Knitting and vetting

I don't mean "knitting and kvetching" (more commonly known as "stitching and bitching"); since leaving behind life as a practicing veterinarian, and then rediscovering knitting, I've simply had some time to think about the similarities and differences between a knitter and a veterinarian.  ("Differences?" you might ask.  "Aren't those pretty obvious?"  For the most part, yes....) I'll start with similarities:  first, the sheer tactile pleasure of handling an animal's fur is much like the soothing feel of a soft wool between your fingers (assuming the animal doesn't have a lot of scabs, or mange, or fleas, or ticks...).  Second:  in both knitting and vetting, you can't do a good job without the proper tools, and in both cases, these include...needles!  Third:  one of my favorite parts of being a vet was performing surgery, and seeing how beautifully a well-sewn incision can heal; isn't it also amazing how seams in knit garments can virtually disappear?  Fourth:  I used to have an entire wall of books devoted to veterinary medicine, and now--you guessed it--that same space is filled with knitting books and magazines, and stash.  Fifth:  being a veterinarian is like being a knitter in that, when you tell people what you do, they almost always react in one of two ways:  warmth and enthusiasm, or else an awkward silence (during which it becomes clear that your new acquaintance thinks you are insane).  And sixth:  both as a knitter and as a veterinarian, your, shall we say, professional curiosity is regularly piqued.  In the former case, it might be that friend's cat who is at the water bowl every time you visit (diabetes?  kidney failure?), or perhaps the nearly bald dog walking down the street (Cushing's disease? hypothyroidism?), while in the latter, it's the sweater on the person next in line at the grocery store (that is the most amazing cable pattern I've ever seen!), or the hand-knit sweater in the corner boutique (how did the designer get the hem to curve like that??). Next post:  some not-necessarily-obvious differences between knitting and vetting.  Plus, the first sweater I knit after picking up my long-idle knitting needles once again.