Wyoming Breezes

two bowl cozies  December 2022 Two friends came over on Monday, and we worked on a puzzle for a few hours. Pat commented on the bowl cozies I have next to the microwave and said she bought two at a recent holiday bazaar. Sue said, “I wish I had some.” I decided to make a set for Sue and her husband. It didn’t take long yesterday to sew the cozies, and I’ll give them to her this afternoon at dominoes.  Once in a while, wishes should come true! 

Every time a hand  reaches out  to help another -  that is Christmas every time someone  puts conflict aside and strives for understanding - that is Christmas every time people forget their differences and realize their love for each other - that is Christmas

Laramie is abuzz with Christmas cheer and activities. A local landscaping business decorated a section of a popular park with a walk-through display. Even though the temperatures are frigid, it’s well worth wandering among the displays. The senior center has hosted several concerts this month: a choir, a trio of university professors from the music department, and a group of 11 young cellists from a string academy.  Despite all the holiday activities, an extreme threat is on the horizon. Tonight an arctic air mass will settle over Wyoming plunging temperatures near -30° F.  Once the windchill is factored, temperatures could easily be near -45° to -65° F. Officials are warning frostbite and hypothermia can occur within mere minutes. I plan to hunker down at home and pray the electricity stays on because I have electric heat. The subzero temperatures are predicted through Saturday and possibly into next week.

Scrappy Silver Lining Hat reversible hat December 2022 Remember the old Doublemint commercials: “It’s two, two mints in one!” The Silver Lining hat is two hats in one. The pattern is straightforward and a mindless knit: it was once free but is now $5.99 at Valley Yarn. The popular Musselburgh hat is very similar, but the crown is knit differently.  My hat was knit with random balls of scrap, sock yarn. The darker section was knit with two different balls of leftover yarn; the colorful section, with multiple, small balls of scrap, sock yarn.  I’ve got a bag of sock yarn remnants, so I cast on another Silver Lining hat as soon as this one was off the needles. 

Upcycled Little Free Library West Laramie, WY Fall 2021 A creative person created a Little Free Library out of an old dorm refrigerator and placed it on a repurposed chair.  The small refrigerator is the perfect size to hold books and keeps them dry and secure during the Wyoming winter weather. 

Patriotic Star 61 x 72 inches Quilt of Valor #227 Patriotic Star started with a donation from a loyal blog reader who wanted to remain anonymous. This quilt used a panel and some of the fabric that she sent in support of Quilt of Valor.  I used a Villa Rosa Design pattern called "Movie Star" to make this quilt, but I added some extra width to the quilt to meet QOV requirements.  Patriotic Star was awarded November 10, 2023 Laramie, Wyoming

I started the Scrappy Silver Lining Hat in September from sock yarn remnants , and I'm still working on it during Sunday Face Time calls with my niece and sister. I'm almost to the final decreases.  This has been a wonderful, mindless knitting project, using two small balls of scrap yarn in random order, knitting helical stripes. The yarn is doing all the work, and I'm trying not to control the color order. So far, I've used about 10 small balls of sock yarn. The hat is reversible: one end is wild; the other, subdued.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the pendulum clock on the wall stopped because it required winding, and since I wasn't home, it sat idle until I returned and picked up the key. Like the clock, this blog sat idle for a long time: the most recent post was on Halloween. I could give you the excuse that I've been busy, but in actuality, I was not interested in blogging: I needed a break. During the last month, I've enjoyed listening to numerous audiobooks. I played endless games on my iPad, tried new recipes, visited with friends, played games at the senior center, read blogs and left comments. I posted about none of these activities, but I enjoyed them and enjoyed being in the moment.   Starting today, blog posts will be sporadic until I find a new rhythm. 

October 2022 I can't believe it took me so long to finish this pair of socks! Cast on -- July 2022 First sock finished --   August 2022 Second sock finished -- October 2022 I've decided to take a long break from sock knitting. 

