Wyoming Breezes

sock yarn scraps November 2019 I've been working with my sock yarn scraps nearly all year: this tub was filled with scrap yarn in January. It's been my goal to knit something useful with the remaining small balls by the end of the year, and I'm making gradual progress. So far, I've knit five of the Sockhead Cowls with a combination of yarn (new yarn for the ribbing and scraps for the body of the cowl). I think this tub of yarn will create two (possibly three) cowls. Earlier this month, I delivered five cowls to the Public Health Clinic. They were happy to accept them for their clients. Anyone who crochets or knits is bound to have a basket filled with small balls of scrap yarn. Betsy ( Simple Life of a Queen ) is using her scraps to make granny squares, afghans, mittens, and hats. Connie ( Far Side of Fifty ) crochets tiny bird nests for Wildlife Rehab. What do you plan to make with your scrap yarn?

orphan star block May 2019 The baggie of orphan star blocks and fabric that I brought home from Prayers & Squares contained five star blocks sewn together with sashing. It almost looked like the quilter wanted to make a table runner. Another completed star (shown above) was also in the bag, but it had a mitered frame. Do you see a problem with that block? Look at the middle section of the bottom row - do you see that it is upside down? A seam ripper and a bit of stitching quickly transformed the block. Pieces of another star were also in the baggie, but the star was smaller than the other six. Thankfully, the baggie contained some extra strips of the pink paisley fabric, so I framed the smaller star to make it the same size as the other blocks. I sashed the two loose stars and used the extra fabric to create some four-patches and an outside border. Orphan Star Quilt #2 52 x 76 inches The local Prayers & Squares group makes baby - lap size quilts. Since the group u...

orphan block May 2019 Nearly a month ago, I joined a woman in my apartment complex for lunch, and as we visited, she told me about a local group ( Prayers and Squares ) where she volunteers. The group meets weekly to make quilts for those who are going through difficult times - sickness, grief, personal or natural tragedy, etc. Volunteers begin each session with a devotion and prayer and frequently a local minister will stop by and pray with the group. The ministry is housed in two basement rooms of a local church. Six or seven sewing machines are available as well as a cutting table, pressing station, and a large table for tying. The drawers of the tables are full of fabric squares of all sizes; bins on the shelves contain speciality/themed fabrics, bolts of fabric, spools of thread, orphan blocks and fabric strings. Nearly everything has been donated or was purchased with donated money. Women, who do not feel comfortable sewing, prepare backings for the tops and then tie...

twenty-one baby hats June 2018 I finished two baby hats on Sunday and discovered that the box of completed hats was full. Time to mail the scrap sock yarn hats to Brenda A. for the Rankin Inlet babies. This morning, I bagged the 21 hats and sent them on their way to bring warmth to some sweet babies.

preparing to cast on March 2018 Someone donated two skeins of Haute Fur to the local charity knitting group, and I took both skeins to knit "No-Hair-Day" Chemo Cap  by Sue W. Thompson (Ravelry link) I've knit several of the caps before , but this was the first time I'd knit with the Yarn Bee brand (Hobby Lobby). The skein contains 76 yards, and I thought it would be enough to knit a medium/large cap, and it nearly was. The pattern is easy - just plain knit in the round for six inches and then begin decreasing. I was on the sixth row of decreases when the tail of the yarn came into view over the arm of my knitting chair. Tinking back is impossible with this hairy yarn, so I to make some adjustments and began decreasing more quickly. In the end, it didn't change the appearance of the hat, but it's probably a half and inch shorter. After knitting the hat/cap is turned inside out so the smooth knit side is worn next to the head. a very "hairy"...

four doll quilts March 2018 On Saturday, I found some appropriate squares and orphan four-patches in my scrap bins and made four doll quilts for  A Doll Like Me (Facebook link) project. I learned about the project from Mary's blog ( Making Quilts from Stash ) and followed the link to Needle and Foot . I am too late to join Bernie's collection drive, but I decided to make a a few dolls quilts to send on my own. The four little doll quilts and the Sunbonnet Sue doll blanket  are in the mail. image from A Doll Like Me The dolls that Amy makes are created to match their owners and their special needs.  Quilters always have orphan blocks that can be turned into adorable and quick doll quilts. The Doll Like Me project also welcomes knit and crochet doll blankets. If you want to help, contact Amy on the  Facebook  page.

four finished headbands and a fifth on the needles January 2018 Twice a month I join a group of ladies who knit/crochet for local charities. Everyone brings their own projects, and we sit and chat while we work. Over the holidays, I pulled a hank of yarn from my stash and decided to knit some headbands/ear warmers for the group. The younger kids seem to wear them more than hats. The yarn was purchased at the guild's Fiber Fest in 2016. Yarn : 60% wool and 40% bamboo - bulky weight Needles : US size 10.5 Pattern : Bea's Headband (Bea was a fun lady who was in the Tuesday night knitting group for several years. She moved to Colorado a couple of years ago.           Bea's Headband           Size 10 or 10.5  circular 16" needle           Worsted weight yarn (knit double- stranded)           Cast on 72 stitches (double strands)           K2, ...

