Combining Passions...

Well, back to combining knitting and horses... While driving back from the barn today, I was pondering finishing my daughter's shrug and then I wondered if there are any patterns to knit for a horse.

Afterall, there are kitty beds, dog sweaters, mitties, footsies and the like, but I've NEVER seen a horse item. Strange. They are pets too, ya know. Expensive ones at that!

So, I went perusing.. Nope, nada, nuttin. Google "knits for horses". Now, you can find patterns to knit horses on sweaters or for model horses, but, not for a horse, of course.

I did find this one item.. A crocheted fly bonnet/mask for a horse. I can't imagine my "cow chasing" horse wearing this and not being embarassed as well as me being seen putting it on my horse. Here's a picture:

I did ponder knitting a winter blanket for my horse since they do wear them, but, after the rolling in manure, their pasture mates playing who can rip the other's blanket the most and the overall effect of outdoor weather in Chicagoland ALONG with the cost made me change my mind quite quickly.

I guess I'll just have to revert back to thinking about all the wonderful new sock yarn I have and start lining up patterns for them!

Clearing an Obstacle...

Well, along with my passion for knitting, is my passion for horses. We own horses, my daughter who is 9, is a phenomenal rider and last year placed 4th in the Nation at the Appaloosa Youth World Show in Oklahoma City!

Right before the show last year (June 9th to be exact), I came off my horse and got banged up to the tune of a busted collar bone, messed up shoulder, bruised ribs and sternum. Well, after getting bad "medical" advice (too bad I didn't know DK at the time) I finally had to have surgery in November to have a plate and screws put into the collar bone (it never healed) and my shoulder cleaned out and I've been in PT ever since (still am matter as fact). This is one of the reasons I took up knitting as I was pretty laid up for a pretty long time.

I just got "cleared" by my Surgeon to start riding again in April of this year (yes, 10 full months later) and just this weekend (11-1/2 months later), I finally rode in the "same" cow event that I got hurt in last year. This was a HUGE feat for me. You know, the proverbial "get back up on the horse" - well, I haven't been able to do that in nearly a year, and have had ALL that time to think about it. And as my friends, Paige, DK and Sarah can attest, I'm "overly" analytical and such.. right brained for sure!

It was LIBERATING in an odd kind of way. Felt good, scary, exciting all at once and has renewed my love for riding and chasing cows. Kind of the way I felt when I accomplished my first pair of socks - well, maybe, just kind of....

Speaking of socks.. Here's a picture of my very first attempt - I have labeled them "Agony of DeFEET", the pattern on the inside of the Colinette Jitterbug label was NOT written for a beginner, quite confusing, abbreviated and I nearly threw them in a drawer with hope of forgetting about them. BUT, and it's a big BUT, because I don't have UFO's (remember the right brain), I asked Sarah to coach me through them and she did fantastic. So, here they are!

They are made from Colinette Jitterbug, one skein, approx $20 in yarn and probably 20 hours - LOL! They feel so comfy!

Hobby Collector...

The more I thought about blogging and what I would write, the more I realized that I'm a hobby collector and I blame it totally on my Mother. Plain and simple, it's all her fault.

She was the one who taught me how to: Crochet, Sew, Cross-Stitch, Embroider, Needlepoint and a slew of other crafts. As an adult, I had to get "one up on her" and learned how to do Needle Punch, Wool Rug Hooking, Needle Felt, and Tole Painting among a slew of others and most recently, Knitting. I've become pretty obsessive about knitting (just ask Kate and Sarah - my 2 teachers and enablers).

While pondering my jumping in with both feet on all these crafts, I've realized that I've become the Teacher (when did I become my Mother)? My daughter has learned how to Needle Punch (has her OWN set of punches), Needle Felt, Paint and is starting to Knit AND we've picked up a few new ones like Beading. And since paybacks CAN be fun, I've introduced my Mother to Needle Punch and Needle Felt and of course, she's hooked (and blames ME!)

My wonderful Husband just chuckles because each wall of my "studio" is dedicated to a different discipline - you need to go around the room at LEAST twice to cover all of them!

I think my crafts are like cycles in my life. I alternate between them like seasons of the year where some seasons last longer than others and we enjoy more. My craft friends laugh at me because I'm pretty structured on how I craft (no ufo's) - heck with ALL these different crafts to do, how could I afford to have tons of ufo's in each craft! So, I usually have one 'main' project of a discipline in the works with a 2nd one - usually a "mobile" one to take with me where ever I go and finish one before moving on to the next. Now, let's be serious, doesn't mean I don't purchase "stash" supplies for future projects!