surviving the Fire Swamp and pansy showers

first off, thanks to everyone for the support after my last post. it appears to have been a drug reaction! i have been able to wean off of a couple medications since the longer-onset allergy/asthma treatments have achieved full efficacy and am happy to report that the pain has mostly lifted. i think Travy is even happier than i am - he says that i no longer seem to be struggling just to live through the day, that i seem a lot more like i am actually alive instead of just barely living. it will probably still be a long road to fully regaining my 'me', but it is nice to be able to see 'around' the pain.

because Travy will not be able to get time off at Christmas, i sent him home to Colorado for Thanksgiving. i couldn't go anywhere since i am on clinics, but it is not the first Thanksgiving i have spent 'alone'. my service ended up with a number of inpatients so i spent a fair bit of time at the hospital, especially Thursday/Friday. mainly i have spent my 'holiday' navigating the swamp of impending deadlines, lectures, and research work. it took most of Thursday, Friday and a good part of Saturday, but i finally feel i have tamed most of my ROUS's.

...enough so that i was able to make a run to Home Depot yesterday. i have been looking forward to Tennessee winter so eagerly because it brings the Tennessee winter annual. the pansy. i love pansies. actually, i love all of the flower-faced flowers- pansies, violas and violets.

with as poorly as i have been feeling, i was starting to worry i would not get to have my own pansies. it shouldn't come as surprise, therefore, that i kinda overshot with the flower purchases. not that it is possible to have too many pansies but the space available to me really does not wish to accommodate two flats each of violas and pansies with an additional flat of Dusty Miller for good measure. so i did what any sane person would- i planted every inch of space available in my yard and then rang my elderly neighbor's doorbell.

her: Yes?
me: Hi! I kind of overshot with the pansies and was wondering whether you would like me to plant some in your yard.
her: Um. It is a little chippy out. Are you sure you aren't catching a chill?
me: No, no. I'm fine. Plenty warm. But I still have a lot of flowers. So I was wondering whether you would like me to plant some for you...?
her: [trying to subtly place herself a little more squarely behind her door] So, what was your name? I seem to have forgotten.
me: Jacqui. So... would you like some pansies?
her: Well, I don't really take care of things but if you think they won't need care... I guess you could plant them.
me: Great!
her: [awkward pause] Well, you take care.
me: You too! Have a great weekend.

i planted a lot of pansies in her yard and still ended up digging out an additional flower pot to finish them off. i was going to put the pot on her porch but decided that might be a little too much for her.

last night, after i finished up my chores and a battled a few more ROUS's, i kicked off the annual 'Drown myself in Christmas movies' marathon. yesterday's new find was A Grandpa for Christmas with Ernest Borgnine. it seems wrong somehow to compare them, but his demeanor and mannerisms reminded me so much of Mickey that it was almost like she wasn't so far away. i miss her miss keenly this year... i think last year there was still so much shock that i couldn't exactly feel my response to her absence.

i was also able to finish up some spinning and take pictures of all my recent crafting... dig.

Meet the 70s sock weight:


No. 2 fingering weight (carbonized bamboo):


Rodeo skies sport weight:


Rodeo skies bulky:


there is knitting content as well.

Christmas socks:


Mystic Waters lace:


today i have some reading to do about Ankylosing Spondylitis for two of my dearest and most beloved friends. [no, i didn't forget. i just haven't been able to think well enough at the end of the day to do this sooner.]

where we celebrate the headache

today i went to see the internist who also took my headache seriously. so seriously, in fact, that she ordered a same-day CT scan. six stress-filled hours, three work projects, and the first half of a sock foot knit, frogged and rebuilt, later...

i am proud to report that although my mind may sometimes be dirty, my brain is clean!

so tonight i am celebrating that i have a headache because - although we haven't figured out how to get rid of it yet - headache is certainly a big step closer to healthy than brain tumor would be.

here i bring you Harvest Gourds... i'm calling it that because the colors are true to all those random squashes with which holiday tables are festooned. it is 4 oz BFL from the painted sheep in colorway Tiger Lily, final WPI=16. there is about 500 yards. it also is the first yarn i have spun on my new wheel (wheeeeeeee!) and my first experience with double drive. given those caveats, i am pretty happy.

odd ends

my productivity has been poor, both craft-and life-wise, because i continue to struggle with the headache that will not die. two weeks ago, i realized it had been pretty much six weeks with no respite. the allergy meds had finally kicked in but the pain remained...

bummer.

