Horse Update, a bit late

 There isn't much to report on the horse side of life this month.  It's been cold.  And my schedule has been erratic--twice I've babysat Faline on a Wednesday afternoon, not just Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I rode once in late December, and once so far in January.  No spectacular progress made to talk about.  Did have a spectacular spook early in the one January ride; I didn't lose my seat but Camaro managed wheel and get about four strides before I got him back on my intended direction of travel (toward the scary door, of course).  

Hoping that this coming week will bring decent enough temperatures for riding, especially as babysitting has been cancelled for the week (school has been cancelled for DD1's district, due to low attendance numbers--many students having to quarantine due to ill household members--so DD1 won't be working this week.)  No babysitting means that I can ride later in the day than 9 a.m., which means I can wait for air temps to warm a bit if necessary.

I'm becoming annoyingly aware that our first intended show is in just four months. . .

Sewing Update, January

 Welcome to the 'What I Sewed For Christmas' edition of my monthly sewing updates.  Now that everything has been gifted, I have finished pictures to share.

First up, the Disappearing Hourglass quilt I made for my parents. It is undoubtedly the largest quilt I have quilted on my machine.  It was a bugger to get through the throat of my sewing machine at times.

It was also a bear to layer nice and flat and even for basting.  I definitely need to rethink/rework my sewing space for future quilts that are larger than baby quilts.  Hopefully as 2022 progresses, a portion of the basement will become a wide open quilting space.  A longarm would be great, but I doubt that is a realistic purchase in the next handful (or more) of years.  So I'll be looking for a local longarmer to do the quilting on several future quilts I have planned.

Despite this quilt being oversized for my equipment, I did get it all quilted (stitch in the ditch around the stars and diamonds).  My parents really love it; they were quite speechless when they opened the box I'd wrapped it in.

For each of the grandkids, I made a reading pillow (free tutorials abound, if you want to make some of your own there are lots of choose from).  They have an envelope style back which made them quick and easy to make, and have sparked a new addiction for me.  I all ready have fabric, forms, and plans to make some throw pillows for myself/this little place here in the coming months.  

From left to right in the picture below are the pillows for Faline, Rascal, Toad, and K3.  Each is 18" x 18", with a handle for easier carrying, and a pocket to hold a book

Last, but not least, is a pillow for DD2.  I had actually had the idea for her pillow back in 2020, when I found out that one of my sister-in-laws had some burlap coffee bags that she posted on Facebook Marketplace.  A few of them were from Peru, and I asked if I could get them from her.  My thought was that I could make some throw pillows with them--something DD2 could decorate with that would be sort of a reminder of the study abroad in Peru that she had done back in 2017.

Unfortunately, the coffee bags were HUGE--adults could do sack races with them they're so big!  There was only one with the logo/wording/design small enough to fit onto a throw pillow sized form.  So that is the only one that so far I've been able to actually use so far.

The coffee bag is the front of the pillow, and some llama fabric I ordered online in 2020 is the back.

She thought it was really neat and has given it a place of honor on her bed.  I showed her the remaining coffee bags.  We're hoping to come across a good way to repurpose them.

So far this year, my focus has been on cleaning the existing craft/sewing/grandkids sleepover room; it got rather choaticly messy during the countdown to Christmas sewing frenzy.  During the rest of January, I hope to also get the area in the basement designated as the new sewing/crafting spot cleaned out (it currently mostly holds DD2's household goods that she had while living on her own in and right after college but is redundant while living at this little place here). 

Knitting Update, January

 I forgot to take a picture of the Rubia socks made for my Dad's Christmas present.  Luckily, he likes them so much he took a picture of them on his feet and sent it to me. They are actually made with a gray yarn, not white like the photo looks.  But the blue is pretty spot on.

In December I decided I wanted to make myself another pair of short socks.  They were a quick and easy mostly stockinette pattern, Racing purls, that I adapted to the length of leg that I wanted.  I finished them just before Christmas.  (And forgot to take a pic before wearing them; but did take a picture before tossing them in the laundry which is why they look a bit grimy.) The colorway is a (I believe) discontinued Knit picks one that I bought several years back called Frog Prince.  And the picture doesn't do it justice.  Minty green with pale yellow and blue,and brighter longer sections of purple and pink.

