Wyoming Breezes

four skeins of sock yarn September 2017 The main reason I did not purchase a lot of yarn last weekend on the Guild road trip, was that I had already ordered some sock yarn online from Mary Maxim. It's difficult for me to pass up a great deal, and the four skeins shown (100 grams each) were only $4.99 each. I haven't knit with this brand before, but it's 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon - a good blend for sock yarn. sock yarn "grab bag" enough yarn for three pair of socks I also ordered a "grab bag" of sock yarn for $18.99, which is enough for three pair of socks for $6.33 per pair. The bag also contained four sock yarn patterns. I like Heart and Sole yarn, but the other brands are new to me. The Serenity yarn in the upper left is wool, bamboo and nylon blend. This yarn will make seven pair of socks for an average of $6.27 per pair - a great deal. Many brands of sock yarn range from $15 - 25.00 each. I don't usually purchase "grab...

block detail September 2017 Scrappy Mountain Majesties is a free pattern by Bonnie Hunter. I made this quilt out of a batik layer cake I purchased on Craftsy: Tonga Treats - City Lights. Some random yardage of other batiks was used to make additional the blocks and to add the border. Scrappy Mountain Majesties 59 x 72 inches Quilt of Valor Scrappy Mountain Majesties is Quilt of Valor #122

Assembly shed at the Eagle Bronze Foundry Lander, WY One of the largest pieces that Sue and I saw in the assembly shed was a large horse (mare of the Fighting Horses sculpture) It's shown in the photo just left of the grizzly bear. The blue circle is the mare hoof.  a small version of the two horses Our guide told us this sculpture is going to Dubai in six months, and eventually an even larger version will be made - to house a museum INSIDE the horses with the walkway in the mare's raised hoof. source This photo from the foundry website shows the full sculpture to be assembled in Dubai in 2018 I offered to accompany the crew to Dubai, but our guide just laughed.

No-Hair Day Hats Lion Brand Fun Fur yarn (Deep Sea) September 2017 This week, I knit three hats for local patients going through chemotherapy. The eyelash yarn (Lion Brand Fun Fur) was donated by a woman in the local charity knit group. No-Hair Day Hat Lion Brand Fun Fur yarn (Rainbow) Pattern : Head Huggers "No-Hair Day Hat"   or   Chemo Hat (Ravelry link) Needles : US size 9 Yarn : Lion Brand Fun Fur           Colorways:  Deep Sea and Rainbow Do you like knitting with novelty yarns?

September 2017 Progress on the I ♥ Fall KAL has been slow: I've been distracted with other knitting and sewing projects. The dark yarn is difficult to knit without good light, and I've dropped several stitches in poor light conditions. Pattern : ribbed cuff - socks Needles : US size 2 Yarn : Zauberball Crazy (#2312 - Piano Bar)           based on the yarn in the ball, I am surprised it is knitting up so dark           The yarn was introduced in  this earlier post Stitch count: 64 for the ribbed cuff, 60 after the gusset decrease Heel : Square Heel (aka - Dutch Heel) from Heels by Number The weather has taken a definite turn in recent days - cold, damp, and rainy. Snow has fallen in the high country and seems to be working its way down the mountain. I am hoping that Fall will not allow Winter to dominate during this transition.

sock yarn and tea After the tour of the woolen mill on Saturday, we drove north to Sheridan, WY to visit The Fiber House , a wonderful yarn shop, stuffed with luscious yarn. With great difficulty, I kept my stash enhancement limited to one fun-colored skein of sock yarn. The tea from Mystic Monks Coffee  - also located in Wyoming - was purchased at the woolen mill. More information about the monks can be found here . To help break up the three-hour road trip, we played games on the bus (thank you, Sara for this idea). I selected a skein of sock yarn (big surprise, right?) and a cute box to store knitting notions from the prize bag. The trip was enjoyable - I did some knitting, chatted with friends, learned a great deal about the processing wool into yarn,  and saw a lot of Wyoming through the windows of the bus.

baby hats knit with scrap sock yarn The two hats on the top were knit with scraps from this pair of socks , the pink tone hat was knit with scraps from a shawl that has yet to be blocked, and the small hat in the front was knit with assorted scrap sock yarn. I enjoy the helical stripe technique when using assorted scraps, especially when I use a solid yarn for the coordinating and dominate color. The helical stripe technique is easy and fun technique - have you tried it yet?

testing the temperature of the molten bronze August 2017 Eagle Bronze Foundry Lander, WY As Sue and I exited the plaster and drying room, we discovered two men preparing to pour molten bronze into molds. One of the men tested the temperature of the bronze with a long rod with a thermometer at the end. removing the molds from the kiln where the wax was melted, leaving a mold of plaster As the temperature increased, the molds were removed from a kiln. The kiln melts the wax inside the mold, leaving only a mold of plaster. Our guide told us the melted wax is captured and reused many times. The  molds were placed in a bed of sand. You can see the glowing crucible of molten bronze with a bar clamped on it. carefully, the molten bronze is poured into the waiting molds the amount of strength it takes to handle the crucible  filled with molten bronze was evident.  The man on the right without the protective gear came in and help with the pour beca...

hot pads and coaster Last week, Mary H. showed the sewing group her technique in making coasters and bowls using clothesline and fabric strips. I have several of Mary's coasters and have admired the bowls she's made and was thrilled when I heard the September program was learning the technique. I made the light blue table pad the day of the class, and the large hot pad (9 x 13") and a mug coaster (5") when I got home. I haven't tried making a bowl yet, but I will soon. Thank you Mary for a fun class. The coaster technique is explained here  and the bowl technique is explained here .

Mountain Meadow Woolen Mill  is one of the few mills that processes wool from the raw fleece to the finished product of roving or yarn.  Saturday, I joined several Guild members for a three-hour bus trip to the Mountain Meadow Woolen Mill in Buffalo, WY.  We ventured over the Big Horn mountains and encountered snow on the summit, but once we arrived in Buffalo, the roads were dry and the air crisp. The mill is small but inclusive: they process from fleece to yarn in the large warehouse building. I hope you enjoy seeing the photos from the trip.  Guild members began the mill tour by learning some of the background on how and why the mill was started ten years ago. Mountain Meadow Woolen Mill,  Buffalo, WY September 16, 2017 The skirting process was explained  Ben explained how the skirting process not only removes vegetable matter but also short cuts that can occur during shearing  wool grease is a by-product of the scouri...