[copious whining redacted]

in the end, the allergist scripted me antibiotics for sinus infection. the pharmacist was impressed with the dose and duration. keep your fingers crossed.

which is a long way of saying, anything i have been trying to do the last two weeks is late and probably not done yet since my head still hurts.

craft updates:

Sweet Peas are blocked and lovely. blocking wires made the blocking so much faster and less painful.

Pumpkin Eater after setting the twist. 3 ply of Suffolk, Suffolk and tussah silk. 17 WPI. perfect for socks.

baby blankie for charity. brainless. allowed me to control nervous energy during meetings without herniating brain.


and i completely missed politics this election cycle. [tsk]

go vote.

here he is...

My first wheel!!
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

[or at least i think it is a he. ]

my first wheel.

SQUEEE!!!!!!!

SAFF was a delight overall, though i was shocked and somewhat dismayed to discover i came home with less than $100 of fiber and yarn, once presents were set aside. [Travy is very disappointed in my lack of stash accumulation, esp since i spent the entire night before planning and packing like i was headed on an arctic expedition.]

i was well-rewarded for waiting on a wheel until i could try them all. i really really thought i would be buying the Majacraft Rose but i did not like her, not at all. it came down to the Lendrum and the handsome devil you see here. after much debate, i ended up committing to my new boyfriend, the Schacht DT Matchless. while i was at it, i also picked up a superfast whorl and two fast bobbins.

Pumpkin eater
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

i had dragged my toes on plying up my October SAL and so was able to enjoy using my new fella and a tensioned Lazy Kate for the job. i am incredibly pleased with the yarn. it is 2 plies of the space-dyed Suffolk with one ply of tussah silk from Abby's Yarns. the twist is currently setting and the WPI to follow thereafter.

this weekend i also managed to finish the Sweet Pea stole. only blocking remains. hopefully my lace wires will arrive before i exhaust my tolerance for its current crumpled form. i cast on a crocheted baby blankie for charity and a a second project toward my Christmas goals. [bonus: i learned a new cast-on technique: the Lighter Circular Cast-on. Sweet indeed.]

it is these things that comfort me given the underwhelming interest in the PIF post. if i don't get more sign-ups, perhaps i will just gift Lara thrice?

Pay It Forward

... or if you stop lurking and comment already, you may receive a wonderful treat! :)

after signing up over on Maggie May's* blog, i am exciting to share the PIF game! here is the game:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

so here i am, promising three jacqui-made wonders... don't leave me standing all alone on prom night!

* i know her name isn't Maggie May, but with all the rain, i am in a Vega sort of mood.

Postcard for Burma
Originally uploaded by trudib1974

Courage is grace under pressure. ~Hemingway

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. ~Winston Churchill

Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. ~Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. ~C.S. Lewis

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer. ~George Smith Patton

when i was seventeen,

it was a very good year WPI,
it was a very good year WPI
with narrow gauge for sharp pointy sticks...

so yesterday i finally sat down and determined the WPI for all the yarns i have spun thus far. turns out i am very very consistent. perhaps a little too consistent. in spite of differences in fiber types, plying styles and plying speeds, my WPI were all 18 except for one 16.5. [i also had one 17 but i am pretty sure i subconsciously fudged that because i was disconcerted by all the consistency.]

i think i will be forced to try and spin my next yarn a little thicker.

