Riding Update, February

 There has been fairly consistent riding, finally!  Like at least once a week for several weeks running.  Camaro and I have even done some cantering, and I have to say it is better than the cantering we had last fall before I took my physical therapist imposed riding break.

We're still battling the scary door boogie man, but that is getting better.  I've found that if I can give Camaro enough things to think about as we head toward and through that end of the arena, he's less apt to spook.  Which means I have to be on my A game right from the time I get in the saddle so that I can keep track of all my and his body parts (am I holding the outside rein enough?  Is my inside hand drifting?  Is my seat encouraging him to swing through is back and go forward into contact?  Am I tensing up anything in anticipation of a spook? What is his inside shoulder doing?  Is he starting to suck back and lose engagement?  Is he on the bit or lifting his head and losing contact?) while asking him a bunch of questions at the same time: 

"Can you go more forward?"

"Can you NOT lean on my inside leg?"

"Can you take a step sideways toward the wall?  Toward the door?"

"Can you do a 20 meter circle here?  A 10 meter circle?"

"Can you halt for 4 seconds then trot off?"

Whoever thinks that dressage is just sitting there doing nothing while the horse goes around and around really ought to try it sometime.  It's kind of like rubbing your head and patting your stomach at the same time, while singing the Star Spangled Banner.

In other horse-related news, Camaro is shedding.  Let Spring begin!

Sewing Update, February

 I couldn't resist stitching another beaded Santa.  I know, I know, we just got done with Christmas, and next Christmas is a long way away.  But, I had a perfect Santa to make for our South Carolina girl, K2, and her birthday is in February.  So, perfect!  I could make it now, gift it for her birthday, and she'll have it to hang on her Christmas tree in December.

A beachy Santa for our coastal Carolina born K2

I finally put borders on the black, bright & batik quilt blocks (from a swap many years ago) that I'd sewed into a mostly finished top back in 2019 or 2020, I don't remember for sure when.  I also got the backing sewn.  Now it just needs to be sandwiched smoothly and quilted, then bound.  It will finish up twin sized.

I'm finding that sandwiching quilts larger than crib sized (or, slightly bigger than crib sized that I make for my grandbabies) is difficult in the space I have.  Kicking around the idea of researching how to design a portable (thus, storable) frame for stretching the layers onto and then having DH make me such a thing. Because I know I want to make more bed-sized quilts and will need somewhere to layer them wrinkle-free.

Knitting Update, February

 The Fallreep socks for Mom are finished!   I was amazed at how fast they seemed to knit up.  

I actually finished them over a week ago. Since then I mended 10(!!!) knitted dishcloths that had gotten a hole in them (from washing super sharp knives, I think) and started working on another pair of socks.

These socks are intended as a gift to Mother-In-Law.  Last fall, she saw me working on the socks for my Dad, and was amazed that I could knit with two separate colors.  Of course, I immediately knew that I wanted to make her a pair of socks with a design in them--two colors!  The pattern I chose is Rickrack Socks.  In the photos it looks more like a checkerboard design, but when you stretch them (as if wearing) it most definitely looks like rickrack.

I've done a little reading since the January update, finishing two books:

Daughters of Northern Shores by Joanne Bischof, which I really enjoyed.

Live and Let Pie by Ellie Alexander, which is another great Bakeshop mystery and I devoured it in just a few days.

I recently started The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal.  I kind of like it and kind of don't, depending on which chapter I'm on and which character is the focal point of that chapter.  Overall, I'd say it's interesting in a real-life midwesterner kind of way.