KIP at the doctor's office

Since I had a doctor's appointment today, I intended to pack a small knitting bag with a nice portable project for the waiting room early in the day. That didn't happen. By the time I needed to leave, I was scurrying through the house trying to remember which needles were in which bag and where I had put certain patterns.

I did manage to tuck a few sets of needles and a few balls of yarn into a bag.

Although I've never been a fan of **novelty yarn, I did buy a ball of Eros to make a belt or accessory a while back, just for the heck of it and because I thought I needed to try it. The yarn was also really pretty.

I cast on with the yarn but found it difficult to knit with it. It was hard to tell where the new stitch began and where the old stitch ended. I ended up pulling it all apart and deciding that it would be a project for a much later date. This was not the type of yarn I needed to use while trying to relax.

I pulled out my DB Baby Knits for Beginners and decided to knit the little seed stitch shoes. As I was casting-on, a gentleman sitting near me asked me if I was knitting or crocheting, as he could not see the hook/needle clearly from where he sat. I told him I was knitting and he proceeded to tell me about his crocheting. It was a delightful conversation. He was such a nice man.

He had two young ladies that were with him. One said she had tried to learn to knit but gave up. Then, his name was called by the nurse, so the conversation ended.

Soon after, they called me back to take my vital stats. When I went back out to the lobby, it was almost full. I settled down in a chair next to a few ladies. I pulled my knitting back out. Unexpectedly, amazingly (to me,) another conversation started. One of the ladies asked what I was making, they peeked at the book and asked all sorts of questions. Then, my name was called again and that was the last I saw of either group.

I managed to knit a few rows while I waited in the examining room for the doctor. Upon completion of the first section, I read the instructions for the next section. It was then that I discovered that I had read the first instructions wrong and would have to rip back to the first row. I can't begin to tell you what that did for my nerves.

I decided to just rip out the whole thing. Again, the experience was both frustrating and freeing. I cast-on again the required stitches when my doctor knocked on the door. So much for calming my self for the exam.

I told him, the doctor, how today was a good day in terms of pain. He had me do a few things and I discovered that it wasn't as good a day as I thought.

More tests are set. I was encouraged to remember that I have to take care of myself so it was time to put some other things on the back burner. I was also warned that I must begin physical therapy. I was reminded that this was not an option but an order. We talked a lot about stress...

Now, I'm ready for my nap. Will I get one? Not a chance.

With a little luck, I'll get to knit a bit tonight.

**When I first started knitting, I thought novelty yarn was non-acrylic yarn. I thought that the fact that it wasn't acrylic made it a novelty. I actually used to tell people I was fond of novelty yarn because I actually thought that's what non-Walmart yarn was. Embarrassing, but true.