Wyoming Breezes

Goodwill Store Laramie, WY November 2018  One of the employees at the local Goodwill transformed the wire dress forms into clever holiday decorations. The forms have been in the store since late summer, but suddenly they came to life. I like the red "dress" better than the purple one. Which one appeals to you?

washing reclaimed yarn June 2018 Several people asked me how I washed the yarn reclaimed from thrifted sweaters . I use the bathtub, hot water, and Ivory dish soap. I run enough water to cover the yarn, swish the soap to get it sudsy, and then add the hanks of yarn. I do not agitate the water, but I do gently turn the hanks over to make sure all the yarn is wet. I add more water to the tub, if necessary. I let the yarn soak for 45 minutes to an hour and turn the hanks a couple of times. Once the yarn has adequately soaked, I gently squeeze the soapy water out of the hanks. The tub is emptied and rinsed. Then I add clean tepid water to the tub and rinse the hanks to remove any soap. The hanks are then placed in my washing machine, and I run them through a SPIN only cycle to remove the excess water. The hanks are then draped on a drying rack. I do not put weights at the bottom of the hanks as they are drying. The minimal kinks that remain in the washed yarn do not bother me. ...

close-up of the knit sweater Two afternoons last week, I sat on the deck while reclaiming yarn from a sweater I purchased for $1 at a garage sale last August. I forgot to take a photo of the turtleneck sweater before I started. The sweater label states the fiber content: 85% silk and 15% cashmere. the result of one afternoon's work: the sweater front and back raveled June 2018 The sweater pieces came apart very easily and the raveling proceeded without a hitch. I love my PVC niddy noddy for winding the yarn into a hank. I was surprised that the three-needle bind off was used on the shoulder seams of this sweater. It's a technique rarely seen on commercially produced sweaters. three hanks of yarn reclaimed June 2018 The yarn still needs a bath to clean the fiber and to relax the kinks, but that will wait for another day. I have plans to knit a shawl with this yarn.

Nancy's 100% cashmere sweater December 2017 At the December meeting of the Fremont Fiber Arts Guild, interested members exchanged thrifted, wool sweaters for an Upcycle Challenge. You can read about the challenge and see the before photos in this post . The package I selected contained a 100% black cashmere sweater with a white stripe down the front and at the bottom.  I've been procrastinating, and decided last week that I needed to just get it done. Since Sue had some difficulty felting the cashmere vest she received in the swap, I knew it would require several cycles in the wash. I put the vest in a pillowcase and pinned the top because I'd read lint from the item would be a problem, added some towels and liquid dish soap.  I stopped and started the wash cycle three times, to keep the felting process active. I added some boiling water to the washer in the second wash because I doubted the water temperature was hot enough to felt. Once I thought the sweater was f...

four men's cowls knit with reclaimed wool August/September 2017 I finished these four cowls in four and a half days. All were knit with reclaimed wool from thrift shop sweaters. The two top cowls (charcoal gray and tan) were knit using First Timer’s HS Mini-Cowl  (Ravelry link) with a size 9 needle. Each cowl is 8 inches deep and 21 inches in circumference. The yarn used was a light worsted. Cowl is reversible with two distinct textures. Dark Tweed cowl on lower left was knit using “Trust Me, Harry” Hat and Cowl  (Ravelry link) with a worsted yarn and size 10 needles. Cowl is 8 inches deep and 21 inches in circumference Army Green cowl in the lower right was knit with Just Try It in a lighted worsted. Size 9 needles were used. Cowl is 8 inches deep and 21 inches in circumference These four cowls round out the contents of the special gift basket delivered to Fremont Therapy . My primary therapist had first pick, and then the other therapists, therapy te...

Rainbow Sherbet socks July 2017 I enjoy browsing and shopping in thrift shops. A couple of weeks ago, I found a full skein of Berroco Sox yarn in the local shop for the bargain price of $1 - a great deal as it normally sells for $10+. The colors in the skein are a bit funky, but they remind me of rainbow sherbet. The official name for the color way is "Sprinkles." This yarn is a bit stiff to knit because it contains more nylon than normal - 25%, so I anticipate that the additional nylon will allow these socks to withstand a lot of wear and laundering. a matching pair Pattern : my standard ribbed cuff "recipe" Needles : US size 2 just a few "sprinkles" in the yellow section Yarn :  Berroco Sox (color 1411 - Sprinkles)            75% superwash wool, 25% nylon Have you found any great deals recently?

