Posts

Summer & Fall Knitting

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Hand-knit socks summer and fall 2024 I’ve been knitting steadily, but I haven’t posted finished projects in a long time.       Patons Kroy (blue/green marl) - Faternal Twins      Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock (Zombie BBQ) - yarn a gift from Cheryl O.      Unknown manufacturer and color - one sock finished; another on needles - yarn a gift from Cheryl O.      Unknown manufacturer and color - one sock finished; another nearly finished - yarn a gift from        Cheryl O. In addition to knitting for my feet, I knit 16 “socks” for my kitchen table chairs from partial balls of Noro Silk Garden (assorted colors). I plan to knit 8 more for the two remaining chairs. The chairs slide better on the laminate when wearing “socks.”

Kindness of a Stranger

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Fabric donation for making  Quilts of Valor I received this generous donation of fabric from Sue S., a quilter from Massachusetts. I’ll be able to make several QOV with this fabric. Thank you, Sue for this generous donation! It was a miracle I received the box in the mail. When I picked up the box outside my door where the mail carrier left it, the box bottom broke, and fabric came tumbling out. 

Scrappy Stars

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Scrappy Stars 58 x 72 inches Quilt of Valor #255
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Don’t Overthink It!  (from Facebook)

Are You Surprised?

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I was pleasantly surprised that Wyoming citizens visit public libraries so much. I’d be curious of the patrons’ average age. Does your state’s rating surprise you?  I use the library’s Libby app extensively throughout the year to listen to audiobooks. In the winter, I go to the library on Friday afternoons and work on a jigsaw puzzle or just browse the shelves.  The Laramie library also has knitting needles and crochet hooks to checkout, which I think is brilliant. Last year, they were offering free yarn, as well.

Art in the Park

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Park bench Optimist Park West Side of Laramie This unusual park bench is in a park on Laramie's West Side next to the playground equipment. It's quite unusual because it is also a recycling project. The shelter surrounding the bench is a part of a wind turbine blade.  I'm not a fan (no pun intended) of wind turbines because I think they are unsightly, and the components are difficult to dispose of once they are damaged or outlive their usefulness. They must be buried and will not disintegrate in the landfill. I was very surprised when it was announced that this new park bench was made from part of a turbine blade. Even though this one blade was made into a park bench, I'm sure there are hundreds, if not thousands, of others that are in landfills across the nation.

Taming the 3.5" bin

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This pile of 3.5 inch fabric scraps may not look like much, but it took me two days to sew the neutral squares to the red and blue squares. The more I sewed, the more the piles didn't seem to shrink.  I chain pieced the squares together and when the last squares were used, I cut them apart into half-square triangles.  Inside the basket are 130 HSTs and in the foreground are another 130 HSTs ready to be trimmed and pressed. Look to the right of the basket in the top corner, and you'll see the piles of red HSTs ready to be trimmed, pressed and counted.  I'm unsure what I'm going to make with these HSTs, but I have some ideas for blocks. The HST are 3 inches unfinished, so will finish at 2.5 inches in a block.  So, you might be asking, "Is the 3.5 inch scrap bin empty?" Well, not exactly. I used all the cut 3.5 inch squares, but the bin still contains 3.5 inch strips. Those will likely be used for borders.  I'm also tackling the 4.5 inch square bin, so I'