It's harder than I thought to grow sheep...

Poor Spud. He has had a longer gestation period than I anticipated. He was begun in May, and was progressing well. He was to be a gift for my daughter when she visits in June. I spent a long weekend in North Carolina with 7 of my friends who have known each other since kindergarten.

We talked, we laughed, we ate, we hiked, we played, and during much of that time Spud was coming closer to completion. On the trip back home, I discovered that every row I had knit in the mountains was off kilter. (I had left the directions at home and was sure I remembered them anyway...) The to-be sheep became a frog. Aargh. Rip-it rip-it!

Luckily the next day was Memorial Day, so I had time to do some re-knitting.

My index finger would turn blue at the tip if I knit and twisted too long!

I had intended to take a picture of all the parts (body, head, tail, ears, feet, toupe) and then show the completed sheep becoming more than the sum of his/her parts. She was also infused with love. Did you notice the he-to-she change after the frog? I discovered that as I knit and twisted and thought about my daughter, who is a priest in the Episcopal Church, Spud had a new identity. All I had to do was change to bow-tie into a hair-bow. Momma J was born. She received a clerical collar and cross, and is ready to preach to her multi-cultural congregation, pictured with her here:

 

The other sheep have many differences in size and color and body-types and origins- one is even a llama- but they are all together in one happy flock. Unfortunately, she is being called from her current parish, Green Pastures Episcopal Church, to a new parish in Mississippi. I think it is called Church of the Still Waters. She will have to leave behind her best friends, Shirley (bottom row middle,) Goodness (middle row 3rd from right,) and Mercy (tall sheep on back row,) but they will follow her in spirit.

Below is her official portrait that hangs in the Parish Hall:

 Peace.

Relentless

ReLentless.

That is how I have been as I worked on the Swirl Shawl. I took a class at the KKQ 2011 in January, using Jojoland melody yarn that was a birthday gift from my daughter, who served the chaplain for the retreat. I started and restarted many times, but finally got the hang of it. Of course, I have a multitude of WIPs, not to mention the UFOs and IMQs (in my queue.) To make sure I completed the shawl in a timely manner, I determined that during Lent I would work only on this project only when I was home. (Since the shawl did require some concentration, I worked on a myriad of stash busting acrylic hats during breaks at work and at sit-n-knits.) I tried to finish one hexagon each evening. I tried to figure out some sort of spiritual aspect to this Lenten "discipline," but could not come up with one. That's OK. I did pray my way through a number of errors and redos! After the leaning curve in January, the getting going in February, the reLentless 40 days in March and April, I finally finished the last of the 82 hexagons on the Fifth Sunday of Easter! I'm pleased with the completed shawl, but will not knit another one. I'm exhausted!!

The blob.

 The bath.

 The blocking. 

The beautiful.

 The shawl was completed in time to take to High Hampton in Cashiers, NC, where I spent a glorious 3 days with 7 other friends who've known each other since nursery school. There is nothing like forever friends!