this, however, is Mallard. it is a wool / silk blend that i bought at my first guild meeting. twelve ounces quietly minding its own business and waiting for me to be ready. i am going to try to keep up with a Spin Along on Ravelry. October's theme is:
Halloween colors / Plying with nubs / Silk (tussah, ingeo, hankies etc)

i didn't think i was ready to go full-on into the theme so i pulled out Mallard to gain some experience with silk. i have spun and plied 8 oz so far and am almost through the last 4. it is turning out quite lovely and a shocking 18 WPI. lol.

once i have completed Mallard, i will be spinning the Suffolk Linda and i dyed and then some silk i have that matches for a final ply together. perhaps afterwards, i will feel comfortable that i can spin the gorgeous silk Denise sent me without totally ruining it.

random joyfulness of the week sent to me from my dear friend Steinie: Snowball rocks out.

in other good news, my continued conscious attempt to limit typing appears to finally be bearing fruit- my arm is way less painful this weekend than it has been in weeks.

Hoover

Hoover
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

My fourth yarn. The wool is a sheep named Hoover, the product of a Romney/Corrie and [i forgot] cross. The roving nigh spun itself. I am pretty darn happy with the improvement in consistency. I forgot my little leftover ball (it wouldn't fit on the bobbins with the rest) when i plied Friday but finished him up Sunday.

Sweet Peas
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

i finally have hit the halfway point on this lace 'scarf'. although i like the pattern, i probably won't do another one like it. it is constructed in stages: knit 1st border, knot middle, knit second border. the borders are 30 stitches long for a total of ~440 rows and the center is 15 rows. the zillion short rows end up taking forever relative to the longer rows. in the future, i will probably try to stick with lace that doesn't have so many short rows.

Saturday i went to a dye-in with Linda. she brought roving from her Suffolk which we dyed in variety of happy yellows and oranges. the first of the rovings i kept is this, which i am looking forward to using for an Halloween themed SAL.

i also found time to start spinning a silk-wool blend that i purchased when i barely had started learning. it is spinning up quite lovely and may actually be fine and regular enough for lacework. we'll see... perhaps i will swatch it for the Mystic Waters KAL. hmm...

Bountilicious

it has been a long wait, i know, but i now bring you the eye candy that i have named:

A huge package of fun from Lara to 'warm' my new house.

A huge package of fun
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

let's move in for a closer look...

Harvest bounty
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

first we have some fiber to aid my new addiction... i call it Harvest Bounty because the colors remind me of the Indian corn with which we used to festoon our door at Thanksgiving. the fiber is 4 oz of targhee top in Fruit Salad from Susan's Spinning Bunny.

Sunny Orchid fingering weight
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

next we have a wonderfully rich fingering weigt yarn named after one my favorite flowers. this is Sunny Orchid- an hand-painted yarn (75% superwash merino, 25% nylon) from Zen Yarn Garden. the colorway truly mirrors the blooms on my Dendrobium. this is particularly nice since i had to leave her behind in Colorado.

Colorado prairie
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

my excitement flits about like a dragonfly but this yarn has remained my constant favorite: 100 gm Hand dyed Suri Blue (50% suri, 50% blue face) from the Fleece Artist. the colors remind me of Colorado in the springtime, when the prairie explode with verdant and varied green in response to the rains. i never got tired of studying that particular interplay of color. this yarn has the same depth and variation. i'll move in closer so you can better appreciate her...

Colorado prairie
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

lovely, isn't she? and so so soft. Travy caught me snuzzling my face in this yarn the other day and asked if he should come back later.

Nerds!
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

Nerds! Gorgeous 100% merino dyed the colors of one my favorite candies! this is definitely going to be socks for me me me! the yarn is so very happy- i know it will make those hard clinic days easier to weather.

