WIPS update April 2023

I've had quite the busy 1st quarter, but I did have some travel time and that means knitting. 

I've started on a vest for my husband using scraps from a Knitted Wit grab bag of DK minis from a few years back, and it is so addicting to knit on! 

I've also been working on some OMG socks in Woolens and Nosh in the colorway "I've brought you Flowers".

My travel knitting to our AAO conference in Colorado was two-at-a-time socks out of a Sweet Georgia Yarns sock blank. 

Hope everyone is doing well! 

-ZT

New WIPs, FOs, and some Family Medicine thoughts

I'm mid-way through my first month of Family Medicine, and while it has been interesting, it has also been a LOT of work, mentally and physically. Thus, I haven't been online as much. (At least, on Blogger. Ravelry is another thing all together.That's phone-time.) But here are some mid-family-medicine-month thoughts, and knitting progress:

<Med school/non-knitting notes> Family Medicine is a LOT of work. Orthopedic Surgery was a lot of work, but it was different: I was mostly assisting the surgeon in the cases, so I just needed to anticipate the tools they'd need in the surgeries, and try not to tremble too much when retracting fascia back for a long time. However, in Family Medicine, I am basically seeing patients on my own. My preceptor sees a TON of patients, so we start right at 7am in rounds at the hospital, then start at the office by 7:40 or 8am, and then see about 20-30 patients in the course of 4 hours. It is insane, but it also has allowed me more autonomy. I go into the rooms on my own, introduce myself as a student doctor, and then ask the patient if it would be okay for me to take their blood pressure and ask them a few questions before the doctor comes in. I reassure them that the doctor would be coming in afterwards, but that I am there to learn and also that it would speed things along. Then, I go through a do an H&P, ask about medications and allergies, and then do a physical exam. I try my best with the assessment and plan, and then ask if they have any concerns. Usually, I can get through most of the exam before the physician comes in. It's mentally tiring to do what I've never done before, but little by little I am able to get through more of it, which is encouraging.Sometimes, I even get to do a little bit of counseling, like today, when I counseled a patient with severe sleep apnea to start wearing his mask more often, as it is most likely the cause of his erectile dysfunction, leg swelling, and headaches. By the end of the visit, he was promising me that he would wear his mask. I don't know if he will actually do it, but it is encouraging to know that I can make some sort of difference just by taking the time to listen to him and talking with him. I know that I need to study more and study harder so that I will be able to make more accurate diagnoses, but I love what I do right now. </notes>

Now, for the knitting: I was a bad med student and knit all the afternoons after work last week, so I have quite a few finished objects! I finally finished my Felici Socks, which I worked on during my first ever knitting circle (more on that in the next post). They were finished just in time, too, as I needed my US 1.5 circular needles for the Knitting Through the Loops knit-a-long, which is another new thing for me. I am trying to be more adventurous and try new things, so this has been one of those experiences. Anyways, here is a pic of the Felici Socks, knit from KnitPicks Felici in the Sorbet colorway:

I ended up doing two different heels, since I wanted to try different heels. These were my first afterthought heels, which I think I don't like as much as the traditional hell flap and gusset socks, as it is harder for me to do the math on the length of the foot. Both of these socks ended up being a bit bigger than I anticipated. I did a Lara Neel Fork in the Road/thumb-joint hat top heel on the right, and a modified Sox Therapist Fish Lips Kiss Heel on the left. Both of these socks were knit cuff down.

I also finished my Chunky Socks, which were knit from some Ella Rae yarn I got on discount from Tuesday Morning. They are 100% wool, which is nice. I did a Sweet Tomato Heel on one, and I can't remember how I did the other heel. Truly. I can't. Both of these socks were knit toe-up, and these were my first toe up socks. I did do them magic loop, but I did them one at a time, as my needles were not long enough for two at a time. 

Finally, WIPs: 

I finished the first sock of my brother's Baronial socks, which, after much urging and bribing, he modeled it for me: 

I'm still working on the second sock, also knit toe-up, but it is hard to knit a sock when the foot I need to fit is never around to try it. 

My other WIP is also for my brother (See the pattern? I finish my own socks and my brother's socks are WIPS. Mostly his own fault, How can I knit if he won't try them on as I am going?) These are stash-busters, and my first pair of deliberate striped socks:

It has definitely been an interested few weeks, and I can't wait to see what else I can learn this year!

First Post!

I should introduce myself, so um, hi! I'm ZT, and I wanted to start this blog to catalogue and keep track of my various craft projects. I've been involved in various crafting projects throughout my childhood, from knitting to sewing clothes for my dolls, but I've always drifted a bit, and I've always been in the midst of several projects at once, often forgetting one when I pick up another.

So, hopefully this will help me to be more organized and prevent too many UFO (UnFinished Objects) from piling up. Here are my current projects:

1. Quilt Blocks. I just began learning about quilting, and I've made a couple of blocks so far. I'm making them to be 9" blocks. So far, I've completed a nine-patch, and I'm working on a sawtooth star.

2. ScrapBooking: I just started working on scrapbooking, and I've made one layout about the Kid Rock concert I attended and second layout about the various antics I've gotten up to at home. The current planned layouts are:

a. Grandmother's family in the north

b. Walking in Shanghai

c. Beijing Times

3. Knitting: I'm almost finished with my scarves for the Special Olympics, which, unfortunately, are actually already over, but at least now I know to allocate more time next year. I think I'll sew them onto my knitting blanket, which had sadly fallen to the wayside when Olympic fever got the best of me.

4. Embroidery: I have three finished kits, but I have about seven that I meant to start, and a lighthouse design dedicated to my grandfather that still needs outlining. I mean to incorporate some of the kits into a designed quilt, but I think that will have to wait until my quilting skills improve.

5. Stamping/card making: I got so excited about Lawn Fawn stamps and Nicole Magouirk's online lessons that I started making some cards. I have some Lawn Fawn stamps ordered that are in the mail, so I've yet to actually start making them with stamps. I can't wait to try!

I think that is it so far. Whew! There are so many projects going on, but it is a busy, happy time. Hopefully, this is a journey that we will go on together, and perhaps even learn something along the way.