Only 3.5 days left
November 8th, 2006 by Wen
To say hi in my comments for a chance to win a Habu Textiles Kusha Kusha scarf kit.
Thanks to La of JenLa for the linkage and blog love. And also for the stealing of the button. Jen and La are exceptionally nice, funny, and cool and you should go and check them out and say hey. Unless you just came from there, in which case you already know. Hi!!
I still haven’t sent the scarf off yet. It’s been photographed, boxed and addressed. Now all I have to do is get my sorry ass over to the post office.
Did I mention that I’m sick as a… ok. I admit I was going to say “dog” but dogs aren’t sick, at least not like this. I’ve got a massive upper respiratory infection. The muscles in my chest hurt just from thinking about coughing. Anyway, I’m good for working for a few hours (we only get sick days in production if, well, we actually don’t get sick days. You have to die first. Or leave the show. Or both.) then I come home and pass out for a few hours. And then I try to post something, try to knit something, and generally lay about feeling sorry for myself.
Mind if I rant a little here about healthcare? Thanks! (this should probably go over on my other blog, but I’ve got a smug little number about the election up over there)
Since I am a union member, I have kick ass healthcare. It’s really really great. We even have a bunch of health centers where you can either call and make an appointment or drop in and get seen. Free.
Which is what I did yesterday. I called and made an appointment with a nurse practitioner. Usually the NP’s are very good for something like this. I mean, it may actually BE science after all, but when you listen to me try and breathe from across the room plus I’m sniffly, swollen gland-y, and feverish it’s a pretty good bet that I need some help in the form of antibiotics. It’s been this way since I was a tiny child.
Anyway, yesterday I got some crazy ass bitch whom I’d never seen before. Emphasis on crazy:
Crazy-ass-Nurse-Practitioner: (reading chart) What brings you in today?
Me: Well, I seem to have caught the thing that’s going around
CANP: I see you have a bit of a fever. Let me listen to your chest…
Are you taking any medications?
Me: Well, I’m all hopped up on Dayquil.
CANP: This virus takes about 10 days to get over. And you seem to be in the early stages of it. I can give you some codeine cough syrup to help with the cough.
Me: That’s it? It’s already in my chest. No antibiotics?
CANP: This is a virus and we wouldn’t want the antibiotics to kill the good bacteria in your lungs.
Me: Huh. Interesting. You’re the first person to tell me that I don’t need antibiotics for a URI. The last time I decided to ignore a URI I wound up in this hospital with pneumonia. Are you sure that’s the best course of action for this?
CANP: I can give a Z-pack if you want one, but you really shouldn’t take it until you’re much worse.
Me: And how would you define “much worse” ? Yeah, I’ll take that Z-pack if you don’t mind.
As soon as I got in my car I called my sister in law who not only went to medical school, but she also teaches at one. Boy, was she pissed when I told her what happened. And she told me to start that medication the second I got home. Moral? See a doctor next time.
**end rant
This weekend I went to to the Southern California Handweavers Guild weaving and spinning show while the BF decided to watch football. I went by myself which is how I usually shop for yarn (I don’t need enablers, but sometimes it’s fun to have one). Aside from a lot of sneezing (I was getting sick, though I thought I was reacting to two rooms full of fiber…) and touching of things I was a little non-plussed.
Most people were nice, though there was one chick at the Newtons booth that I was sure would have stabbed me in the throat if I got any closer to the table she was tearing apart. I’m pretty sure she’s a knitblogger- I never forget a face- I’m checking her blog to see if any of that yarn shows up. The stuff was pretty nice from what I could tell. I decided it wasn’t worth losing an arm to a fully snarling (she was talking to herself a bit)-in-the-wild yarnhog.
Even though I was non plussed I still came home with some wool. I dropped a Benjamin and a Jackson on the Village Spinning and Weaving booth. They’re from Solvang.