Currently on my needles is the annual socks for my Mom.  Where she buys herself a skein of yarn, and gives it to me with the request that I please knit her a pair of socks in my choice of pattern. So, this year, I chose the pattern Fallreep, with it's single panel of cables. The yarn is some Dream in Color that came with a mini skein for heel, toe, and cuff (at least, I hope there's enough for cuff and not just heel and toe!).  I knit all the way from cast on through the heel between Christmas and New Year's, and just finished the gusset this afternoon while Faline was napping (hence the messy with toys and books background in the photos)

cables close up

Unless January goes to hell (I'm sincerely hoping not, but it's not been very nice so far) I should have both socks done by the end of the month. Mom's birthday is in early February and I know she's hoping these socks will be delivered to her then.

Here's a quick review of books I read since the December knitting update:

Missing by Shelley Shepard Gray--rather a disappointing read.  Murder mystery, Amish, but also quite a bit of romance thrown in disjointedly into the mystery????  I feel like this author probably writes so-so romance novels and is trying to branch out into Amish mysteries.  Unfortunately this is the first in a series, and I was curious what had actually happened to the victim and who the murderer was, so I trudged through the second book The Search as well as the third Found to finish out the long and rabbit-trailed and too much unrealistic falling in love among many characters mystery. If you like this author, go ahead and read this series.  If you haven't read anything from her yet, my opinion is that you should just skip it.  Brutally honest.

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer--better than the book series mentioned above, but didn't fully grab my attention from beginning to end.  A nice feel-good story, though. Apparently there is a sequel, not sure I'll read it.

Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon--a Mitford novel, and while I sometimes found it hard to follow which character was 'speaking' in which chapter, it does come together to tell a nice story that makes sense.  Reading the other Mitford novels first in order is an absolute must though, to be able to understand and get the full effect of this book.

Right now I'm reading Daughters of Northern Shores by Joanne Bischof.  It's a sequel to Sons of Blackbird Mountain, which I liked, so I'm hoping this book will also be good.

Riding Update, December

 Not much riding has been happening.  Between it being the holiday season, and still deer hunting season of one sort or another, and me being a little punky-under-the-weather off and on, I think my butt has been in the saddle twice?? since the last update.

Both rides mainly concentrated on keeping Camaro's attention, as the big door at the end of the indoor arena is closed and he really, really prefers it to be open.  He'd much rather see things going by outside.  That closed door is a scary thing.  So, we've worked on keeping him mindful of what I'm asking him to do, and me remembering to ask him a million questions so that he doesn't have time to think about how scary that end of the arena is when the door isn't open.

Rides go sort of like this:

Camaro:  trotting along, all nice and steady and 'oh, hey! The door is closed!! I can't keep on contact, nope, my head must go up like a camel's'

Me: 'Hey, Camaro, how about three steps of right bend followed by three steps of left bend?'

Camaro: right bend, left bend, we're through the scary end.  Comes around the next wall and sees the door shut 'My inside shoulder must brace against your leg, because I think I might need to booger; the door is closed'

Me: "how 'bout some leg yield for a few steps?  No?  How about I poke you with my spur?  Thanks for getting off my inside leg"

Camaro: beautiful lateral steps in response to spur touch.  Good contact, for a few strides, and then "hey!  Door!  Lost my brain!"

Me: "Shoulder!!" "10m circle right here."  "Focus on me, halt, walk four strides, halt, trot four strides. . . " "No sucking back as we approach the door, be BOLD Camaro!"

Meanwhile, we've done a few longeing sessions, and he's been a rock star at those.  Working on keeping him straight, shoulder staying nice and where it belongs, upward and downward transitions, and having a nice upward canter rather than a flat sprawling one. Even when he's passing the door.

Hoping January will find us back to a several time a week riding schedule.

