Education, Suffering, and Finished Objects

They say that if you have three of something, it's a collection. So I guess this is a collection. These little nuns have been finding their way to me--all were gifts from friends who understand what it's like being the product of sixteen years of Catholic schooling. Or at least they sympathize and have been listening to my nun stories for a long time.

Then there's this one who sits on my desk at work.

You can wind her up and sparks will come out of her mouth as she approaches, ready to bash you with her ruler. I always say that I actually had her for math in high school. It's true!

There is a family tradition of this sort of thing. My mother always relished telling of being called a " bold brazen hussy" by a nun during her school career.

It's the very welcome end of what seems like a very long week. Returning after vacation is hard. I was either dragging myself around exhausted or, like yesterday, I lay awake most of the night due to the effects of THREE 44 ounce Diet Cokes. Perhaps I should think before doing THAT again.

But check out a FINISHED OBJECT!

Yes! It's the Kimono Shawl, completed and blocked. I love this shawl--the yarn, which is Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift, the color--pale heathery gray, and the pattern which presented far fewer headaches and meltdowns than my first shawl.

Later edit: Forgot to include pattern info. This is the Kimono Shawl from the book Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle.

Now, I'm relatively new to knitting and this is only my second shawl. I am still in the mindset (see Catholic school reference above) that one must suffer a bit for these moments of knitterly completeness and happiness. So I don't begrudge the SIX MONTHS I spent working on this shawl. But what am I to make of this woman who dashed off a Kimono Shawl in TEN DAYS?

Only awe, I guess. And gratitude. She posts marvelous tutorials on lace knitting and other things.

Clearly I have a long way to go. But I'm getting there.