Is it May 31st yet?

I am done...I am so done it's not even funny anymore. I realize that most of you are really excited about the super nice weather that we've been having lately but it has been MURDER on my willingness to study. I'm still managing to get a fair amount done...with much effort. But I really need it to be after boards so that I can stop freaking out about the hellish 8 hour exam that's looming in front of me and start enjoying life again.

Today was my last day of my Physical Diagnosis class. I have mixed feelings about it. I really liked getting together with all of the people at my site every week and I usually enjoyed the various specialties that we saw in the morning; but I'm glad that I won't be losing my entire Wednesday every week anymore. Irony: there's only like two more Wednesdays left in the semester.

Yesterday I got my first lecturer comment on my knitting. I was happily knitting away at a square for the The Afghan when pretty much out of nowhere the lecturer asked me what I was knitting...from clear across the room. She's the course director for Reproductive Pathophysiology and an OB/Gyn. Apparently last year the class made a whole bunch of hats for the babies in the NICU and such. Awesome moment...awkward...but awesome.

I also decided to use a different pattern of my lacy scarf. The Tiger Eyes just weren't doing it for me anymore. So now I'm using the Swirled Scrolls Scarf pattern. I like now it's turning out so far. It's complicated enough that I'm not bored out of my mind but not so complicated that it makes kidneys look like nice easy simple organs (hint: they are so totally not). I think I might be disappearing for a little while. In part because my brain is slowly becoming saturated with all things medical school to the point where I don't even want to listen to myself think...so I will try to spare you...unless something totally awesome happens of course at which point I'll be sure to fill you in. Wish me luck on all the studying that I have to do between now and May 30th! Happy Spring! Happy Knitting!

So much news!!

First, Alicia tagged me for a little meme that's running around:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules.
3) Share six non-important things / habits / quirks about yourself.
4) Tag at least three people.
5) Be sure the people you tagged KNOW you tagged them by commenting what you did.

My things:
1) I cut my pasta. Whenever I get spaghetti or anything else that is long and floppy I cut my pasta (using a grid pattern because I'm that OCD) so that the pieces are smaller and I don't get sauce all over myself
2) I always carry a tuning fork in my white coat...I'm pretty sure I haven't ever used it on someone who isn't one of my classmates or a standardized patient
3) I have a lot of stuffed animals on my bed. I make my bed every morning and they go back on the bed the SAME WAY every single day...and it's a very symmetrical arrangement too
4) I color code my class notes by learning objective. This is part OCD, part studying tactic, and part three-year-old being easily entertained by my amazing technicolor syllabi
5) I died my hair black once. I thought it was awesome. My mother was horrified at how pale I looked; but this was probably due tot he fact that I was wearing a black shirt at the time and (unknowingly) mono
6) I eat the food on my dinner plate in the inverse order or how much I like it. For example: Broccoli, Mashed potatoes, chicken, stuffing. No matter what else is on the plate...stuffing always goes last.

I tag Dorothy, KnittingNurse, and LadyLungDoc.

Second: I won the lottery!! Sadly not the money kind but I did pretty awesome in the lottery for my third year rotations. I'm off to Lahey Clinic for Surgery and Medicine and Baystate Medical Center for Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and OB/Gyn. I also got the family medicine rotation I was most interested in...but I think I would rather do a Neurology rotation during that time. The only one open right now is Neurosurgery at Baystate...the irony is killing me...but I think my mother might try to kill me if I went to Baystate for that rotation too (Baystate is really nowhere near my house and I'd be living in glorified dorms across the street from the hospital)

Third: Knitting! I promised more pics of the Doctor's Bag...and I'll show you those shortly. But I also have two socks now...I am so proud of them! I started to make a pair of ankle socks with the remaining yarn, but I'm pretty sure I don't have enough to do it on US2s so I need to rip back and try with something a bit bigger...and fewer stitches. I also made a hat. Stephanie's Unoriginal Hat to be exact. The pattern say it's for a women's small head. Now I realize that I used slightly smaller needles because I live in the US and don't have much choice...but I didn't think my head was that big...apparently I was wrong. Now for the Doctor's Bag. Here is it with just about all my stuff in it (I usually keep my purse and a small textbook to study during downtime in there too). Just in case you don't realize how much stuff is in there...here it is all laid out on the coffee table. I also wanted to show you my general over-achiever-ness: the feet that I put on the bottom. I personally think they're pretty awesome and it just goes to show that deep down inside I really am a gunner (sorry for the profane language :P)And, or course, the arty button shot:

What's on the needles now? Well I've decided to make a concerted effort of crank out the squares for the Warm Up America Afghan. They're not exactly the most exciting knitting which means they aren't terribly great at keeping me awake during class but I need to finish that sucker like it's my job. And for a little bit more exciting knitting I've cast on for the Tiger Eyes Lace Scarf. I haven't even managed a full repeat of the lace pattern yet but I'm already loving the way this yarn is working up in the pattern...I can't wait for it to be done so I can wear it all the time for no good reason.