Minnesota lakes
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

last of the yarns - but certainly there is no 'least' in the group - is this lovely fine boucle. here is 75 gm of hand spun wool boucle by Robin Pascal. the texture and colorway remind me of the shallows in Minnestoan lakes, where the trees cast purple shadows into the reedy green ripples.

Emergency morale supplies!
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

Emergency morale supplies! i know you were wondering if i had forgotten something, so well-laden was my table, but no! here we have a feast of candies and mints to add zip to my step. i suspect i will save some of these to console my residents when they falter.

but not the pixi stix. those are MINE!

Keychain buddies
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

and look - a keychain sock blocker! those of you who are very observant will realize i now have TWO of these guys.

this is excellent news because it means i can use them to make Christmas ornaments! i am too OCD to make only one. (i know, i know- i am a freak.) tiny Christmas stockings on tiny sock blockers - can't you just picture them?

Fabulous stitch markers
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

apparently Lara has cottoned on to my new forgetful style because she also tucked in some fabulous stitch markers in yummy chocolate brown with rich accent colors. i will be putting these guys to work today!

so thank you again, Lara! thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

i think i am off to cast something on right now!

stupid body

today has been a great day, and yet i am all crankified.

i reject suture (stitches) in my skin. my skin heals but then reopens in pieces to spit out the 'hidden' stitches in all their disgusting glory. being responsible and generally a 'good' patient, i tell my new doctor so she can note it in my file. she, of course, stares in consternation at my file for a few moments and then asks the question i have been assiduously avoiding asking myself...

What will happen if you ever have to have internal stitches, say abdominal surgery?
Well... maybe they could use hemoclips.

this, of course, is not a particularly good answer or intelligent approach. so blammo, now i have to make time to see an allergist.

which was today.

this is all well and good, really, since i have miserable allergies anyway and could use a better regimen than excessive layering of antihistamines. the allergist, of course, had no real insight regarding the suture issue. she is thorough, however, and used a comprehensive diagnostic approach. unfortunately, the upshot of this was that she determined i have mild asthma.

now, i have suspected this for a couple of years given my perception of bronchospasm in certain hiking altitudes and my inability to breathe around bathroom cleaners.* that doesn't mean i was really ready to have someone else know it or - more importantly- diagnose it. this, of course, devolved into a ridiculous panic attack, made worse by albuterol-induced jitters, that i am going to die an horrible death like my grandmother.

i am better now, but getting over the hump required a semi-choate call to my mom and a generous slice of carrot cake.

*Sheepie style i did not share this information but they caught me out with routine spirometry. darn them.

Desert storm
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

on the very much upside, though, word has leaked to me that the big external grant proposal i slaved on in July is going to be funded for the most part. this is HUGE, amazing news. i also have started thinking about a third grant (number 2 was submitted ~10 days ago) that would be a fun collaborative effort.

so, enough babble. what's in the photos? (yes, i can hear you from over here.)

these are my recent (2nd and 3rd) spinning attempts. Desert storm is Australian Merino, 2 ply. i just love the mango yellow color and would spin just that for ages. the skeins don't 'match' because i did not know to split the whole darn roving, spin through onto one bobbin and then spin through the other split on the second. instead, the mango was unevenly distributed, making for lighter and darker skeins. still i am pretty happy with them.

My first attempt at Navajo chain plying
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

this is a Romney and Corriedale blend. more importantly, it was my first attempt at Navajo plying. the four things I was trying to determine were:

1. Can I spin finely enough for 3-ply yet? (Apparently)
2. Can I employ more of a long draw technique? (A bit spotty at first but getting there)
3. Can I figure out chain plying? (Apparently)
4. Can I successfully execute chain plying? (well, this one needs work.)

the yarn is definitely overspun and overplyed. The former is partially a result of hopping into such a different fiber type directly from Merino and trying to switch to more of a long draw and less of a point of twist technique.

the latter is partially from battling the overtwist, partially from learning a new technique, and partially for being so stupid as to decide to do it all while in the throes of an high g's cold.