Sewing/Stitching Update, December

 In the last month, I've done quite a bit on the counted cross stitch banner that is intended as a Christmas gift. All the cross stitching is done now and I am working on the backstitch outlines.  Most of this has been accomplished during Faline's naps.  I don't foresee any difficulty in getting it completed on time.

Sewing, however, has been hit and miss.  I did make a quilt block for an internet forum quilt I'm participating in.

I have also worked on the disappearing hourglass quilt that I'm making for a Christmas gift.  All of the blue & neutral squares have been sewn into hourglasses and are ready for the next step in cutting.

The green & neutral hourglasses are partially sewn--the tops and bottoms are put together and ironed, I just need to get them sewn into blocks.

From here on out, I'm going to need to be diligent in setting my sewing time in stone on the calendar and not putting it off for other (people's) things if this disappearing hourglass quilt is going to be ready for gifting in two and a half weeks.

Knitting Update, December

 I finished the stockings!  I finished the stockings before Thanksgiving!  They now reside in their new home and were received with many praises.  Whew!  Looking back, I think those stockings have been my big project for 2021.  Each one wasn't really time consuming, but as an identical trio, and keeping detailed notes so that they'd absolutely be identical. . . that was herculean!

Quite by accident (as in, I wasn't looking for them at the time) I found the most perfectly colored pony beads to sew on the Christmas trees as ornaments. Not by accident, I also found gold star buttons to use at the tops of the trees.

After finishing the stockings, I didn't work on my Dad's Rubia socks until last night.  And of course I forgot to take a picture, but sock #2 is 2/3 complete, maybe even closer to 3/4 complete.  Another good few hours of knitting and it will be done.

Instead of working on that, I decided to see how quickly I could knit a new sweater for Faline.  Could I get it done in time for gifting for her birthday?  If not, it could always be a Christmas present.

Well, it got done.  Just in time to block and be dry for her party day.  I used the Viola and Sebastian pattern that I made her infant sweater out of last Christmas, only this time I did the Viola (lace) version and in a size 12-18 months.

I can confidently say that Faline loves it.  As soon as she opened the box I'd wrapped it in, she took it out, put it on (with a little help) and wore it the rest of the day.

Readingwise, I read several books in the past month:

• A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo.  Another Kate Burkholder book, another thoroughly enjoyable and suspenseful read.  
• The Mason House by T. Marie Bertineau.  I loved this book, despite it's mixed reviews.  Probably I loved it because I have lived in (and am very familiar with) the area of the Upper Peninsula it's set in (although most of the story is set in the 70's and 80's and I lived there in the early 90's) and have experienced the culture, the people, the climate, the income level that it is centered around.  For people far removed from that sort of setting, it probably doesn't come across as relatable or even realistic.
• Copper Country by Kristin Neva.  Second in her Copper Island series, this is another UP book. While many of the characters are also in the first book, this one is easily a stand alone book that doesn't have to be read in order. A light read, I tucked this one in my hunting bag and read it over a week while sitting in a tree stand waiting for deer to wander by.
• Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand.  This is the third of a trilogy and nicely wraps up the story.

Currently I have Missing by Shelly Shepard Gray in my hunting bag, and in the house I'm reading Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer.

Grateful, November third Sunday

 (Oops it's Monday all ready.  Forgot to schedule this for publishing yesterday--Sunday)

My gratefulness post today is about how much better my knee has gotten in the past month.  Or however long it's actually been (somewhere close to a month) since DH's last trip that took him out of town for a week or so.  At that point, I was still having troubles doing my own chores and no way could have taken on any of his (like stoking the wood boiler).  This time, I'm probably at 75% capacity in my own heavy lifting, can actually do stairs like a normal person, walk a good 1/2 mile with no soreness or gait issues, AND I stoked the wood boiler! 

I confess, toting and swinging large chunks of wood into the opening of the firebox did cause a bit of pain the first few days, but by the end of the 10-day trip that DH was away for, my knee was no longer complaining about this task.

Physical therapy is coming along. Still doing strengthening and balance exercises, but they are way different and have increased in difficulty level compared to what they were a month ago.  And I'm down to once a week for PT instead of twice.We're getting there!  Hopefully in another month or so I'll be full steam ahead.