$2.00 price, marked on a collapsible dryer May 2017 The smell of clothes dried in the sunshine just can not be duplicated by a fabric softener sheet tossed in the clothes dryer. Not having a clothesline, I opt for the next best thing, a wooden collapsible dryer. A couple of weeks ago, I found a sturdy wooden dryer at at Casper thrift shop at bargain price of $2.00. The dryer is sturdy and well made, and I couldn't pass up the deal. sturdy construction I have another collapsible dryer, but it is not nearly as nice or well made as this one. "Manual" dryers come in handy year round. In the summer, I place it on the deck and allow the breezes and sunshine to dry my clothes. In other seasons, the dryer is set up in the kitchen or family room. collapsible dryer in use Wrinkle-free T-shirts (if I use the automatic dryer, I often forget to remove items before they are fully dry and end up with a mass of wrinkled laundry) are a snap with the wooden dryer. ...

Sunbonnet Sue April 2017 Sunbonnet Sue is one of my favorite vintage blocks, so when I saw the small panel in the fabric bin with the scraps I rescued at the thrift shop , I didn't hesitate to bring her home with me. Sunbonnet Sue doll quilt I added backing, batting and some simple quilting. A quick search in my bias tape bin revealed just enough wide bias tape for the binding. This little quilt will be gifted to a little girl whose doll needs a blanket. My sisters and I each made a Sunbonnet Sue quilt  from blocks our Mom made. The Half Moon Lake Retreat was a special time for all of us.

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.

stack of large scraps Last week, I stopped at Neat Repeat (local thrift shop) after running some errands and had fun browsing the craft section. Often the area is bare, but that particular day, I found some great cotton for baby/child quilts. Many of the scraps were large (roughly 8 x 12 inches) and some were shapes like a shirt bodice or sleeve. It looks like someone was making multiple garments as the fabric was cut with several fabrics layered together. I rummaged through the rumpled fabric and retrieved the ones I liked. It was difficult to resist the abundance of large scrap pieces. The salvages declared that these are Michael Miller Fabric - most released within the last three years. thrifted fabric Once the pieces were pressed, they formed an impressive pile of fabric and all for $2.00. I'm going to have fun turning the scraps into a quilt. Currently, I'm considering the Kelsey Baby Quilt pattern by Rebel Perfection - free on Craftsy. In addition to the f...

five dishcloths from thrifted yarn September 2016 Last week, Cheryl and I went to Dubois to hang some posters for the Guild Fiber Fest. I like to stop at the Opportunity Shop when I'm in Dubois. On this trip, I took some items for donation and afterward browsed the aisles for things I could use. In the craft section, I found four bags of cotton yarn: two bags each containing a bit over 3 ounces of blue variegated yarn. I was able to knit three cloths from the yarn in one bag and will easily get that many from the second bag. Six dishcloths for $3.00 - a good bargain. Another bag contained 3 ounces of solid blue, and the other solid yellow. The cost of the solid cotton yarn was under $3 - another good bargain. Do you frequent thrift shops for crafting supplies?

completed Baby Surprise Jacket January 2016 A collar has been added and buttons attached to the Thrifty Baby Surprise Jacket , so it is officially finished.  I love knitting this pattern and always delight in how the gangly blob magically turns into a cute sweater with only two seams (at the shoulders). back of Baby Surprise Jacket Elizabeth Zimmerman was a knitting genius and created many delightful patterns; however, I simply cannot could follow her original, "pithy" patterns. I am not what she would call an intuitive knitter: I need row by row directions. Obviously, I am not alone, as Schoolhouse Press adapted the original Baby Surprise Jacket pattern (BSJ) for all non-intuitive knitters. You can find the pattern here . Knit just one BSJ, and you will be hooked. I'm embarrassed to admit that the following BSJ came off the needles in 2014 ; however, the shoulder seams were not done and buttons not attached. I had hoped to find some yarn that would work fo...

twined runner December 2015 Mid-December was the last session for the Rug Twining class at Fort Washakie. Only one of my students finished a rug, but the others have the technique mastered and should finish their rugs in short order. During the class and subsequent work sessions, I finished a rug and the runner, shown in the photo above. The fabric strips from the last row on the runner still need to be woven into the rug before I can call it finished. Ingrid's finished rug December 2015 I want to commend Ingrid on her finished rug. For the record, it is exceedingly difficult for a beginner to twine with the two strips the same color, and Ingrid did it beautifully on her entire rug. Well done, Ingrid! An earlier post on the rug class can be seen here .