four blocks for the California Fire Quilts December 2017 These four blocks are on their way to Carole ( From My Carolina Home ) who plans to make some quilts for those who've suffered from the Thomas Fire in California. The blocks are also being collected by the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild in California: here's the  pattern  link and mailing address is listed at the bottom of the pattern page. Update January 13,2018, read this post on Carole's blog about all the blocks she's received . The need for quilts is great, so I hope you can help by sending a few blocks to the Ventura Guild.

thirteen blocks for Afghan Knitting Project October 2017 I learned about the Afghan Knitting Project to benefit families of students who are being sponsored by  Project Amigo from Jeni V. (fiber guild member) and used wool scraps that another guild member (Katheryn E.) gave me for charity knitting. The project accepts both 5 inch or 6 inch squares (knit or crochet). I chose to knit 5 inch squares from Katheryn's wool. Some of the yarn that Ellen sent me will be used to knit more squares for the Afghan Knitting Project.

yarn from Ellen October 2017 On Friday I picked up my accumulated mail at the post office and was surprised to find a package from Ellen ( The Ellen Report ). Tucked inside the box was a variety of worsted weight yarn (scraps and full skeins) and two skeins of sock yarn. Ellen thought I could use the worsted weight yarn for charity knitting and included the sock weight as a special treat for me. The hank of brown and gold yarn (University of Wyoming colors) will be perfect for knitting a pair of Cowboy Joe socks! Knitting will commence very soon. Ellen, thank you for sending a box filled with fiber goodies. Your kindness is beyond measure.

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?

thirty-one pillowcases August 2017 A couple of years ago Marilyn gave me several yards of calico fabric from her stash. Before my surgery, I cut some of Marilyn's yardage and added some yardage from my own stash to prepare pillowcase kits. The kits were good rehab sewing projects. I worked on ten cases at a time over the course of several days. The cases are laundered and pressed and ready to be donated. Some will be donated to the local hospice home; the rest, as presentation cases for Quilts of Valor. Marilyn, thank you for much of the fabric for these cases. Since each case uses a yard of fabric, the fabric stash is now 31 yards lighter.

hat and scrap ball of yarn February 2017 Last month, I accompanied a friend to a charity knitting group that meets twice a month. One of the ladies had prepared a yarn ball out of scraps that I took to knit hats. I had no idea what colors would be in the ball or how much of each color.  There was no rhyme or reason for the order of the colors - some worked and others not so much . . . I prefer to knit hats with more control over the color, so I separated the remaining yarn into small balls for stripes. I like the last two hats much better than the first three.

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 .

Rachel B. displays the bandage she is knitting with crochet thread for the   D.O.V.E. Fund Bandage Brigade Project   Rachel presented several crafting for charity options to Guild members at the October meeting. One project piqued my interest because I had a lot of crochet thread in my stash. The D.O.V.E. Fund has a Bandage Brigade for creating crocheted or knitted bandages for Vietnamese people suffering from leprosy. The bandages are created with white, cream, or ecru size 10 crochet cotton. The knitted version is 28 stitches wide (approximately 4 inches) and 40 inches long - all garter stitch for easy knitting. one bandage finished and laundered another bandage started November 2015 I have one bandage finished and another one started. It's an easy project to work on in the evenings while "watching" television or a movie or while chatting at knitting night. Information on the project and instructions for knitting or crocheting the bandages can be found...

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?

two wool vests - child's small women's size 8 socks  At the end of the year, I like to finish some projects that have been in the works for a while. Last week, I finished the second wool vest for a charity. Previous post with pattern and yarn information can be seen here . women's size 9 socks I'm still trying to reduce my sock yarn stash, but not making much progress. This pair was knit with Wisdom Yarns (Los Angeles #241). Socks in the first photo were knit from a scarf blank - it was a gift, so I don't know the specifics.

Steppe Sweater Vest One of the projects on my needles is a child's sweater vest. I nabbed the four skeins of wool several years from a Hobby Lobby clearance bin. When I discovered the yarn in my sewing room this summer, I knew it was time for the yarn to become a child's vest. Pattern : The Steppe Sweater  (free pattern) Yarn : I Love This Wool (#125 Deep Purple) 93% wool - 7% polyamide            knit with double strands to simulate chunky weight yarn Needles : US size 10.5 - ribbing                US size 11 - body of vest Stitches : 76 stitches, child's small vest This yarn definitely lives up to its name because it has a nice feel and knits well. I will purchase it again. Note to self : a child's vest, size Small requires 6.1 ounces of double-stranded yarn.

Scrap yarn hat started September 21, 2013 Friday evening, I was given a bag of scrap wool by Katheryn. When I got home and looked in the bag, I couldn't resist casting on a charity hat. Needle: size 8 Pattern: Simplest Cap of All Yarn: assorted wool scraps and malabrigo (Rhodesian) I always love how the stitch decreases spiral on the top of a hat Most of the scrap wool was unmarked, but even before I saw the label on the rust yarn, I knew from the texture that it was malabrigo. Malabrigo is heavenly to knit: it glides over the needles and has a nice feel. Scrap hat finished September 22, 2013 Thank you, Katheryn for these and other luscious scraps that will be knit into items and given to charities. While working with the Malabrigo, I was in knitting heaven.