Freshly off needles are lsb's heel less socks, unfortunately the pictures don't show how bright they really are.















As per usual straight after this post is up I'll be starting on another replacement project. This time what I think is going to turn out to be a very nice pink version of Polly's slalom socks, and as lsb's purchased a camera battery for me as a reward for passing my last exam of the year I may actually get round to posting pictures on a regular basis.

I really can't believe it's been close on a month since I updated, but things have been so busy of late. Obviously as I said before we had a bereavement in the family last month, and that upset life a little. This past week hasn't been such a good one either, I started a new placement - which always seems to mean I catch either a cold, sore throat or the flu. This time it was a cold that knocked me for 6, with only the energy to very weakly work on lsb's heel less socks (of which the first one is finally finished - never again. The pattern's lovely, but 3 pairs of socks in a row in the same pattern is a bit much. I want a rest) as always picture to follow when the camera's working which of course it's not, as I've still been unable to replace the battery.

It's also been a bad week as I was recently told by someone I worked with last year that my favourite patient has died. I know it's probably unprofessional to admit to having a "favourite" patient, but I don't know how else to describe this man, and I'd just like to pay tribute to him if I may. This man was a very unique individual, a mellowed out former hell raiser left over from the asylum days who had more scars from fights and scrapes than your average boxer, who always had a story to tell, he'd seen it all in his time and stood as a testament to how the so called "good old days" weren't actually that good at all for the patients who were subjected to what we would now consider barbaric and inhumane treatments. He always had something entertaining to say and whether it made sense or not he always brought a smile to my face and he knew it. He had no real family who cared about him which always upset me, but given that he'd spent most of his adult life hidden away in an asylum it shouldn't have really surprised me. He had the most beautiful singing voice I've ever heard, and his renditions of Danny Boy brought a tear to my eye. I was genuinely upset when I was told of his death because it was so sudden and he'd been so very young in my eyes to go, but I feel so blessed and so fortunate to have known this man because I know there'll never be a character like him again. And with the existence now of newer drugs and better therapies I'll never again see someone with the level of long lasting side effects as I saw both in this man and in his peers. I will genuinely miss this gentleman and will always remember the lessons that I learned from him.

I really wish I had more to post at the moment, things at university and a recent family bereavement have tended to put knitting a little lower down my list of priorities than I would have ordinarily liked. In fact with the exception of the work I've done on my current travelling project (lsb's heel less socks, which I'm about two thirds of the way into the first sock) I've done very little knitting at all lately. I have however in between bursts of studying various bits of mental health law and legislation etc managed to spot one or two knitting books I rather like the look of. So far I've set my sights on The AntiCraft's book, and One Skein wonders (what can I say, I'm a sucker for something small and quick to knit, it helps me get my fix easier). Anybody got either of those books and found them worthwhile?

I finished off the heel less walking socks on Sunday night, and promptly cast on for another pair in the same pattern and some sort of opal I think (the ball band fell off a long time ago and as it was a present from my ever knitting mother during one of her stash clearouts I haven't a clue) for lsb who has been hanging round my elbow whimpering like a sick puppy for another pair of socks. I'm making somewhat slow progress on them right now, but not for want of trying. I've been extremely busy over the past week trying to revise for my upcoming exam not leaving very much time for anything else.

I've definitely got the sock knitting bug again and right now I'm falling in love with the Opal Feeling yarns - there's just something about stripy socks that speaks to my more non-conformist side, I have to confess to wearing the brightest stripiest pair I can find on a regular basis at work just to rebel against the very bizarre uniform policy that seems to involve only wearing black socks. I have no idea if there's a correlation between the colour of a nurse's socks and their skill as a nurse but seen as my socks are generally hidden by my shoes and trousers I don't see the harm in wearing something bright on my feet.

At last, a picture of my heelless walking socks. I'm starting to feel good that I'm making a little progress on them almost daily, even if it's only on the train to and from university. To be honest this is the time of year when things as a student get very busy and with only three weeks of university left and about four assignments to write for later in the year knitting has a tendency to take a back seat while I run round like a headless chicken trying to get everything done with time to breathe. Though I will say this for knitting - it certainly destresses me when I'm feeling really wound up, and rather stereotypically or not I do tend to recommend knitting to my patients, particularly those who have high levels of anxiety or want something to do with their hands after giving up smoking.

