FO and WIP

Dad's socks
finished one and started the second.  Yarn Harlot's pattern and pretty boring yarn.

Mom's shawl that I started while I was at her house last month.  She had bought the yarn and pattern but decided the pattern required too much focusing to be enjoyable.  I picked it up and got into it.  This is the way to start lace knitting, on big needles with fat yarn!  It is a Lion Brand pattern and yarn. 









Then here is the curtain I made for Rose's newly painted room.  Her colors are two incredibly intense pinks and a milk chocolate brown.  We bought a bunch of fabrics in those colors so I am also working on some pillows to mix and match. More on these to follow.

Healthcare

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jng4TnKqy6A

Healthcare reform, the more I read about it the more complicated it seems. I came across this little video that gives a basic explanation. Simple enough, are the facts he includes true? Medicare uses 2-3%, private insurance uses 20%? Notice that he didn't include education in the examples of essential government run socialized services. Why not? It has a government option for all, paid for by taxes, and a private option for those who choose to pay for it. Some question about how well it works, clearly many are educated well enough, some manage to get excellent educations and some end up falling through the cracks. It is not perfect, but it functions. Health insurance for all is not going to be perfect either, but hopefully it will function. And function well enough that not too many fall through the cracks and more people get what they need. I am about to become part of the public healthcare system as I begin my new job in the county ER, and I hope to provide care for everyone that walks through that door.

New grad ER nurse

I don't know if I can call myself an ER nurse yet, but today at the end of my interview for an ER position the nurse manager said to me, "I am very impressed with everything you've done and what we talked about today. The August group of new hires is full, but we have room in the September group if you would like the position." My ears did a double take, what! really?! You are willing to take a chance on me? wow, yes! It is a job in the ER in the hospital 6 blocks away from me. What could be better, my dream job! I am definitely doing the happy dance.

Restless

It has been over a month since graduation and I am no closer to landing a job. The current economy has not been good for us new grad nurses this year. Sure, there is a shortage of nurses, and people still need medical care, even in a bad economy. But, what is happening is the nurses that were expected to retire have not, and not only that, they have increased their hours since they need money too. The hospitals don't want to spend the money to train new nurses when there are plenty of experienced nurses around so they are postponing their new grad training programs, and they don't hire new grads without these programs. I keep hearing people talk about the baby boomer nurses hanging on to their jobs and I have to stop myself from getting irritated because after all I AM a baby boomer too, and I have no intention of retiring any time soon. Hey, I am just getting started!

I keep applying to jobs, first all over the Bay area and now all over California. I could wallpaper my room with all the rejections letters I have gotten. That is the hard part, I am having a difficult time not getting discouraged by all the rejection letters. I know there is a spot for me out there in a hospital somewhere, I just wish it would show itself soon, 'cause I am restless.

I keep trying to pass the time knitting or reading or doing some other thing that I used to enjoy, but I can't seem to focus these days. I keep flitting from this project to that project and can hardly pull myself away from the computer waiting for a job posting to come in or a response from one of my applications to show up in my inbox.

I do have a few FO to show you though.
First, here is Olive's sweater (the red one with the fake cables) I started it in the beginning of May see here. I gave it to my classmate, Trisha on the night of our pinning.

Then I started a sweater for one of Brian's coworkers baby boy. This one is the same pattern as Erin's sweater except that I had to adjust the guage because this yarn (Blue Sky Organic Cotton) is much thicker. I love knitting with this yarn, it is so incredible soft. I don't care for the color much though. I had to rip out this sweater a few times because I failed to adjust the pattern for the thicker yarn, and then I got carried away and knit too many inches before I started the decreases for the raglan sleeves.
I finally finished it the morning I left for Tahoe to study for the NCLEX.


Since then, however I have not been able to concentrate on knitting, or anything else for that matter. So I have been making washcloths and stethoscope covers for my friends, just to keep my hands busy.




















Last week, the day I found out that I passed the boards, I decided to uncover my loom and see if I could remember what to do. I had put a blanket over the loom for the entire year so it wouldn't entice me away from my studying. I knew if I looked at it all the time, I would want to sit down and weave a few rows and knowing me, I wouldn't tear myself away from it to get back to studying. So I covered it with a blanket and didn't look at it. Well, when I looked at what I had done I couldn't believe how beautiful and amazing it is! I had started making some kitchen towels, I think the warp is long enough for 4 towels, but to tell you the truth, I am not sure anymore. I looked at my notes and tried to remember enough to read the treadling pattern. After a good twenty minutes of staring at my notes and staring at the weaving, I figured out what I had been doing and started weaving again. Wow! I finished up the last few inches of the first towel, put in a divider and started the next towel. It will be more yellow than blue. I haven't sat down to weave again. I am too restless, can't sit still, can't knit or weave. I sure hope this is temporary, I need these activities to keep me sane.

It's official

I tell you, I have checked this site so many times since last Friday that when my name came up I thought it was someone else. But there it is in big bold official letters. I am a registered nurse. Sweet!