IT IS FINISHED!!!

More pictures to come...when I find the time to take them...Happy knitting!!!

I has a sock!!

I finished my first sock...and I'm just about done with the cuff of the second one. I have also suffered my first knitting-related accident. This will perhaps remind me that talking with my hands while holding US2 needles is a bad idea...ow.
But enough of that...On with the sock! Nothing too terribly special, just a simple sock with a flap heel and a poorly grafted toe. But it's my sock...and I am proud.
Also...I saw this add in the paper today and almost died from the cuteness...so I felt compelled to share it with all of you:

Because everyone likes a contest...

Yet another contest guys...go on and check it out!!

Hello. My name is Moriah...

...and I am a yarnoholic. Seriously. I went to Windsor Button today with my friend from school because she wants to start knitting socks...and I walked out $41 and change poorer. But it's all pretty!!! And now I can't think of any yarn that I want to buy so hopefully I can be content with working through my stash for...well a couple years until I have an income again. My haul:Some Malabrigo, because it's delicious; some Comfort Sock because it's sooooo soft; some Sockotta because I loved the colors. I almost bought some more Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, but I realized that it was handwash...which is completely impractical for socks (for me anyway)...and at $23 a hank I'd kill my mom if she felted them.

I've been progressing on the embroidering on the Doctor's Bag...and I have some pictures for you. It's by no means finished but I figured I could show you some of what I did. First, I would like to show you my dad's somewhat ancient sewing machine...it's from when he was in the Air Force in the 70s and weighs approximately 4000 tons. I had way too much fun with the sewing machine...quilting may be in my future...but not for a long while. I put a little ring in the corner so that I could attach my keys to something and not lose them. And I sewed some elastic onto one of the short sides to hold my tuning forks and my reflex hammer. Here's a shot from when I finished getting all the pieces seamed at the bottom. And here's a pic of what it looks like right now...not terribly impressive since it's all floppy but I'm happy with it.

I've been working on my sock to...I even have pictures of it!! I'm using Yarn Harlot's generic sock pattern from Knitting Rules. I'm using the Cascade Fixation that I won from Miss Me...I'm loving it! It's very cushy and I think I'm going to love these socks when it comes to my Surgery clerkship and I'm standing all day every day for three months. I just started the heel flap and I'm vastly entertained by the difference it the way my stockinette stitch looks in the round versus flat.
Things are getting very interesting at the moment as far as scheduling for next year is concerned. For those who are lucky enough to not be fully immersed in this: Medical school is four years in the US, two are all classroom all the time like college on crack, and the second two are in the hospitals on what are called "clerkships." I'm just about to finish up my second year, so we're doing all of the scheduling for next year. Tufts does a series of complex lotteries to first determine your schedule order, and then determine your hospitals. We got the results for our order back just before spring break. I'll be doing Surgery (12 weeks), Pediatrics (6 weeks), Psychiatry (6 weeks), Medicine (12 weeks), an Elective (4 weeks w/ 2 weeks off!), and OB/Gyn (6 weeks). My top choice for hospitals as of this moment is Surgery and Medicne at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Pediatrics and Psych at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, and OB/Gyn and MetroWest in Framingham. I haven't decided exactly what I'm doing for elective yet so I don't know where I want to go for that. For those of you who are wondering why I'm not going to more well-known hospitals like Brigham and Mass General; I don't go to Harvard...Harvard has all the famous hospitals...Tufts and BU get to split everything else in the city. I'll keep you all posted as I find out more/want to procrastinate. Happy knitting...and think spring!!

More Contests!

Anne is having a contest...you should enter.

