Wyoming Breezes

women's size 10 socks August 2020 Earlier this year, I decided the socks in my drawer were pretty dull and that I needed to knit socks in brighter colors. I've made a conscious effort to work with yarn that contained very little blue, gray or black since those were the predominant colors in my pre-COVID sock drawer.  This pair was knit with some discontinued Heart and Sole (Jelly Beans) on size 2 needles.  Have you added more color to your wardrobe or crafting this year?

old cottonwood tree Undine Park Laramie, WY August 2020 The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.  The second best time is now.    ~ Chinese proverb

outdoor flag repair August 2020 I spent some time on Monday repairing several of my outdoor flags. I have several and change them with the seasons. My apartment faces west, so the flags take a beating in the Fall and Winter. I've discovered that a small zig zag stitch protects the flags much better than the straight stitch the manufacturer uses. By repairing the hems this way, I am able to extend the life of the flags. I continue the stitches up the sides to the mid-way point. It's the bottom of the flapping flag that takes a beating.  Just like with every product, the older flags in my collection are made of a thicker and better quality fabric: the newer ones are flimsy and are damaged more easily. 

sock knitting August 2020 I love to knit socks, but this is the  first time a cake of  yarn has ever told me  it loves being knit into socks! They don't match, but Crazy Zauberball (Color 2231 - Nonferrous Metal) socks seldom match. 

knitting at the ready August 2020 The table next to my chair is large enough to hold a couple of knitting projects. Currently, I have socks in the works, and they both are at the point of knitting the toes. At the end of the evening, all the projects are placed in a floor basket next to my chair. On the table or in the basket, they are always close at hand.  My eyes are often tired at night, so I frequently remove my glasses when knitting on the plain vanilla socks. This particular evening, I enjoyed a couple Atomic Fire Balls, purchased last year: they've aged well and are hotter than usual.  Do you have a "craft nest" by your favorite chair?

August 2020 Summer has been glorious this year - warm days, cool nights, and occasional thunderstorms. I love Laramie in the summer! * It’s been smoky the last few days (fires around Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado), but even that can’t ruin a wonderful summer.  ** Does anyone remember this rhyme? Whether the weather be fair or whether the weather be not, whatever the weather, we’ll weather the weather whether we like it or not. 

First Steps by Robert Russin Undine Park - Laramie, Wyoming August 2020 First Steps is part of the permanent art collection of the University of Wyoming (UW). In recent years, the university placed some of their collection in public places in the community. First Steps was placed in Undine Park in 2014. Robert Russin , the artist of this piece, was an art professor at UW for several decades, and his sculptures are on display in many countries.  The Lincoln bust on the summit of Interstate 80 was created by Russin and was his favorite piece. He and his wife are inurned in a cairn next to the large bust of Lincoln. Lincoln bust by Robert Russin located at the summit on Interstate 80  near Laramie, Wyoming

Double Churndash 60 x 68 inches Quilt of Valor #189 The large (20 inch) double churndash blocks were quick and easy to make. I used binding and backing strips for the main blocks and new yardage for the red and blue churn dashes. The centers of the blocks were fussy cut from a panel donated by Jean F.  The pattern for the block can be found on the Double Churndash video tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company. 

Little Free Library 17th and Rainbow Laramie, WY August 2020 I finally found the Little Free Library that eluded me this Spring. It is located on the side of the house, but the address listed on the Little Free Library website gives the address of the house and NOT the Little Library.  The cute footstool invites little ones to see what the box contains: books, games, sidewalk chalk, hand sanitizer, and even dog biscuits.  this Little Free Library offers more than books to its patrons

from Facebook 2019

Double Churndash block August 2020 This double churndash block is the beginning of another Quilt of Valor. The centers will all be different thanks to a panel of patriotic images from Jean F.  I plan to make two sets of blocks -- blue with red dashes, as shown, and red with blue dashes. The pattern is from a video tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company, entitled Double Churndash.

Under the Poplars 1887 Claude Monet from a private collection on display at the Denver Art Museum November 2019 To me, Claude Monet's painting captures the beauty of late summer with a hint of melancholy. 

6.5 inch star August 2020 Among the Stars was made with a panel and pattern that Jean F. sent earlier this summer . I used several of the fabrics she donated in this quilt. I enjoyed making the small stars that bordered the panel.  Among the Stars 61 x 79 inches Quilt of Valor #188 Pattern : "Among the Stars" by Karen Schindler Bialik  Jean, thank you for making this Quilt of Valor possible.

August 2020 About five years ago, I purchased a quilt kit - pattern, fabric for the blocks, border, binding, and backing. I rarely purchase kits, but it was a good deal, and I liked the pattern.  Fast forward to 2020 . . . it was time to cut the fabric and begin the quilt. I followed the cutting directions for the blocks (I don't cut borders until the blocks are finished) and began sewing one of the blocks.  Hmmm, something was definitely wrong. I checked the pattern again and again. Had I cut the wrong pieces (the pattern had directions for two different sizes - a table topper and a quilt)? No, the pieces were cut and sewn correctly, but the pinwheels were MUCH larger than the other block pieces.  Not much I could do at this point - no extra fabric because it was a kit - other than cut the pinwheels to the correct size.  What a waste of fabric! * I checked for an errata, and none seems to be available. 

Zeke photo taken in 2019 Zeke's mom, Stephanie asked her grandmother to stitch this photo of her precious little guy. Marilyn has stitched many photos over the years for family and special friends. She seems to love the tiny needle as much as she does making quilts.  Marilyn stitched the graduation portraits of her grandson and granddaughter , special gifts , and wedding portraits for Stephanie and one of her friends.  It would literally take me years to complete one let alone several of these pieces.  June 1, 2020 It was fun to watch the image appear on the fabric.  July 13, 2020 Marilyn sometimes stitched during our Sunday FaceTime calls.  Zeke August 2, 2020 Zeke's stitchery is finished and ready for framing - a work of love and certainly an heirloom. 

Stronger Together 59 x 66 inches Quilt of Valor #187 I had originally planned to make the center of this quilt smaller and surround it with borders, but as I made more and then more blocks, I decided that the blocks looks better without a plain border.  It is my hope that Americans will realize that division is not healthy for our country and that even with differences, we are all stronger together.