in the light of day the heel less socks were just too mismatched to use as even walking socks as i get the feeling that were i to be involved in some climbing/walking related incident i would die of sheer mortification if the paramedics attempted to pull my boots off. i remember being told that you should always wear matching underwear when you go out in case you got hit by a bus, i don't remember anything about socks though, but there you go.
i've managed to get through half my week of night shifts so far but with minimal knitting, though i often sit and knit on my breaks during the day i find myself feeling just a little bit more than self conscious doing it in the dead of night when there are no patients around and besides myself only two other people about (not counting the ghost, yes i said ghost - we apparently have one). i'm averaging a few rounds per night on another pair of so far heel less sleeping socks (in dusky pink opal) which will this time be my walking socks provided i don't come across some yummy pattern that i just have to do in this colour, ah i'm so fickle i know. i'd say this was something of an achievement to manage between hourly checks, jumping up everytime you hear the noise of a patient out of bed, nursing patients on 1 to 1 observations, washing and drying patients laundry, tidying up, ohmysweetjimmorrisonmyportfoliosdueininlessthanaweekandihavehugebiggapsandnoonetosignthingsoffi'mgoingtofaili'mgoingtofailargh!!!, and many other duties besides. i'm starting to like night shifts despite the fact i went to sleep at roughly 9am this morning and was out of bed and into the bath by just before 2.30pm and i'm starting to feel just a little sleepy despite pouring my third cup of strong coffee down my throat as i type this. i blame this on the fact that someone tried to steal the lead roof from the house's bay window while i was at work. the lsb sent me a text very early this morning simply asking me to ring him, which is worry in itself, the man had his mobile phone there in his hand and knew i'd finished my shift so it must be at least a little serious for him to not want to tell me in a text. so all the way on this noisy bus ride things are running through my mind as to what it could be and exactly how bad it all was, had he finally had enough and decided to leave me for a woman with less crazy hobbies? was his mum ill? had i unintentionally run up a huge phone bill to australia? no, it turned out half the lead roof was on the front lawn when he went out to the car this morning and he was having to try and ring someone up to get it mended. so each and every noise this morning has jarred me from sleep thinking it was someone coming back for the roof. or that's my excuse anyway.

the heel less socks are literally minutes off the needles, i triumphantly finished off the toe and put the second one with the first to be folded and put somewhere safe for photographing before i start my shift tomorrow only to find that the two socks are completely different colours. one is a combination of rich shades or black blue and purple, the other looks like it's been through a bleach/boil wash in the machine a time or two, oops! all i can say is i'm glad they're only going to be walking socks so it's unlikely they'll be seen outside or walking boots or my winter boots.

At last the love heart cushion's done. Complete with slightly odd embroidery. I say at last not because it's been a chore to make, on the contrary i loved every minute of it but because up until the last letter was embroidered i was worried it wouldn't get finished on time. My placement has been absolutely hectic since i got back from my summer break with only a week left to go before my first year's skills have to be signed off and i can be considered to be fit enough to start my second year's nurse training. Next week is also my first week of night shifts which i'm quite excited about in a strange way (and not just for the extra knitting opportunities it may bring on the odd quiet shift between paperwork and actual nursing). In other news the heel less socks are very close to completion with only one and a half pattern repeats left before shaping for the toe. In fact i've already picked out a ball of wool for my next pair which i had to wrestle off the lsb despite it being mainly pink, though he argued it was more purple (i know i said i was fed up with knitting things in plain blue for him but going to the other end of the spectrum with pink is a bit much for a grown man) i'm not sure on the pattern yet though. The yarn is a deep pink with occasional spots of navy, purple and a reddish pink perhaps something lacy? An unusual rib or failing that perhaps even another heel less sleeping sock as i've found they're suprisingly comfortable and great inside a winter boot.

the long suffering boyfriend's taken to the garden to indulge in some gardening duties for the afternoon given that the sun's out for what seems like the first time this summer, leaving me inside as my hay fever's flared up so much today that even the plant life on tv seems to be making me sneeze. i have however managed to battle through and finish off the first heel less sleeping sock, the verdict so far's pretty mixed - i love the way the pattern looks knitted up, but when knitting it has the feeling of doing an action with the wrong hand due to the fact that at the start of every needle the first stitch is purled and in fact three out of every four stitches are purled, it takes a bit of getting used to, but switching to one circular helps with the disjointed feeling and seems to improve the speed of knitting too, the only problem being i now have a lovely callous and semi numb right middle finger from knitting with a metal circular, anyone know anywhere that make/sell good quality circulars with wooden rather than metal points? anyway back to the point. the yarn itself is pretty to look at and it makes some lovely black, blue and purple stripes but the bits of silver lurex do make the sock slightly scratchy in parts, it's possible that this could be pretty unnoticable when it's actually being worn or that it'll soften up when washed a couple of times. time will tell anyway.

i cast on for these beauties this morning, they're going to be the heel less sleeping socks from nancy bush's knitting vintage socks in opal royal. i felt the need to knit some socks without heels because i pinched the long suffering boyfriend's ski socks a few nights ago after being caught in a down pour and finding them amazingly comfortable and without heels. but just look at the colours purple, black and a blue that seems to glow in some parts not to mention the sparkle, they almost remind me of something from harry potter in a strange way, they just seem magic anyway.

the yarn for the love heart cushion's now all sorted thanks to handpaintedyarn.com and i was a little bit naughty and chose an extra skein for myself (in purple, what else) to make a lovely hat for winter. i think i intend to be a very busy knitter over the coming weeks. but how this is going to be juggled with the new harry potter book when it comes out on friday i don't know. i really must perfect the art of reading and knitting at once.