Black Sheep Get a Bad Rap

            I was a knitter before it was cool and celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Sandra Bullock made it fashionable to make your own scarves and socks.  I began practicing yoga before it became a western phenomena, and was often considered to be a novelty or a nut.   I've started my life over many times as an adult, and with each recreation, moved through it by myself with no established template of how to go about it while being single in a family oriented society. 

            Yes, I've been a black sheep.  How about you?

            While I was working on the latest Little Lamb (see Mr. Spiffy above), the thought often crossed my mind, "Why is it a black sheep that is treated with condescension?"  In 2009 I wrote an article about the difficulty shelters have in adopting out black animals, cats in particular.  In most breeds of sheep, the white gene is dominant, so black lambs are very rare, and in my mind, a precious commodity.  "Baa Baa Black Sheep," a popular nursery school song, describes the black sheep saying it has "three bags full."  This particular rhyme was in response to the wool tax that was present in 1731 and beyond.  Black wool was considered to be of higher value because it did not have to be dyed before use, yet another example of a black sheep's worth.

            Black sheep may be rare, but they are precious and to be respected for their individuality and unique gifts they bring to the world.  When I finished Mr. Spiffy, it didn't seem right to give him a collar or a bow tie like the others before him.  With his striking blue eyes (thanks to the suggestion of a few of my yoga friends), he needed something distinctive, thus he's the first Little Lamb for Peace to sport a Half Windsor knot.   I'm sure many more will follow in his hoof-steps. 

            I'm delighted that Little Lambs for Peace now has its own page on Facebook.  I look forward to hearing from you and seeing your own beautiful creations.  Come join our flock soon!