New Pathways to Inspiration - Your Pets
June 26, 2009 | By
I love my pets. I have two Miniature Schnauzers and a rescued Maine Coon cat. They bring me so much joy that sometimes it seems incredible to me that I can have this much love for things that don’t speak. More than just providing me with constant companionship, unconditional love and unbridled joy every time I enter the room; they also serve as wonderful muses.
A lot of the crafters that I know that are my age (mid to late 20’s) started crafting because they had children. While obviously this is not always the case, it does seem that a lot of the knitters, crocheters, scrap bookers and soap makers I personally know started their craft because they wanted to create for or with their children. I don’t have children, but I did the same thing when I adopted my 
Schnauzers. They are litter mates that I bought from a breeder when they were just barely 8 weeks old. They were tiny, just a pound and a half each and they fit in the palm of my hand. They were so small in fact that it was impossible to find collars or sweaters for them. Since they were so small they also got cold very easily and even though I live in Las Vegas, air conditioning indoors can be very chilly to a 1 lb dog with low body fat. As a result of having shivering pups that were too small for store bought sweaters, I quickly began designing and then knitting them tiny sweaters to keep them warm.
As they grew I continued to knit them sweaters and continued to be inspired by them in other ways as well. I recently used some of my hand spun yarn to knit a collar for my black Schnauzer because the collar she had was snagging on the super fine fur around her neck. My white Schnauzer has incredibly sensitive skin and acute allergies and so I created a salve for her to rub into her skin at night to help with her itchiness. I’ve knit countless cat toys for our Maine Coon, and the cat even has a box lined with one of my hand knit blankets that was supposed to be for a friend’s newborn but the cat claimed it as her own before I had the chance to gift it.
In addition to creating out of necessity to make my animals more comfortable, they have also inspired me in other ways. When I recently began spinning yarn I naturally began looking at the three little fur people who live in my house as potential fiber donors. I will soon begin carding the fur I have collected from their grooming sessions so I can hopefully spin it into enough yarn to knit a scarf or hat from. I’ve had mixed responses to this idea, but when you think about it using the fur from your dogs and cat is no weirder than using the fiber from an alpaca or sheep that you’ve never met. I can’t think of a better way to immortalize the animals who share my home and my life with me than to honor them by turning their fur into a knitted garment that I could wear even after they are no longer with me.
If you have a pet that you love as much as I love mine, considering using them as a muse. Perhaps they would make an excellent model for a painting or photograph. New inspiration could quite literally be laying at your feet.
All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior
written permission of HandmadeNews.org.