I am hopeful the second skein will turn out better. i have spun up the fiber but am waiting for my head to clear a little more before i re-attempt the plying.

in knitting news, i continue to clicka clacka away on the Sweet Peas, while Valpuri waits dejectedly in my project basket. perhaps i will work on Valpuri during tonight's football game...

a big batch of wonderful from Denise

so i have a very firm policy regarding presents: i am not allowed to play with anything until appropriate thanks have been rendered. you can imagine my torment the past week as tendonitis, excessive busy-ness teaching, and general malaise- the frontal assault of my current crud- prevented me from documenting this wonderfulness from Denise (and thus prevented my playing with same treasures):

Loot from Denise
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

well, perhaps you can't yet- that photo is awfully far away from the fiber at hand... it was the only way to fit it all into one photo! let's move in for a closer look...

Dyed mohair with a silk cap
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

first up is a stunningly soft mohair with a silk cap. interestingly, the cap is dyed in the same colors as my favorite t-shirt of all time. it was a tie-dye that looked for all the world like light falling onto the forest floor deep in an autumnal hardwood stand. in this cap we see the purple capturing autumn's last valiant wildflowers, burnt umber of rotting logs and falling leaves, the soft green of mossy rises and underbrush. the dusty angora a perfect match for forest ground, spongy with decay and cushioning to the weary backpacker.

Baby alpaca blended with tussah silk
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

next is a baby alpaca. he has tangled up in the spider's gossamer web during his morning romp. the color reminds me of hot chocolate swirling up with steamed milk.

Grey French angora blended with Dorset wool
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

on to creamy angora blended with Dorset. two bumps of snuggly goodness, perfect for the growing chill as Indian summer deepens into autumn.

Corriedale (left) and Rambouillet
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

here are a coarser Corriedale top and finer Ramboiullet top combed to spin laceweight. the textural contrast tickles my fingers as the subtle variations in hue sooth my eyes.

Baby camel down
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

down from a wee* camel tumbles from the bag to snuzzle invitingly against my skin.

ever the mentor, Denise includes detailed instructions on handling the down so i do not set it aside in a fit of panic.

*wee is the camel in my mind's eye, tripping ungainly over her knobby ankles and playful disposition. the down itself makes quite a tumbling hill.

'Internet fleece'
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

Denise includes this fleece as a sample of 'horrid' supplies. she notes:

'There is so much of it that it's been the victim for my unskilled adventures in dyeing.'

to this i take exception. victim, my foot! the fleece provided is a gorgeous multi-dimensional burgundy copper. i suspect it will sit unspun quite a while on my desk as a respite for my eyes from the brutal never-ending flicker of the computer monitor! lucky recipient is more like it.

THE Eugene fleece, hand combed
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

a succulent treat is this- a lovely bit of the Eugene fleece, hand-washed and combed by Denise before heading out for final processing. it truly is soft like butter with a lovely crimp and a gorgeous sheen.

6 bumps of Grey Romney
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

finally, we close the tour with six bumps of carded Romney, the color of sea clouds and the softness of fog. already, potential projects for the final yarn twirl in front of my eyes, tumbling one after another in and out of view.

so NOW you can taste my torment, the temptation to just pet this one a little, just this once. i held fast to my 'rule' and now the reward will be even sweeter!

tune in next time as we explore a very thoughtful package arriving from the great land of hockey...

