Wyoming Breezes

One of my former colleagues (Holly C.) called last week and asked for my opinion on some vintage blocks that her husband's mother had made. I met her at the school and discovered she wanted me to turn the pile of blocks into quilts for two of her children. Half of the blocks (those shown above) were hand-stitched with muslin backgrounds, and the other half were machine stitched with a poly-blend background fabric. We discussed how large she wanted the quilts and played with potential block settings. The layout, shown above, was rejected because Holly wanted a rectangular quilt. I brought all the blocks home to hand wash (I knew from working with these blocks my mother made and kept in her cedar chest, that vintage blocks get very dirty in storage and from handling) and to square them to the same size, which ended up being 10.5 inches. The two piles of butterfly blocks were made (in my opinion) by two different people. The ones with muslin backgrounds were more carefu...

Spectacle Bridge Nagasaki, Japan April 1980 Built in 1634, Spectacle Bridge spans the Nakajima River in Nagasaki. When the river is high, the bridge resembles a pair of vintage spectacles, as the arches are reflected in the water. Spectacle Bridge Neighborhood Nagasaki, Japan April 1980 Unfortunately, when my group saw the bridge, the river was very low, so I drew my attention to the surrounding neighborhood. I can't even imagine the historical events this area has witnesses.

Mt. Moran Teton Range in northwest Wyoming January 2012 Mount Moran was named in honor of Thomas Moran, an American landscape painter, who helped inspire the movement to preserve the most beautiful parts of the country's wilderness and to create a national park system. Moran accompanied a geological survey team into the wilderness (the unknown Yellowstone area), and his sketches were used to convince Congress to turn Yellowstone into the first national park. You can see one of his paintings in this 2009 post .

Cheryl and Sheri and I decided to knit an Oddball Baby Blanket called Chocolate Mint . The blanket will have two more sections - a mint and a chocolate. When it is finished, the blanket will be mailed to the Western Oddball coordinator for distribution at Seattle Children's Hospital.

"Stormy" 1999 by Nancy Glazier Oil painting on Belgian Linen The National Wildlife Art Museum in Jackson is filled with dynamic paintings, among which were two, realistic, bison paintings that appear to be photographs. "Chief" 1997 by Robert Bateman Acrylic on Canvas Staring down an open corridor between galleries, "Chief" (a life-size painting) commands the viewer to stop and study the detail. A plaque on the side states that Bateman spent many hours studying bison in the field. Bateman is quoted, "I was after a dynamic shift, when the life-hand side of the picture is the place where the subject originates. It's like an oncoming locomotive. The tension increases as you move from left to right. This particular guy is at Elk Island Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada." You can take a virtual tour of the museum here .

Peppermint Twist , a Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket, was started in Washington right after Christmas and now is on its way to Texas. This blanket will be knit with only red and white yarn. I prefer themes that dictate the colors used in the blankets. Update : April 3, 2012

Outdoor Market Tokyo, Japan Spring 1980 I loved shopping in Japan, especially in Tokyo's bustling, outdoor markets where the stores were packed with interesting items. These markets were open long into the evening. Since I served on the Overseas Education Association (OEA) board, I was fortunate to visit Tokyo several times for meetings during my two years in Japan. Trains did not travel from Misawa to Tokyo while I was in Japan, so the OEA representatives from Misawa flew stand-by on the military transports.

Fiesta , a new Western Region Oddball baby blanket, should be bright-colored if the other knitters pull colors from this first section. I used the empty needles from Nature to start this full-sized blanket. While it is difficult to make out, I used the Box stitch . Update : June 2012

Star Gazer Quilt of Valor 55 x 67 inches PineTree Lodge Designs (Whirligigs #218) was used to make  Star Gazer . The pattern offers three possible block layouts; thus, a wide variety of tops can be made from the different blocks layouts. The center section of Star Gazer required 12 assorted fat quarters. I used the BB#1 block and the "B" layout for that block which created a "floating star." Focus on the neutral triangles to see the stretched star. Update : May 26, 2012 Alycia posted this quilt on her blog today. It should be wrapped around a hero soon. Star Gazer was presented at a Vet Center in June 2012.

Antero Winds Flute, Cobus Du Toit; Oboe, Max Soto; Bassoon, Kaori Uno-Jack; Horn, Megan Garrison; Clarinet, Jerone Fleg January 16, 2012 Lander, WY Last week, I attended a local Community Concert in Lander, featuring a quintet called Antero Winds. It was a delightful concert: the music was light-hearted and soothing. Some of the selections performed were  Klezmer Dances for Woodwind Quintet (arr. by Gene Kavadlo and Adam Lesnick), Milonga sin Palabras (Astor Piazzola), Trois Pieces breves (Jacques Ibert), and Fire and Flame (Peter Kwasniewski). I loved every piece they played and left the auditorium wanting more.

Four Oddball blankets have recently been finished. They are. . . Veggie Tales started July 2011 Mr. Green Jeans started September 2011 Sweet Dreams started August 2011 Blue Hawaii started December 2010 This blanket was stalled for months and was finally put back into circulation.

English-speaking Competition Officials Autumn 1979 Misawa, Japan The first year I was in Japan, I had the honor of judging an English-speaking competition at an off-base high school. The students recited and/or read selections of literature in English. Some students were highly proficient, and others painfully struggled with the simple readings. The contest took most of the day, and the school officials were most gracious and presented each volunteer judge with a gift. Americans were commonly approached off base by Japanese teenagers and young adults, wanting to improve their English skills.

Jane F., Nancy J., and Trish S. January 14, 2012 At a recent knitting night, Jane revealed that she had never seen the Tetons during the winter, so four of us planned a road trip to Jackson. The forecast said a storm was approaching the State, and I secretly hoped the Tetons would not be shrouded with clouds when we got over the pass. While Saturday was a cloudy day, the Tetons were definitely visible and decked in Winter finery. Temperatures in Jackson were in the mid 30s; however, by late afternoon the wind was blowing and dropped the temperature. Jane F., Nancy S., and Nancy J. 

Candy Hearts , a Western Region Oddball preemie blanket, started by suehling is being knit in the colors of Valentine candy hearts. I used Caron Simply Soft (Lavender Blue) and the Purled Ladder stitch for my four-inch section. Now,  Candy Hearts is on its way to California. Update : February 7, 2012 It's nearly finished. Update: April 22, 2012

Grand Teton Sunset January 14, 2012 Saturday I went to Jackson with three knitting buddies. While there, we toured the National Wildlife Art Museum and visited a yarn shop. As we headed home, a colorful, winter sunset made the Tetons even more beautiful and memorable.

I added the final section to Nature , a Western Region Oddball baby blanket, using Caron Rhapsody (Charcoal) and the Purled Ladder stitch . The colors in this blanket should make it boy-friendly. Since I was the sixth knitter and cast off, I will start another blanket for the group. My friend Cheryl added the border over the weekend. Nature is a cute blanket.