This is a half pound (600 yards!) 100% alpaca Peruvian Tweed. It is unbelievably soft. I am allergic to alpaca. But. So Soft. Softy soft soft. And? Cheap. This same yarn is going for $60 at a LYS near me. I bought it for $23. This and this next yarn are going to my stepmom for her birthday:
This is “Lusty Loop” 78% mohair, the rest wool and nylon. For some reason I thought this would go nicely on this, my oldest project on the needles:
It’s a lap blanket for J*’s mom. I started knitting it last year about a week before Christmas. When I was already in full throttle exhaustion and holiday knitting. Anyway, the colors don’t really go, so off to my stepmom for her to make into some sort of felted purse (she sells them too-I’ll find out if she’s got any on etsy again.)
There was another reason why I stopped knitting this. Aside from a reality check, I mean:
That’s a size 35 needle. 35. I am ashamed, yes. Man, I hated knitting with that thing. On the bright side I’m halfway done with J*’s mom’s Christmas present.
I did buy some other yarn from the same booth. This is their superwash worsted called “HotFoot”:
Isn’t that a gorgeous color of red? It’s very soft for superwash. And? 560 yards for 28 bucks. Not bad. I also got this color:
There was no name for this colorway either, but it’s black and grey and some teal. It knits up very pretty…
This will be a hat for the BF. Who right now is shooting nights in Boston. He took a hat I knit for him a few weeks ago (and he insists on wearing the brim rolled up. I did not make it long enough to do that so it looks a little silly…) AND he took a machine knit cap.
I can’t have him wearing that sort of thing when I have all this wool in my house, now can I? Nope. It’s knitting up nicely (and quick) on size 6 needles. I may make some socks for him too. I know they’ll be thick, but his feet are always cold and he bought way thicker socks at REI before he left.
I may call up Village Spinning and get them to send me another skein of this to make him some convertible mittens (hands are always cold too). It’s hard to press buttons on your walkie with thick gloves on. If I do I’m going to have them wind it on their ball winder.
Why?
Because whoever skeined this up sucked at it. Mightily.
The black was the same, I just got smart and wound that 560 yards by hand into a ball, and then I wound it on my ball winder. Seriously, some of the worst tangling in a skein I have ever seen. I had to cut the red or I was going to lose my mind. Maybe they called it “hotfoot” because that’s what someone got up the ass for doing this to a knitter. Just saying.
Ok, the codeine cough syrup has definitely kicked in. I’ve rambled enough. Go comment now that you’ve gotten this far!
Hope you get over this fast, poor baby. Oh, hello, my name is Carol. I came here from JenLa’s blog. That’s some serious yarnage you got there, I like the way you shop! I like your yarn swift, don’t believe I ever saw one that sits so nice & close to the surface! Feel better…
I’m also over from JenLa. Great blog! I’m absolutely going to subscribe. Good thing you had a sounding board for your health.
Oh man, chest infections are the worst. I hope you get better soon. And yes, I made it home safely. The first meal I had when I got back made me sick! YAY!
Mine went away before yours did, though. Feel better. NOW.
What the heck? Teach me to not come to Guild meetings, I didn’t even know there was a market thingy. How annoying.
And I totally want to know what blogger it was snarling and talking to herself…
I wonder what happened with the yarn, if someone wasn’t paying attention while skeining? Weirdness.
I also came over from JenLa, and will definitely be back! I love that red yarn, what a great color!!
OHhhh….I feel for you…I really do. Because I have the same thing right now, and it SUCKS. Although I work at a hospital. You would think that going to employee health in a hospital would produce great results all of the time, but noooo, your CANP and ours must be evil twins. Luckily, though, I am rotating through the pediatric clinic this month and the docs love me so one of the residents listened to me try and talk for about 5 seconds (oh, yeah, I’m an interpreter, so that’s really all I do) and asked if I wanted a Z-pack. 2 days later, I am feeling better. Not great, but much better. Hang in there!
I just do what the knotty girls tell me to. I am so impressed that you are willing to share something from *Habu*, oh my.
Hi - I came from Crazy Aunt Purl’s comments section. Love the fiber pictures and I hope you feel better soon.
Last time i got a chest cold the stupid NP wouldn’t give me codeine even though i couldn’t sleep because i was coughing so much. i showed her though… I got pneumonia. I hope you feel better!
