Thursday, March 18, 2010

Update on... Well, A Lot of Things....

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Someday little girl,
you'll wonder what life's about,
what others have known,
few battles are won alone...

("True Grit", Glenn Campbell)

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I finally cast the Little Red Riding Hoodie's stiches off the knitting needles and it now awaits steeking up the front and down the armholes---and sleeves....and a hood...

(You can click on the picture to make it bigger, to see the details better. That's a big pink candle that's holding the top edge down.)

But I'm in the midst of a terrible quandary about a particular detail I want to add to the cardigan. I want to put some leaf trim up the front, over the hood, and down the other side. The problem is, the leaf pattern is knit in a manner so as to have the leaves facing only one direction.

I want to be able to knit half of the trim with the leaves facing the OTHER direction. Otherwise, the leaves will be in a downward direction on one of the cardigan's sides. I'd rather it to be symmetrical, with 2 rows of leaves facing each other and aiming upwards.

And so, I've been trying to re-write the leaf pattern in order to have the whole thing face the other direction--- an endeavor in which I've been successful......except for the last two dratted rows.

In fact, the last two dratted rows of this 18-row pattern are driving me NERTS, I tell you, plumb NERTS! In fact, trying to get the last 2 rows of this dratted pattern to work out correctly is proving as difficult to achieve as getting a cat to look at me when I'm talking to her...

LATE-BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN: Update on the Leaf Trim! I think I may have done it! After 2 dang days of fussing with this damn leaf trim, I think I just may have written the correct pattern for reversing the direction of the leaves, yeehah! Oh yeah, baby! Graph paper and stubbornness rocks! I now have 2 strands of leaves a-knitting---facing each other, aimed upwards. Hot diggity dog.... (I could go on and on but I won't...)

(Smart ass Blaine said something to the effect of: "It's not as if you solved a problem which plagued ancient man for a millenia---like when they finally invented the wheel..." )

(To which I quickly retorted: "And pray tell, just how do YOU know that ancient man wasn't in DEEP THOUGHT about how to solve the problem of The One-Directional Knitted Leaf Trim?")

Oh, yes--- (speaking of problems), here's an update on the day when I was supposed to meet the female therapist for a swim class at the gym:

That morning I had called her in a panic, stating that I had the last minute jitters and that I could go to the gym and meet her--- but that I knew that under no circumstances would I be able to don a bathing suit and appear half-nekkid in front of 20 or 30 other ladies in that dadblame water-exercise class.

I just knew I wouldn't be able to put myself into what I perceived to be a very vulnerable position.

She said okay and to just to meet her there anyway. She said that, if nothing else, we'd at least take a tour of the gym. So I agreed to meet her at 1:45 pm in the gym's front lobby. And she made me promise not to be late since her schedule is so tight.

I arrived 15 minutes early and perched myself upon a couch in the gym's front lobby.

And she never showed up.

I tried calling the therapist but only got her voice mail. I left 2 voice messages telling her I was in the gym's front lobby. Then, totally freaking out, I called Blaine at 2:25 pm and he told me to "just go home". I could tell he was irked.

Upon arriving home I called my case manager and told him the whole thing. He told me to relax and that "maybe it was just a big mistake".

A little while later, the female therapist called me. And then she actually had the unmitigated GALL to be stern in asking me if I were SURE that I had truly "been there at 1:45 pm". But I vigorously defended myself and insisted that I most certainly WAS there, dammit---15 minutes early, in fact.

After she realized I really had been there, she gave me the following ridiculous cover-her-ass excuse reason for the mishap:

She had gone there..... and had seen ANOTHER patient of hers on the OTHER side of the gym's lobby (maybe 20 feet) and that she had mistakenly thought that it was THAT lady who was me! And that, furthermore, she had taken THAT patient to the swim class!

And then she said that "sometime during the swim class" she realized that the other lady was NOT ME!

Then she began a litany of apologies to which I told her not to worry about it. In fact, she went on and on about it so much that I thought I'd never get her to shut up. In the end, we agreed to try the whole thing over again NEXT MONDAY, same time, same place, same Bat Channel...

Sigh....