[maybe i will also get around to posting my own craft progress.]

good works and bad crud

today was a Feral Fixins day. what, i hear you query, is Feral Fixins?

well, it is an event sponsored by the vet school where feral cats are altered for free. the local feral cat people go on a trapping spree and arrive with simply buckets of feral cats in traps. they are knocked out and proceed through a comprehensive assembly line of examination, pain medications, ear tipping, surgery, vaccinations, flea control, deworming, and any other treatments deemed necessary to awaken safely back in their traps. the various stations are staffed by vet students and faculty, all volunteers.

being a glutton for community service work i am a shoe-in, even before consider my devotion to animal welfare and minimizing overpopulation. the up side is making a big difference in the lives of individual cats as well as the community. the downside is getting up well before the stars have fallen from the sky.

i had a great time, as always, but crashed hard when i got home. Travy and i both have some sort of crud that seems to apply differential high gee gravity to our persons, in addition to headache, congestion and coughing. so, although i have huge updates in the way of presents received - many many thanks to Denise and Lara - and projects at hand, there will be no real updates until i can successfully hold the camera focused on my loot.

trust me, the wait will be worth it.

Block central

my goals for the weekend were to tie up loose ends and minimize wip's. here i am, rating my weekend:

ICU rockers
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

to start, i finished up the first batch of ICU binkies. they aren't the cutest, i know, but that is part of my cunning plan to keep them from walking off. they need to last as ICU buddies and that requires nuclear plastic yarn (for the repeated washings in medical grade detergent) as well as a certain lack of prettiness.

Block central
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

then i moved on to one of my least favorite craft tasks- blocking. ugh. i find it tedious instead of rhythmic, anal instead of artistic, back bending instead of unwinding.

but... the effort is always worth it.

here lie MS3 (Swan Lake) and the Wine and Roses Mitts, blocking their little fibers away on my (and by 'my' i mean 'Trav and my') most brilliant of discoveries. a new, highly underpriced blocking board as known as 'Dow R4 Sheathing Insulation'. It is sold for ~$12/piece for 4' x 8' x 3/4" at Lowes. i cut mine into thirds to fit in the car then used packing tape on one side to reassemble in a storage-friendly accordian-style. it is waterproof, takes pins easily and holds them well, and is thick enough to move after pinning. i am as close to in love as possible for a non-human, non-yarn item.

Swan Lake (MS3)
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

the results?

Spec-

Tac-

U-

Lar!

i leave you with a shot of the mitts frolicking among zinnias:

Wine and Roses Mitts
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

gettin' culture

Stepping out with my baby...
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

aside from the feeling poorly, i have had two good weekends in a row. two weeks ago, Travy and i went home to my Mom's. we went to a great concert with Mom and Rol at the new home for the Nashville Symphony- Schermerhorn Symphony Center named in honor of the late conductor Kenneth Schermerhorn. the concert marked the debut of the new world class organ and was quite spectacular. Mom got us tickets in a box perfectly placed for watching the musicians. we all had a great time.

since my movements are very limited when i am on clinics, we decided to go back to Nashville this last weekend to spend a bit more time with Mom and Rol. Travy mowed the lawn while Roland trimmed hedges, and Mom and i went through my Grandma's Christmas decorations to see what should be kept and what was just trash. we fit in a trip to the Rec Center which has left me pleasantly sore.

Sweet Peas
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

Friday night i got my Ravelry invite. HOORAY! my username is JackieChris. find me! this weekend i feverishly added projects during lazing about time, and have to say the project manager is just awesome. i am done adding projects for the time being and stash cataloging is next. [eek!]

this is my newest lace project, a 'scarf' from Victorian Lace Today. [the colorway isn't as neon as all that, but i don't feel like trying to photoshop it to accuracy this morning.] it is nice and fairly brainless, though i have been tempted to pick up some of these row markers to decrease confusion between sessions. it seems silly to buy them when i have all my own wirework tools, but making my own would require the purchase of supplies and i need to restart another hobby like i need a hole in the head.

