Wyoming Breezes

turning scraps into useable squares A rotary cutter and various rulers turned the stack of rescued scraps in last week's post , into some useable squares. 40 x 44 inch baby quilt  Eighty-four squares (4.5 inch) and eight (2.5 inch) squares were set aside for this baby quilt. The pale gray border strips came from my stash. remaining stacks of various sized squares and components 6.5", 5", 4.5", 3.5", and 2.5" squares and strips The remaining scraps were added to bins with other fabrics cut to size. They will be used in future projects.  Not bad for a $2.00 investment.

Baby Cuddle Sacks April 2016 All of the worsted yarn that Ellen sent has been knit, and resulted in four cuddle sacks. Note the bit of green at the top of the smaller cuddle sack in the photo. That yarn was remaining from the green ones I finished earlier and posted about here . Last Monday, I accompanied my friend Sue to a charity knitting group that meets at the Extension Office on the second and fourth Monday of each month. They have yarn available for those who attend, and since I was between projects, I selected two skeins and got to work on another cuddle sack. It came off the needles on Friday. Baby Cuddle Sack April 2016 The five cuddle sacks will be laundered and then taken to the local pregnancy center.

six blankets and eight burp cloths Over the holiday weekend, another batch of flannel, receiving blankets and burp cloths was made for a local charity. This will likely be the last set of blankets I'll be making for a while, as it's time to get back to working with my quilting cotton scraps and make some Quilts of Valor. Earlier blankets can be seen here and here .

Receiving blanket & burp cloth 40 x 40 inches It's hard to resist a good deal, and when I saw this adorable fishing bunny fabric, I knew it would make some cute receiving blankets. I used a tone on tone fabric from my stash for the back, rounded the corners, did some cross-hatching to stabilize the two layers and called it good. The burp cloths were made from the remnants, so no scraps remain. Receiving blanket & burp cloth 40 x 40 inches These blankets will be donated to a local charity.

Baby Blanket 40 x 40 inches I rarely sew with flannel, but when I saw a pile flannel squares at a thrift shop for less than a dollar, I could not resist purchasing them. The squares quickly came together in simple four-patch units. The blue and turquoise flannel was on clearance. Sometimes the Quilts of Valor are returned to me from the longarm quilter with extra batting attached, and when I trim the quilts, I keep the batting pieces. In this case it only took three pieces of scrap batting to cover the 40 inch square baby quilt. Some flannel remnants were used for the backing and binding. I did some simple cross-hatching to secure the quilt layers. The extra binding fabric was used to make a burp cloth. Blanket and burp cloth have been laundered and will be donated to a local charity.

Garter-stitch is becoming a new love of mine, especially for baby blankets,  as it is thick and cuddly. This scrap blanket was knit on US size 11 needles with double strands of yarn, one light and one dark. The blanket will be donated to a local charity along with the Gradient Garter Blanket  shown in an earlier post. Have you knit anything in garter stitch recently?

Baby Blanket February 2015 Pattern : Gradient Garter Baby Blanket (free pattern - Ravelry link)                 Gradient Garter Baby Blanket (free pattern - PDF link) Needles : size US 11 - 40 inch circular (Ravelry link recommends size US 13) Yarn : Lots of Caron Simply Soft (Soft Peach, Baby Blue, Orchid, Soft Pink, White) as the blanket is knit with two strands of yarn. Size : approximately 36 x 38 inches Impressions : this makes a thick, heavy blanket and is a fun and mindless knit. I've already started another blanket, using scraps. Acknowledgement : the yarn used for this blanket was donated by Mary - who surprised me with a generous gift in May 2014        

I am enjoying knitting this blanket as much as the first one, and I can guarantee that this will not be the last Simply Stripes blanket on my needles. Pattern: Simply Stripes (free Ravelry link) Same details as before with one exception - size 9 needles Note for future blankets : each section uses approximately 2.5 ounces

Garter Rib Baby Blanket Pattern: Garter Rib Blanket  (Ravelry link to free pattern) Yarn: Caron Simply Soft (Soft Pink) Needles: Size 8 Stitch count: 126

Scrap 4.5 inch HSTs Friday morning, as I was cleaning off the cutting table in my sewing room and organizing the box of scraps, I found a zip bag with some colorful half square triangles (HST). These HSTs were the "waste" cuts from the large flying geese on the quilts Come Fly with Me and Fly Away Home . The HSTs were calling me to "play" a bit, so I did. As you can see, on the far left, I needed two more HSTs to complete the point. In a flash, I had two more HSTs and began sewing these bright pieces into a baby quilt. Let's Play 40 x 40 inches Didn't it turn out cute?

Simply Stripes is off the needles. Specifics can be found on this  earlier post . I loved working on this baby blanket while sitting on the back deck surrounded by the sound of birds chirping in the trees. What is your favorite location for summer knitting?

Simply Stripes baby blanket July 2014 Pattern: Simply Stripes by Elizabeth Smith (free Ravelry download) I chose colors from my stash that closely match those used in the pattern. Yarn: Caron Simply Soft           Passion #0012           Sage #9705           Persimmon # 9754           Country Blue # 9710           Sunshine #9755           Pagoda #0014 (not shown) Needles: size 8 Stitches: 120 (The pattern is written for bulky-weight yarn, so I increased the stitch count.)

Preemie baby blanket Seed-stitch blocks This preemie blanket posted on the needles last week  is now complete. Last week's photo more closely captured the true color of the yarn called Blue Mist #115 (Lion Brand Wool-Ease). Full-size baby blanket Checks and Ridges stitch Yes, both of these blankets were knit with the same yarn, but as mentioned above, it was difficult photograph. The yarn is a tweed - pink, purple, royal blue, and navy blue. Mary sent six skeins of the Blue Mist yarn that was used to create these two blankets which will be sent to the Pine Ridge Reservation Project.

Seed-stitch blocks Baby Blanket July 2014 Yes, I still knit, but for some reason, my knitting has slowed considerably this summer. I have a "grab and go" bag that I take to evening concerts in the park and at the library, but that knitting is strictly dishcloths because I can visit and tap my foot to the beat without needing to concentrate on my knitting. You will notice that I'm using multiple markers on this blanket. They aren't really necessary, but they are a good reminder for me to pay attention to my stitches on the wrong side rows. A month ago, Mary sent me a bunch of yarn , and this blanket is being knit with some of it. This blanket will be donated to the Pine Ridge Reservation Project. Thank you, Mary for making this and other blankets possible for this impoverished area.

The Western Region Oddball Knitters have been busy. Below are the blankets that have been finished since January on which I had the honor to knit a section. Be Mine started January 2014 Snowflake started December 2013 White Christmas started November 2013 Amber Waves of Grain started December 2013 Watch Me Grow started September 2013 Whale Watch started September 2013   Wild Turkey started October 2013 Gemstones started May 2013 Rhapsody in Blue started September 2013 Water Lily started September 2013 Peter Pan started September 2013 Anchors Aweigh started August 2013 Sand Box started March 2013 Peppermint started August 2013 Melon-calling Baby started September 2013 Halloween started August 2013