The case manager called me later and I told him of the female therapist's bizarre excuse. He was satisfied that I was okay and that we were going to try the whole thing over again next Monday. But then yesterday, at my appointment with Fred, I told him the whole comedy of errors story. He seemed mildly annoyed and asked what the therapist's last name was, as there are two of the same name over at the mobile therapists' department. I don't know her last name.

I also told him that, in all truth, I was somewhat angry with the therapist because I had been an RN for 22 years and had NEVER mistaken one patient for another in my whole entire career. I told him that I always CHECKED their names FIRST OFF. Aren't the mobile therapists supposed to be as diligent? If so, how could this Dumb Dora have taken a completely different patient into the swim class? I don't care that she had never met me in person before---because didn't she even ASK the lady's name? (Because remember, according to her, she had NEVER MET this other patient in person either!)

And also, in keeping with her weird story, if I were a therapist in the middle of a swim class and I suddenly realized that I was missing the correct patient, you can bet your bottom dollar that I would have catapulted myself out of that water like a Kellogg's Pop-Tart and, totally dripping wet, slipped and slid my way to the lobby half-nekkid in my wet bathing suit... to FIND my damn patient!!

I mean, don't you guys think that her verbal phony balogney excuse is a little bizarre? Do you think she conjured the whole thing up out of thin air to cover her ass because she messed up? Or do you think she told the truth, however strange? Because even if she didn't make the story up and she really did take another patient to the swim class--- either way, I think it shows total negligence on her part.

I mean, good God, what a way to operate!

So anyhoo, despite this dodo bird of a therapist, I will keep plugging onwards with this program, hoping for the best. I did mention to her that Fred had told me that the mobile therapist department could hook me up into their other classes at the therapy center. I also told her that I wouldn't mind the treadmill room at the gym since one could put on their iPod and quietly keep to themselves, walking on the treadmill for some good physical exercise. So we'll see what happens.

I wonder if she's going to get in any trouble?

Oh hell, WHERE WAS I?

Oh yeah, back to my updates....

Here's where all my knitting "figuring" gets done---the little side table next to where I sit to knit. Everything I need is there--- pencil and paper to write patterns, cell phone, house phone, knitting supplies, iPod, digital camera and battery charger, you name it. And I was gratified this morning to find my favorite little tube of French hand lotion, some of Roger & Gallet's "Oat Milk".

(I have always been partial to things French....)

As for an update on the rest of things around Maison Bo, as you can see.....

Nothing much has changed in the kitchen....

She's either asleep.....

Or she's awake.....

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22 comments:

maren said...

Lil Baby is so funny, always with the tuna plate!
Your hoodie looks fantastic, just wonderful. You have done souch a great job on it.

The mobile therapists story just does not hold water, no pun intended. She is lying like a dog or like Baby on her tuna plate.

To lie like that about a patient, she should be fired. Seriously. That is so wrong. It would be bad to not show up and forget a patient but to lie to cover yer ass makes it ten times worse.

Bo... said...

Thank you, Maren! I'd love to know what's going on behind the scenes with her superiors. This is a pretty straight-laced organization, where the Director frequently calls patients to see how things are going. (And I'm just plain nosy!!)

Anonymous said...

i agree, the mobile therapist was totally in the wrong! i love to follow your blog, no I am NOT a stalker! Just another knitter, who enjoys reading your blog! Love the cats, have one cat and 2 dogs here, so it is never boring.
Mary

Bo... said...

Thank you very much, Mary!

Sue Hoppe said...

It appears to me that this mobile therapist is a bully! That is caca challenging you. Oh well - I hope you get to let the director know how unprofessional this person was.

It would have been a different story if she called and apologized for missing the appointment, even if she said she forgot about you. Do you have the option of making a change? Sure hope so.

Keep those stories and pictures coming :-)

Anonymous said...

I would cut her some slack. No one died, lost blood, or caught on fire so it wasn't the end of the world. She's human like the rest of us and screwed up.

AMS

Bo... said...

Thank you, Sue! Just from my conversations with both my case manager and my regular therapist, I have a feeling that they're going to make sure it never happens again--to anybody! (But I would love to be a fly on the wall to hear everything...)

Bo... said...

