I'm still here

Four days later. . .

One blood transfusion, one small chipped tooth, four episodes of projectile vomiting (despite a naso-gastric tube and every possible anti-nausea drug), and nearly a foot of snow later, and I'm still here.

I've mentioned to some that I never underestimated the invasiveness of maxillomandibular advancement surgery (with genioplasty, we opted for it after all), but I seriously overestimated my own recuperative abilities.

Folks, I'll be the first to say that I totally got my rear kicked.

Fortunately, I'm not wired shut. I could have had to vomit through a wire grill. I'm very swollen and you would not recognize me yet. I'm plated 'til Kingdom Come, but I can get my mouth open far enough for ice cream. :o)

That's all for now. No pic. It's too gruesome.

Headline commentary

I have taken out 2 bags of trash, cleaned out the fridge, done 2 loads of laundry, ran the dish, and scrubbed the shower. Tomorrow I clean the commode (I have to mentally prepare myself for that). It can mean only two things: either I'm going away for a while, or Mom's coming to visit.

Actually, it's both. I leave Sharkville Saturday and go home and go under the knife Tuesday. I'll be home for 2 weeks and then Mom comes back with me. Hopefully we are both alive by the end of it (this statement has many levels of meaning here).

I'm working on Lara, Take III. It's a long story and I'm not ready to show pix yet.

But I *did* feel compelled to comment on the crazy NASA atronaut love triangle diaper thing. How much of an ego boost was it for that guy to find out one of his love interests was willing to kill off the competition and keep him all to herself?? Any wonder why guys think we (single) women will just fall all over them?

And what's up with calling Nowak a "homewrecker?" (Not that I condone her supposed actions, just bear with me here.) Last I checked, her love interest had already been separated or divorced for several YEARS. He wrecked THAT home himself. And HOW MANY MEN do you hear being called "homewrecker"? Why is it always the woman's fault? Doesn't it take two to tango?

I don't consider myself a feminist, but I WILL point out the double standard when I see it.

Another Finished Object!

Another skill I wanted to try while redoing Aunt Mem's scarf was the Russian join. I really, really hate loose ends, and I'm never happy with how they get woven in for a scarf. You just can't camouflage them any way you try. So I did my homework on the net and this is what I got: Try to find it now!

(Hint: It's in the upper right-hand corner!)

The Russian join is a revelation! I love it!! As Jess says, I luuurve it!

Some fringe to finish it (and me) off. . .

And a very smug me.
Pattern: None, really, just a basic texture stitch.
Measurements (no gauge needed!): 53 stitches wide (9 inches) by 60 inches long, knit on US6s.
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool, about 3 skeins, color "petal pink"

In case you were wondering, Mem is NOT her real name. We'll just keep that a secret to protect the innocent.

My thoughts exactly

I stumbled upon this post and wanted to share it with you because it articulates so many feelings I've had lately.

I suppose it helps to tell you my story of how I became a knitter. I feel like I'm in church giving my testimonial or something, which is another rant altogether. Anyways, like most of us knitters, my darling mother knit and was the one who taught me to knit. My mother was raised in a strict Mennonite family (I should post a picture on this but that will be another time) and somehow never caught the quilting bug, so knitting it was! When I was nine, she taught me to knit, purl, and cable. One day, I actually took my knitting on the bus to school. Yes, I was a full-blown nerd.

Knitting fell by the wayside as I progressed through college and med school and now that I have some "spare time" (a really funny phrase to me) while I'm doing research in the middle of my residency, I decided to pick knitting up again. It was now, or never. I basically had to re-learn everything, not having Mutti handy. I completed my first full-on cable sweater from IK a few months after that (it required reading a chart, which I basically taught myself to do by trial and error).

Knitting is hard, but it's NOT impossible. I think the biggest secret out there is that cabling is hard (i.e. "Cables Untangled")--I personally think it's the easiest thing out there, easier than lace knitting, easier than sock or glove knitting. It's deceptively simple, because it looks so amazing when done right. Lace knitting took some work to wrap my brain around (after 6 months of knitting) but I did that, too. I have no desire to do socks or gloves--they are too time-consuming and will ultimately be full of holes.

I'm tired of seeing books titled "quick and easy" or "I can't believe I'm knitting" or "funky chunky." Because even beginners can do the tricky stuff. It might be challenging on occasion, but it's not rocket science, so stop making it seem like it is and that we aren't capable of doing it!

And what's up with the plain oversized bags-comme-sweaters?? I want something intricate and well-shaped. I want it to look professional, like I might have bought it at a store, but better than that, because store-bought items often cheat you out of details on the arms or the backs of sweaters. I really want to blow people's minds away when they compliment me on a sweater, and then find out I made it. I don't think I do that very often, but I may have come close with Pam.

So there you have it.