October 2022 I did my best to evade the coronavirus, but it found me last week. Ironically, I had an appointment for the third booster jab on Friday -- the very day I tested positive for the virus.  On Monday, I thought it was merely an allergy flare as it started with a runny nose (typical allergies) and a sore throat. The next day, the hoarseness settled in my throat, and I developed a slight cough. Wednesday, I thought I was okay as the test I took was negative. By Thursday, the cough had turned into hacking and the hoarseness was terrible. Friday morning, I retested and wasn't really surprised by the positive result.  I'm very grateful I was vaccinated because I have no doubt I would have been much sicker without the protection it offered.  This morning, I am feeling almost human again: the cough has all but disappeared and the hoarseness is nearly gone, too. I'll retest on Wednesday and Thursday to see if the virus has moved on.  Beware that some of the symptoms of the

Mule deer doe and her two fawns September 2022 Imagine my surprise to look out my patio door and find this doe and her fawns nibbling berries off of the shrubs. This doe basically lives on the Grand Villa grounds. finding shelter on the eastern edge of the property near the privacy fence. That area provides her with protection, plenty of grazing, and access to water. I rarely see her near my apartment because it is next to two busy streets, but I'm glad she decided to share her family with me for a few minutes. 

Four-Patch Charm 64 x 70 inches Quilt of Valor #226 The Four-Patch Charm pattern has been on my radar for over a year, and I glad that I finally used it to make a Quilt of Valor.  The blocks have a LOT of bias edges, so they require gentle handling. I also used Best Press (a spray starch) to help eliminate some of the stretch that bias edges create. Only one of the fabrics gave me problems (a red batik that stretched quite a bit and required several pins to tame it.) Pattern information can be found on this earlier post . 

colorful balls of scrap sock yarn September 2022 I planned to knit baby hats with the growing pile of leftover sock yarn; however, after knitting three hats, I lost interest, and the pile of leftovers grew. Saturday, I assessed the yarn and decided to cast on a Silver Lining hat , which is a double-sided hat that I’ve knit twice.  Of course, this pile of yarn will make more than one hat, but one hat will make a dent in the remnants.  I pulled these colors, determined their weight, and cast on the first section of the hat.  The Silver Lining hat is a mindless knit, and I’m ready for that kind of project. 

September 2022 The Redcliffe socks have been a slooow slog, but since I was able to turn the heel and knit the gusset yesterday, the end might be in sight.  Clearly, my desire to knit socks is waning, and once this pair is finished, I going to take a break and knit other items. 

The Architecture of Civility by David Reif (2015) located in a courtyard north of Albany County Courthouse 2022 I seriously do not have a clue about this sculpture. It's interesting and has a LOT of things to see and to ponder. I'll let you decide what you think about it.  What are your thoughts?

August 2022 I can't help but shake my head when I see an error like this. The sign was probably produced at the corporate level and is likely in every Goodwill in the United States. Fortunately, our brain translates this automatically, so many people do not even notice two letters were transposed. 

The new project is progressing thanks to a day free from errands and appointments. I paired the squares of the background fabric with the four-patches sewn from the "nickels/charms" 5 inch squares. The four-patches and background squares were place right sides together, and I sewed a quarter of an inch all the way around the squares. The next step was to make two diagonal cuts on the sewn units, creating four separate blocks that once pressed looked like this . . . Oops, I placed the top right and the lower left in the wrong positions, but you get the idea. I told you there was a surprising result to this unique construction.  Here's a preliminary setting for some of the blocks. I'll be moving them around to make sure they are in a fairly random order.  The pattern is called Four-Patch Charm by Kathy Schwartz. (free pattern link) or also on her blog here

four-patch units ready to be paired with background fabric September 2022 On Friday, I started a project that I'd prepped in January. This Quilt of Valor is being made with 5 inch squares from previous QOV tops/backings. (Some quilters call the 5 inch squares "nickels.") The pattern I'm using requires 96 nickels, sewn into four-patch units. Nine and a half inch squares of a background fabric will be paired with the four-patch units.  The construction of this quilt is unique with a surprising result. 

Land That I Love 61 x 70 inches Quilt of Valor #225 Land That I Love is a fraternal twin to Proud to be an American (posted on Tuesday), and it was also donated by Connie H. ( FarSide )

Bond's Brewing Mural in the alley behind Bond's Brewing (Second Street) painted by Dan Toro Laramie, WY September 2022 This colorful mural was painted this summer and is definitely one of my favorites. I love the bright colors and the image.  The mural was painted by Dan Toro. You can read about him and the other mural artists here .  Isn't the blue sky amazing! This is the first summer in years that wildfire smoke hasn't clogged the sky in Wyoming.