I am pretty sure I saw the village spinning and weaving booth at stitches west last year. After I was out of money, dangit.
Hello! I’m sick with you. Feels like I have 3 or 4 lungs full of Spiderman Spiders web formula. (pat pend) Hope you’re feeling better soon!
Just say hi? That’s it? Sheesh, even I can manage that.
Hi.
I came over from JenLa’s blog because I always do everything they tell me to do unless I don’t feel like it, it isn’t convenient or I forget.
And that’s some mighty fine yarn you got there.
I hope you get over the galloping crud soon. I had a lung thingie for oh, about three weeks (felt like about three years) but I’m all over it now. I hope I didn’t send it to you. Them computer viruses you know.
Hi, nice to meet you. I’m also over from JenLa. That is some tasty looking yarn there. The red is fabulous, and the alpaca.. woo boy. I’m so sorry you’re allergic to it.
I hope you feel better soon. Sounds like it sucks hard right now. Bleh.
JenLa helped give me a big push-off into blogland a couple years back - how fab those ladies are!
What a cute blog - and as much as those giant needles suck, that blanket looks great.
So HI! and see you around the blogsphere!
D
Hello or Hi? I want to get it right!!! I REALLY love the name of your blog and the by-line. Too cute. IF I blogged, it would be perfect for me! I mean, how much can I SAY about 2 rows a day? (I’m talking 33-stitch rows here.) I came over via JenLa who I got to via PixiePurls. Can’t remember how I found her. Love these blog-trails.–Laura
Hi,
I’m here via JenLa also. Looks like you’ve got some great projects going on. Hope you feel better soon!
Hi! I came over from your comment on my blog! You were wondering what’s in my basement. Well, aside from the usual complement of creepy-crawlies, it holds the furnace, the water heater, and an old unused water softener. The water softener is not disconnected–I can’t follow the reasoning on why they can’t do it, but they won’t–and periodically it will decide it needs to live in an indoor swimming pool. The basement is about 8′ x 8′ and its only access is through the trap door. I don’t go down there. Ever.
Hope your Z-pack does the trick–if it doesn’t, don’t wait too long to get a second one! My last URI took 3 to kill off completely.
Hey, I’m over from JenLa, like so many others. I can totally relate to your story of beginning knitting. Sure does suck you in, but it’s a great ride.
howdy, visiting from JenLa’s too. I love love that red yarn…and the alpaca. Hope you get better soon.
Hi, I’m also coming over from JenLa’s blog.
Hope you get over your URI fast. Glad the NP gave you some anitbiotics (even if she told you not to take them!)
I love your pictures.
“Lusty Loop”???!!! I love it. That’s a great name for a yarn. BTW Jenla sent me too!
Hi! Thanks for swinging by my blog twice (you have the same name as my sister, btw!). Don’t be a stranger!
And I love JenLa! Them be some sassy ladies.
I was at the Torrance show also (working in the Anacapa Fine Yarns booth). I held your red yarn in my hand and came thisssssssssssssssssssss close to buying it - glad it went to a good home. It’s so gorgeous & soft. I was hoping the alpaca was what you needed more of since I have its sister skein in my stash. Can’t help you with the red though. I love your taste in fiber. (oh, JenLa sent me too.)
Araucania often has really oddly skeined yarns as well. I teach a sweater pattern that uses Nature Wool and we end up with several skeins a class that are just wonky beyond belief.
Take care of the lungs. My personal fave “cough relief” is really strong tea with tons of lemon and honey. And a big honking shot of Jamieson’s Irish Whiskey in it! (I don’t know how much the whiskey helps, but it certainly makes me care less ;>) Of course, you have to leave out the whiskey on a Z-pack.
Saying hi, coming from LenLa blog. Just got off a plane, and I know I will be sick in a coupla days. A lot of people sneezing and coughing enroute. Hope you feel better, and I agree with the whiskey, lemon and honey thing.
Over here from Jen La! Love your blog!
OKAY, so name the bitch at MPTV Fund (Woodland Hills or Toluca Lake?) who was nasty to you…