My Doctor's Bag is coming along slowly. I did not achieve my goal of getting it assembled over break...but it shouldn't take too much longer now. The biggest hurdle is getting to the hardware store to get all of the random notions (plastic for the bottom, little feet so it doesn't get dirty, dowels). I ran out of yarn...like I ended up crocheting the seams (which was actually kinda fun but you didn't hear me say that) with a single strand of yarn (the whole project is double stranded) and have about a yard and a half left over. So...I thought for a bit...and discussed/thought out loud with my dad...and I determined that since my lining was black, and the handles were black, and the button was black, I could use black yarn to attach my handles and make the loop of the button. Upon further thought I realized that I could also use said black yarn to reinforce my seams from the outside with a back stitch (thank you embroidery) and tie it all together a bit more. I'm liking the looks of it so far. Pictures will follow soon once I get off my but and load them onto my computer. Happy knitting!!!

More Contests

There's another Malabrigo contest over at Happy Handwork. Don't forget to tell her I sent you!

And just for fun...and also because I like to have more than two sentences in a post...I give you my favorite flower: the iris.I love the bluey-purple with the bright yellow peeking through. My sense of smell isn't too good since my allergies at ALWAYS acting up, but they don't bother my nose at all which makes them even more awesome. What are your favorite flowers?

Spring Break!

Time to take a break from studying for class and...study for the boards. Med school is kinda awesome like that. But I am having some fun this break though, I promise. Friday I traveled to Porter Square and visited Mind's Eye Yarns and picked up some Kureyon and some Amity. Logic here: I got my tax returns back and therefore have some money (for now), I had two GI finals that morning, and well...because Noro is pretty and I didn't own any black yarn (those of you who actually know me will understand how fundamentally wrong that is).

I also finished up my Cashmere Charlie Mitts and Tudora. I really love the buttons I found.I picked up some other buttons that I thought I would use for my Doctor's Bag...until I realized that the straps have some gold-tone metal on them and I'm way to OCD to put pewter buttons anywhere near that. Speaking of my Doctor's Bag, I finished knitting it (again). I had a little problem where the long sides were a good 3 inches longer than the bottom of the bag. So I ripped and re-knitted and ripped and re-knitted some more and now it's all done...DONE!!! Now I just have to go buy some black canvas and a button...and some dowels, a little bit of Plexiglas, some feet (like on the bottom on a suitcase), some cap-nuts...I think I'm gonna take my dad with me to the hardware store. I also need to convince my dad to show me how to use his sewing machine again...or at least get the bobbin threaded since I'll be all set once that's done. As much as the final assembly seems like it's going to be more work than knitting the bag (a couple times :P) I'm really looking forward to the finished product. Now I just need to figure out how to crochet all the pieces together since that much three-needle bind-off seems like it will make me homicidal.

In other news, my buddy Dennis (we go way back...like elementary school way back) is trying to raise some money for the Bike and Build project that he's doing this summer. So if you have a few bucks lying around, click on over to his blog and find out how to donate.

And contests...what would life be without contests. Alicia's having one...you should go enter...don't forget to say I sent you!!

Lecture time...

Today was a long day class-wise. I had lecture starting at 8AM and classes of various sorts running until 4PM with a 45 minute lunch break. I was very productive today seeing as this is what I accomplished in the 5 hours of lecture I had today:
It's another pair of Subway Mittens (Ravelry link) using the Cashmere blend that Alicia gave me for Christmas. Thus far they seem as though they will be an impenetrable shield of cashmere and acrylic against the Boston wind...I'm very pleased. I plan on making some kind of neck warmer to match...perhaps Tudora.

As promised I give you the people that make my day...in no particular order
Alicia
Dorothy
Yarn Harlot
Wendy
Soule Mama
David

I won't be holding anyone accountable for passing it on since I took well over a month to get around to it. Med school is eating my life. Which reminds me...I have some studying to get back to...happy knitting!

Photo Blogging...

...because it's just been that long.

I won Miss Me's contest. She is awesome. Smarties are almost as awesome as Miss Me.
I finished the first panel of my Doctor's Bag (Knit 2 Together). I'm a decent way into the second panel. I feel like I'm gonna run out of yarn...but I'll deal with that when/if it happens.
I finished the Alpaca Handwarmers (Hand/Wrist Warmers from Last Minute Gifts). They're purty.
I got a Christmas present from Enid and Adam. She addressed it to Dr. Moriah Wright...this was quite possibly the most awesome part of the present simply because I laughed REALLY hard.
Column of Leaves in finally done...all of it. It has been blocked...and worn a fair amount. And I finally got a color accurate picture...shocking!
I succumbed to the lure of a yarn sale...and escaped for less than $10...I was proud of my self-control.
Dorothy told me that I make her day. I will tell you who makes my day when I have more of my wits about me. Happy knitting!