Knitted cuddlies
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

the neon bunnies are part of a 'service' project. i am making a stash of binkies to keep in our ICU for nervous dogs and cats. it is amazing the difference a binky makes - dogs that are falling asleep sitting up because of fear will curl up and actually rest when they have binkies to 'stand guard'. the binkies will need to hold up to industrial washing, various unsavory fluids [and not be so cute as to tempt people to walk off with them] so i am using cheap leftover yarn and not worrying too much about the esthetics. the pattern is available to Knitting Daily members and is completely brainless. perfect for night-time car knitting. these guys are just waiting for faces, a few more buddies, and a trial wash before they get 'deployed'.

finally, a fellow crafter could really use good thoughts and prayers right now. head on over to share good cheer!

migraine haiku

vision narrowing.
icepick. cattleprod. fog bank.
buzz buzz. hammer down.

behind on everything

last week i was on back-up- the academic equivalent of a lifeline. that means that, in addition to normal busy-ness and receiving, i was responsible for fielding questions from interns and providing on-site aid when needed. no matter the time. there is an occasional back-up who resents intern calls, but i would always rather be woken unnecessarily than have an animal die because the intern was going it 'without a net'. of course, the down side is that one doesn't always get much sleep if they are approachable and supportive. so last weekend was going to be my saving grace. this weekend, i was going to catch up on email, catch up on posting, catch up on exercise and sleep. well, none of those things happened.

at the end of the day, i was just plain dead tired. i was at the hospital 10 hours Monday, 12 each on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 13 on Thursday. Saturday, i put in 9 hours. that meant my weekend was already reduced to Sunday when i only spent a measly hour at the hospital.

so, this week i was off back-up though still on clinics. i hoped, for no reason i can divine now, that i would have better luck making headway on, well, everything, but not so much. i did make it to the gym Monday and Tuesday, but developed a nasty migraine Wednesday that plagued me the remainder of the week.

tragedy was introduced at Travy's work when Tuesday they were told that one of his fellow trainees had committed suicide. this was perhaps even more saddening than one might expect. although they had only known each other two weeks, the trainees work through four months of training in a tight group with lots of team-building and group projects. of course, the woman who committed suicide stood out in the group as the most supportive and most interested in everyone else. as is always the case after a suicide, Trav is fluctuating between sorrow at her loss and apparent inability to ask for help and anger at the selfishness of her act. sigh.

the rest of the week was spent putting out client communication fires and struggling with very complex cases. though the days ran 11-12 hours a piece, our service had no inpatients remaining for the weekend. this is both good, because i really needed a break, and bad, because it means pretty much all of our inpatients died despite our best efforts.

most of the weekend has been spent puttering about home, watering plants, cuddling critters, and killing ants. Saturday, Travy kicked me out to attend the monthly meeting of the TV Handspinners guild. i had a great time listening to the chatter and watching other people's projects develop. Saturday night, we both went out to an Hard Knox Roller Girls bout to support one of Trav's co-workers. it was a good time, though the attendance certainly pales in comparison to DRD bouts.

Moody Blues handspun
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

craft updates? there are plenty of course- Friday i plied my first knittable yarn... Travy, of course, wants socks, and i think it may be fine enough for that purpose! i took it for show and tell at the guild meeting and was delighted to be informed that it is well-balanced, neither over- nor underplied!

Valpuri sweater
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

then there is my current sweater... Valpuri. this is a great example of the importance of stash... the yarn i ordered for this project ended up too fine somehow and i didn't like the look when i adjusted needles to get gauge. off to the stash and, lo and behold, the perfect yarn! this is yarn i picked up in North Hampton England when staying with friends to celebrate Y2K. seven years it has been skulking in my stash, biding its time, for this right pattern. as they no one really says in England- Huzzah!

Wine and Roses Mitts
Originally uploaded by jacquichris

because winter is approaching, i suspended sock knitting to make the Wine and Roses mitts my purse knitting. my gauge is a little lacier than the model's, but i think that will balance the warmer temperatures here in Tennessee nicely.

finally, there is a lace shawl/scarf on the needles from Victorian Lace Today in Knitpicks Gossamer Sweet Peas. it hasn't come very far though so i will reserve pictures for another post.

oh yeah, did i mention we have hummingbirds now? yippee!!