very exciting, and I have a compulsion to climb to the top of monuments. Did we get to go to the arch? Nope. No one thought something culturally and mathematically relevant would be a good thing to take the students to. I got to watch people ride coasters. Making it to the top of the arch has been on my mental to do list for 8 entirely non-bitter years. Well, I finally did it, and it was a crazy experience.
I also got to spend the entire weekend hanging out and bar hopping with friends, and even sitting in on a few relevant physics talks. I now have few regrets about St. Louis. I would have liked to ride a paddle wheel river boat, but the Mississippi was too flooded. I would have liked to tour the Budweiser brewery, but it's really crappy beer anyway. No, picking up and driving the 4 hours to St. Louis on a whim ranks among one of my better decisions lately. At least until the credit card bill comes.
Not only did I go to St. Louis this weekend, I went to crash a physics conference. No, ladies and gentlemen, it does not get any nerdier than that. But a bunch of my friends were going, including some from far away that I never get to see.
Also, not that I am bitter, but approximately 8 years ago, my high school choir took a trip to St. Louis. We sang at the Six Flags there (why, I've not yet figured out, but it was a free trip, so I wasn't complaining). Now, I do not ride roller coasters, so Six Flags holds little thrill for me. The arch, being a catenary and all, on the other hand, is very exciting, and I have a compulsion to climb to the top of monuments. Did we get to go to the arch? Nope. No one thought something culturally and mathematically relevant would be a good thing to take the students to. I got to watch people ride coasters. Making it to the top of the arch has been on my mental to do list for 8 entirely non-bitter years. Well, I finally did it, and it was a crazy experience.
I also got to spend the entire weekend hanging out and bar hopping with friends, and even sitting in on a few relevant physics talks. I now have few regrets about St. Louis. I would have liked to ride a paddle wheel river boat, but the Mississippi was too flooded. I would have liked to tour the Budweiser brewery, but it's really crappy beer anyway. No, picking up and driving the 4 hours to St. Louis on a whim ranks among one of my better decisions lately. At least until the credit card bill comes.
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