Wyoming Breezes

Love from the Heartland Quilt of Valor 55 x 66 inches Love from the Heartland is a Disappearing Nine-Patch quilt, made with the three blocks that FarSide contributed  and the  fabric scraps that gMarie sent with her blocks for the 12 in 2012 challenge. I added a few of my own scraps to FarSide's blocks and gMarie's scraps to make this a completely scrappy quilt. Love from the Heartland is the twelfth quilt in the 12 in 2012 Quilt of Valor challenge ; however, my bin of red, white, blue fabric is not empty, so I will continue to make more Quilts of Valor. Update : August 15, 2012 This quilt was shown on Alycia's blog today and will be wrapped around an American hero soon.

In last week's post you saw the meager shipment  that I sent to Japan by boat. My return two years later involved an actual shipping container. Hmmm, let's be honest here and say shipping containers. Yes, both of those large wooden crates held my belongings, and they were delivered right to my front door in small town Wyoming after traveling from Misawa Air Force Base, Japan to Yokohama Naval Base, Japan and across the Pacific Ocean on a slow boat. 

Depot Riverton, Wyoming April 2012 I can't remember when the last train came through town, but I do remember traffic stopping for the train to cross Main Street when I was a child. The tracks have long since been pulled up, and the right of way through town has been turned into a paved walking trail, which some civic organizations have adopted, planting trees , grass, and flowers as well as placing benches for respite. Over the years the depot has housed various businesses - the Chamber of Commerce, a gun shop, and a restaurant. This historic building is now a popular Mexican restaurant, called The Depot. Several years ago, the building's foundation was repaired, and the area surrounding the depot is currently being transformed into a mini park where visitors can stop and admire this lovely old building that continues to be a vital part of the community.

This video explains perfectly why I have committed to make 12 Quilts of Valor in 2012. If you would like to read how the quilts impact those who receive them, read this post on Alycia's blog .

I promised another Oddball Baby Blanket update featuring the completed blankets. Sorry it has taken me so long to actually do it. Click the links below the photos to see the original posts. Candy Hearts Rainbow Brights Fall Harvest Fruit Salad Mistletoe and Holly Peppermint Twist Gridiron Glory Lavender Fields (colors did not photograph correctly) Just Ducky (colors did not photograph correctly) Nature

Packers prepare my personal belongs to ship to Japan The things I took would easily have only filled a quarter of a pick-up truck bed. Since it would take nearly two months for the items in the first photo to reach Japan, I had to take clothing for that period of time with me. I took the molded Samsonite cases, a garment bag, my camera, a purse, and a carry-on. Luggage in the late 70s did not have wheels, which is why I also took a collapsible luggage cart (in the white bag on the left). The two, red suitcases were checked through from Denver to San Francisco. Once in San Francisco, I had to carry my luggage to the bus terminal and catch the bus to Travis AFB. Imagine if you will: two suitcases strapped to the luggage carrier with bungee cords, the garment bag, my carry on, my purse, and my camera going down an escalator in San Francisco's airport. It was not something I want to repeat. Come back next week to see what I brought home two years later.

Orenburg Lace Border lace weight yarn, using size 2 needles All Orenburg shawls have borders, so that was one of the exercises on Saturday's workshop. Orenburg shawls are knit strictly with garter stitch, yarn overs, and knit 2 or 3 together - no purl stitches. I've knit many items over the years but consistently avoided any patterns that involved charts. Saturday, I managed to knit my border swatch, as well as some sample lace patterns, using charts. The learning curve wasn't too steep for this section of the workshop: the frustrating part was yet to come.

