The pattern is simplified, instead of four pieces for the front and back body– it’s now two, the limbs are all the same length, and the ears have been enlarged.

I cut and machine sew in small batches, but I do all the stuffing and final detailing individually. This gives me the opportunity to make them all a little different and to give them distinct personalities. Sometimes I raid my jewelry box and wardrobe, looking for the right set of buttons for the eyes or a little bling for the attitude. It depends on my mood, and without anthropomorphizing too much– on theirs.

Speaking of moods, I am in a particularly good mood this morning. Last week, in school, we were put into small groups of five to work on a group project. Now getting five people to work together isn’t that difficult, not normally. Four out of five in my group were flaking off all week, it’s a sad state of affairs when I’m the statistical anomaly that is actually present and accounted for at all times.

I ended up doing the whole assignment alone, all last week. Posting my progress as I went so that at any point someone could just jump in and contribute. No help came, no group input, progress or participation. Nothing. Four people were completely MIA. I finished it, turned it in and waited.

I checked my grade today– I earned an A! Yay me! I did the work of five people, alone and not only passed but earned a nice grade. <Happy Dance!> This assignment was a huge chunk o’grade for the class too, so it brought my overall grade up from a B to an A.

Even better, the class facilitator wrote a really nice comment to go along with the grade.

Okay, so there’s probably four people that currently hate my guts, but I feel fantastic about it otherwise. I know I’m bragging, it’s just that this was really difficult for me on so many levels, and I worked so hard. I was cringing as I submitted the assignment because I was sure I’d screwed it up somehow or missed a vital point of the objectives. My stomach has been in knots waiting for a sub-par grade. This is a wave of relief as well as affirmation.

The whole week I was so wound up, and if it hadn’t been for Opal (the consummate best friend at all times, even when I’m whining) and my husband (who tends to administer sage advice when I most need it) I might have frozen up completely due to my own insecurities and the mounting pressure.

I started this shawl the evening before the house broke. It’s out of lace weight handspun gray alpaca and the pattern has been spawned from my tiny aching brains. I spent way too much time staring at fiddlehead ferns and the laced patterns on the chickens, so this pattern which has elements of both but is not completely reflective of either emerged.

If I were judge it at the moment it would be destined for a good ripping and I would salvage the yarn now. But there’s something about blocking that gives me hope that it’ll turn out, at least enough hope that I’m graphing a record of the construction praying that it’ll be a desirable pattern, worthy of this much effort on my part.

I added about 5 rows to it in the wee hours of this day. Now, I feel like that’s something to blog about.

Oh yeah, and I applied to continue my education. I’m seeking an AA with a business concentration. Cool huh? C’est tres cool, mes amis.

(Oui. My francais is hideous, thank you for noticing.)

If you wouldn’t mind praying to the dark overlords of financial aid, I could use whatever intercession can be mustered on my behalf. Thanks, I appreciate it.