Matrix Complete!

I do love a good hummos. Last night was Kitchen Gymnastics again. Along with the hummos, I made a pumpkin pie/pumpkin pudding. Well, my mother made the pie crust and I've saved it in my freezer. The "pudding" was leftover filling that I simply baked. Unfortunately, in my efforts to avoid egg yolks (they are anathema to me, even as a child I freaked out by the "yolk" in Cadbury eggs) I added too many whites (5) and not enough yolks (1, the recipe called for 4 whole eggs, gag). I figure I can camouflage it with a lot of whipped cream.

As for the hummos, I wing it. I had been following a recipe I found on the internet, but I've already modified it so many times that I didn't even get it out. I use canned chickpeas. I save the hassle of soaking them, plus when I get a craving, I can make it on the spot (I always have a can or six at hand). This time I added coriander, ginger, garam masala, chili powder, turmeric, salt, pepper, and cumin. Lots and lots of cumin. And then a little more. What a delicious spice. Especially the roasted seeds-oh, heaven!!

So, without further ado, here is Matrix in all her glory. The pattern is from Adriafil, a past winter issue. It's been the funnest thing I've knit so far (which isn't much). Knit in the round, with double strands of pale blue yarn (more of a sky blue, not quite so violet), no neck stitches to pick up. I was quite fearful that it might not fit. Between the decreases in between cables and the big 4-cable crossover, the waist is really cinched. I was so certain that it was too small, I conditionally (i.e., if I couldn't stretch it out in the blocking process) offered it to a coworker, who is so lithe and svelte. Sorry, M, it fits!

Let me count the ways I love this sweater.

Cables on the back, too...















And I ESPECIALLY love how the cables splay over my toosh. I don't have a remarkable one, but there is a narrow rangle of angles at which it looks attractive, if I do say so myself. And Matrix either extends that range of angles, or does something.... Ah, glory!

No, that is not a love handle. Those are stretch marks. In the sweater, not me.





Here is a close-up of the crossover. Guess what I'm wearing to work tomorrow!

I've a problem

Feeling rather uninspired when it comes to blogging of late. I'd rather just post pictures/photos. After all, a picture says a thousand. . . yeah, yeah, yeah.

Nothing new with Carpenter. I have yet to bite the bullet and finish the other sleeve.

I decided to start this instead.

. . .which led to this

And then I decided to start this fitted ribbed bodice sweater (also from A Treasury of Rowan Knits, like Carpenter)

on US 3's no less. Look carefully, this model is in serious need of support.

Hmmmm. . .I seem to be going through a blue phase. Didn't a lot of great artists????

Match Day Results!!

Match Day for 4th year medical students around the country was March 17. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Match Day, a brief explanation---in their 4th year, medical students send out applications all over the country to residency programs they like, which they can then interview with, upon invitation only. This usually involves flying all over the country at the student's own expense (to about 12-15 interviews). At the end, students submit a "Rank List" with their favorite programs in order, and the programs also submit a "Rank List" of their favorite students, to a central computer site. A computer matches students to programs who ranked each other #1, etc. etc. until everyone is matched.

This is EXTREMELY stressful, because students have no final say in where they go. The computer program has the final say. There is no backing out, either. Everything is legally binding. So on Match Day, students find out if they matched at all, and where they matched, where they will be spending 3 to five years of their lives slaving away as a resident. Yes they get paid, minimally, and they work about 80 hours a week (the pay works out to less than minimum wage when you figure it per hour).

So, here are the results for the students who rotated through our lab (they all matched in surgical programs):

Stephen--Oregon Univ. Health Sciences, Portland, Oregon
Jenn--Medical Univ. South Carolina, Charleston, SC
Jason--University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Courtney--Indiana Univ., Indaianpolis, IN

These are all great places.

CONGRATS TO EVERYONE!!!

Lovey Dovey

I have new neighbors. (My mother will love this.)

Carpenter progresses slo-o-o-o-o-wly. I'm preparing everything for DC, which is comsuming me.

So much for the Harlot's Project Monogamy Theory.

Finally

Thank goodness! I finally managed to get some links posted. Thank you, Liz for your advice, and Mel for your offers, but I got it on my own, after banging my head against the wall long enough. Even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then.

Carpenter progresses. I realized since I knitted it in the round, I have an extra stitch on each side which should have been eliminated thru seaming. So I seamed the body, even though it was already connected. Now it's not oversized, in fact, it fits perfectly!

I have one arm to seam and sew into place, and the cord to make. Maybe I'll finish tonight. Pix soon.

Stuck (&uck!)

I'm stuck. For some reason, I cannot seam the other sleeve. It doesn't help that I somehow miscounted the number of stitches I cast on and so it's one stitch larger for a few inches. You would think that I just move the seam over one stitch....Not so easy. My brain has refused to adapt. In fact, I need to re-block it because it's totally distorted from all my attempts. I'll just have to content myself with making the cord and focusing on the little things:

I've asked Franklin (www.the-panopticon.blogspot.com) for advice on posting my fave links on the side..... I hope to hear from him soon! (THIS MEANS YOU!) Thank you, Franklin!

Carpenter

I started working on this over the weekend

and now have this

It's a little oversized, which I wanted, but I think it may be a bit too oversized. I'm hoping once I've seamed on the sleeves that it can take a trip thru the dryer without incident. Sorry for the sideways photo, I'm a novice when it comes to these things and in a hurry for work (I post over my morning coffee). Thank goodness I'm doing research, I love the flexibility (within reason, of course) !

Yesterday I thought we had a super early (by Jaws' standards) research meeting, followed by a big mouse sacrifice. So I hauled @$$ to get there on time, but it was canceled! Oy. The sacrifice was still on, tho. (yes, sacrifice. we even do a little chant and dance around them in warpaint. just kidding). So, wearing scrubs, I decided to wear the Aran Pullover I knit but still haven't posted photos of, because it is super warm. I had to do some sewing on the arm seams before I left the apartment, because Kristin Nicholas designed this sweater for women with Hadassah arms. What are those, you ask? Does this give you a clue?

Hadassah arms are arms that keep waving once you have stopped. The photo in Interweave Knits didn't give me any hint that this would happen when I knit it. Dirty trick. (Hadassah arms is really a misnomer---in the Old Testament, Haddassah is the Hebrew name for Queen Esther, who was essentially Miss Persian Empire after the Persian ruler killed his first wife for not getting naked for his cronies. So I doubt Hadassah had Hadassah arms. For more on that story, click here http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/0698/wurtzel/essay.html).

OK, I must be responsible and get to work.

KO II

There, now, doesn't this look better?

So while I've managed to find the right size needles, I now have my doubts about the yarn. I think it may be a little too thick (it's worsted weight). Maybe I'll use it instead to knit this from Cast On:



But I am quite proud of my handiwork, I'd hate to lose it!! Here are some close-ups.

*Sigh.* What to do . . . ?

Meanwhile, my ribbed eyelet vintage sweater has gone from this

To this:

I think I'm having commitment issues.

Knitting Olympics

See the problem? How 'bout now?

This is why I didn't finish. I fought every stitch, every time.

Do you have any idea just HOW EXCITED I am to be able to post pix?

Mazel Tov II

Whelp. I've had it and officially moved. Let's hope this blogging site works better than the last....And let's hope all my problems weren't from my own weaknesses in manipulating computers....Sort of like when you date and keep finding new people, but the relationship problems continue because it's you and not them....Not like this has actually happened to me...