Tearing out the grass--and my hair

Here you see what I've accomplished in the last two days of stitching:

I had a vision of the way I wanted to shade the grass on The Shepherdess. Obviously that vision was the product of the codeine cough syrup I have been sipping in a vain attempt to control the nasty cough I have as a reminder of The Plague.

When you look at something while you're stitching it and say, "That ain't right" and you keep stitching, when you put the project down and walk away from it, still saying "That ain't right" and you come back to it and put in another thread, and when you wake up at 3:22 a.m. saying, "That really ain't right"  you know it's time to rip it all out.  And that you should have followed your first instincts, when it all started to go wrong, instead of forging on ahead.

So tonight I came home from work and ripped out.

I am re-evaluating the shading on the grass.

However, if my poor example doesn't scare you off, please be aware that, as of today, this project is available as an online class through Shining Needle Society. I have been singing the praises of SNS since its inception--after all, what is better than taking a class in front of the computer screen while wearing comfortable clothes, i.e. nighties or sweat pants. If you're not on the mailing list, email Kate Gaunt at KateGaunt@aol.com for the information.

Kate, who runs the operation, wrote some very kind things about my blog and me in the intro to the class, and she and Barbara Jackson, the designer and teacher of this delightful design, have asked me to be a guest in the class.

I can't decide if they need a class clown or a stellar example of what not to do, but I'm looking forward to it.