To AMS under Anonymous:

You're totally correct--nobody died. But I am left with the feeling that she isn't telling me the whole truth. And I'm the type of person who "can handle the truth". And don't worry--I didn't bitch my head off to anybody. All I did was answer questions, and I even added (in those conversations with Tom and the case manager) that I have been known to blow things out of proportion and be overly angry about small things.

(I guess I think that if she was going to lie, she should have come up with a much more clever lie...heh!)

Charlotte said...

Re your leaf border, are you picking up stitches on the edge to knit this border or are you going to knit it and sew it on? If you're going to pick up the stitches, how about doing one side up to the center of the hood and then do the other side that far and kitchener the two together? If you're going to knit the border and sew it on, you could also do the two sides separately and kitchener them together at the top. I agree you want the leaves facing the same way on both edges.

Bo... said...

To Charlotte:

It's a leaf edging pattern I got out of a Barbara Walker's book (I think). It's a separate trim, to be sewn onto another garment when it's finished. And I'm going to do exactly as you say and run it up each side then kitchener it in the middle lat the top! (Except my kitchenering is terrible....I might do it at the neck edge where it won't show as much, and it will just drape over the hood....I'm still thinking...)

Anonymous said...

Um, Bo, I think that therapist just plain lied to you. There is no long at all to her story. I suspect that she just didn't bother to show up at all.

Cindy/KS said...

I think she flat out lied to you Bo! Having worked in the medical field myself, I agree with you on the way things should have been handled even if it did happen that way. But I don't think it did & I do hate being lied to!

As for the kitchener stitch - would need to look it up to be sure it's what I think it is - used it, I believe on the toes of some Christmas stockings years ago - if so, you should be able to follow more or less the same routine with it as the duplicate stitch & have it work great. Will look it up though in just a bit to make sure it's what I think it is.

Bo... said...

Thanks, Cindy!

Kali said...

Please share your wondrous leaf solution in pattern form! I would gladly pay to save myself the trouble you went through!

They all look LOVEly!

Bo... said...

Thank you, Kali! I will definitely put the instructions on the blog with pics in the next few days! (But I've got to fit it in between a bunch of errands I've got to run with Blaine--he took a 4-day weekend and will be underfoot....)

Cindy/KS said...

Step by step Kitchener instructions (is what I thought it was) - http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer04/FEATtheresasum04.html

Another possible version, which I haven't tried, but that looks like it would work well to me is: http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2007/05/easier-way-to-kitchener-stitch-also.html

Bo... said...

Thank you, Cindy! I knew I could count on you for help! I will DEFINITELY plan on kitchenering the two rows of leaves at the top of the hood. I also started a sleeve today.

Cindy/KS said...

You're very welcome Bo! While I may not be as adventurous as you when it comes to trying new things, I tend to be persistent in learning them & then remembering them. So the year I decided to make everyone stockings for Christmas, I not only learned the grafting or kitchener stitch, but I taught myself to do argyle, heels, duplicate stitched enough argyle to fake another one (making them for 2 families), etc. Now if I could just find where someone hid my stocking all those years ago when storing them, I would be happy.

Stockings for gifts this year might be a good thing also for our oldest daughter's family - she will be adding a new sil for us as well as 2 new granddaughters! I keep teasing him that the wedding is only to give us those granddaughters!

Bo... said...

Good Lord, Cindy---you can do argyle???!! To me, that has got to be the most difficult thing in knitting---I'd never have the courage or skill to do it!

Cindy/KS said...

Yes, I made 1 argyle stocking for my dh & a fake (duplicate stitch - at least part of the stitches) argyle for his sister's dh. That one went to The Gambia in West Africa.

Which talking about that - they moved to W Africa on their son's 5th birthday. Lived in New Orleans before that - so he missed snow & getting to go to the Poconos with his maternal grandmother. I crocheted snowflake ornaments & sent them some - got a note back telling me he was running around their house tossing them in the air while yelling that it was snowing! He is now a Captain in the Army & has done 2 tours in Iraq & just got back not too long ago from Afghanistan.

Mary said...

You have your working area and Baby has hers. I love that cat! She knows what is important in her life.

Bo... said...

Yes, Mary---she's definitely a character! I keep thinking I need to knit her a little pillow for when she sleeps in her dish....