Lace points are adjusted during the blocking demonstration. At Sunday's workshop, Galina demonstrated a wonderful lace blocking technique. She told us to use nylon cording because a wet shawl will not stick to the cord; thus, it can be positioned easily. Also, the nylon cord will not stretch and distort the lace as it dries.  Thread the cord through the yarn over holes on the lace points, alternating from front/back on the dry lace points.  Secure the cord with a slip knot and launder the lace in 40 C or 100 F water for 15 – 20 minutes. Use a gentle soap like Ivory or Dawn to cut the oil the lace has absorbed from your hands. Rinse well and squeeze out excess water.  The item can be blocked on carpeting, a bed or any flat cushioned surface. Have a friend hold the cord at top corners and gently stretch the knitting by adjusting the cord corners only.  Pin the four corners when the piece is the desired size. Notice the pins are not touching the lace - only the nylon

Orenburg Lace Shawls Riverton, WY April 13, 2012 Friday evening, I was surrounded by the gorgeous Orenburg lace shawls, pictured above, when  Galina A. Khmeleva hosted a trunk show for Fremont County Fiber Guild (FCFG) members. Each shawl was unique and more beautiful than the previous one. Galina Khmeleva shares the history of Orenburg Lace Knitting Galina displayed each shawl and allowed FCFG members to admire the intricate stitches on the sheer shawls. One of two books that Galina Khmeleva authored on Orenburg Lace Knitting The Fremont County Fiber Guild brought Galina to Riverton for two days of lace knitting workshops , and members could enroll in one day or both days. I decided to take both workshops, each 6 hours long.

Some Bunny Loves You Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started March 2012 in Ohio Caron Simply Soft (Soft Green) and Purled Ladder stitch was used for the my section on Some Bunny Loves You . Tuesday, I handed the blanket to Cheryl, the next knitter, and this is Some Bunny Loves You with her section added. She used a stitch pattern called "Boxes and Bells" found in   99 Stitches  (Leisure Arts #2973) booklet. This is going to be a precious blanket! Update: June 4, 2012

Torii gate to rural Shinto shrine Southern Japan Nancy Stearns and Judy Loxtercamp April 1980 No matter the size of the shrine or its location, the pathway always has at least one  torii gate. Usually the gates are painted bright red, but some are rustic like the one pictured above. The torii gates symbolize the transition from everyday life into a sacred place: if a shrine has multiple torii, the gates increase the level of holiness for the believer approaching the inner sanctuary. A floating torii can be seen in this previous Foreign Friday post .

Today, I'd like to share a few favorite knitting sites. Down Cloverlaine - is a wonderful source of baby bibs and matching facecloths. Elaine is a generous designer and offers her wonderful patterns free. On the right side of her blog, check out the long list of bib and cloth patterns. I've knit many Simple Garter Stitch bibs over the years. The posts are here and  here . If you need a darling baby gift, I know a bib/washcloth set from one of Elaine's patterns would be a big hit! TECHknitting - this site has more information about knitting than you could ever possibly use. Spend some time browsing the blog to see what I mean. I know you will bookmark it. Knitty  online magazine - a great source of patterns and articles about knitting and designers. They also have a wonderful blog: Knitty Blog Ravelry - if you haven't joined this site, consider joining. It has more resources that I can even begin to mention: free patterns links, the opportunity to connect w

Firecracker Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started April 2012 Since Mistletoe and Holly  was cast off the needles last week, I started Firecracker on the empty needles. After finishing the Christmas-themed blanket, it seemed appropriate to have a blanket to usher the group into Summer. The stitch is Checks and Ridges , a favorite of mine because it is reversible and adds texture. Update : June 2012 Ready for the border June 28, 2012 Update : September 29, 2012

Last week's mail contained a package from FarSide , and inside were three, Quilt of Valor 9-patch blocks. Notice the lovely cards she also included in the package. FarSide is an awesome photographer , and the beautiful, Lady Slipper photos, featured on the cards, are from her camera. I will use FarSide's blocks with  gMarie's  extra 36-patch blocks, and several orphan blocks from Controlled Spin  to make another Quilt of Valor. While I haven't decided how to set the blocks into a quilt top, I am toying with some ideas. Thank you, FarSide and gMarie for contributing to my 12 in 2012 Quilt of Valor challenge .