baa baa sheep

I wasn't going to post today (I was online briefly this morning, but that was mainly researching/writing a Sunday School lesson). But then I had to go back on after getting my mail: a flyer from my credit union noted that the "credit union check fee" was now $2. And my first thought was: "Wait, what? They're charging me for every check I write?"

After a bit of research, I concluded (I HOPE I am right) that they mean something like a cashier's check, seeing as (a) they call the checks I write "share drafts" on my statement and (b) it would be utterly ridiculous for a credit union to do that; they'd lose many members.

I'm still calling Monday. (Unfortunately, not right when they open; I will be in class).

But, it seems not right not to give more detail than one line. Surely I'm not the only one who didn't think "cashier's check" when they referred to a "credit union check."

(Another deduction, Watson: I just went back and looked at the list of fees on my statement. They list one for a "stop check," and another, higher one, for "stop credit union check." So I think I'm safe. Well. I will wind up doing a bit of an Emily Litella over the strongly worded e-mail I sent them requesting a clarification on the fee. But still, they should give more detail. Most of us don't use cashier's checks regularly and don't think about them.)

So anyway, here's the first of the projects that I did over break. (I only photographed the one; another is a hat and I don't feel very photogenic today, and it's too warm to put on socks or armwarmers right now...)

This is Nigella.



As you can see, she's a black sheep. This was a kit I bought at Hobby Lobby. (It wasn't cheap, but it was too cute to pass up). Her "wool" is made using moss stitch, which, while moss stitch is very tedious to do, is a nice touch and gives a nice nubbly texture.

(The pattern came in both a knit and crochet version, but I frankly thought the knit version was cuter).

The yarn is interesting - I guess you'd call it a cable-construction yarn, many very fine plies, which gives it a "squishy" texture. (And, ironically, it is not a wool yarn - for a sheep - but a cotton/acrylic blend. So maybe she's a vegan sheep. I don't know.)

I made the face slightly differently than the one on the picture; I used lock-washer eyes instead of embroidering them, and instead of using the scraps of black yarn (which was kind of chunky for embroidery) to make the face, I used some black perle cotton my mother had on hand.