Wyoming Breezes

fun mail from Loopy Ewe (Fort Collins, CO) June 2019 Dee ( Little Stone Schoolhouse ) tempted me to try Zing needles, and last week I decided to order two fixed circulars for sock knitting from Loopy Ewe. I was in for a surprise when the package arrived. The envelope obviously contained more than the needles (shown at bottom right). Inside the package was a drawstring bag by DellaQ (stamped Loopy Groupie), a sweet note, a Tootsie Roll pop, and a wrapped skein of yarn. My order (the sixth one in recent months) qualified me as a " Loopy Groupie ."  How fun is that! Zing needles that I ordered, and surprise gift of a drawstring bag and a skein of sock yarn I love the needles (thanks Dee) and the gifts of appreciation from the yarn shop. It's definitely fun to be a groupie.

ribbed, sock cuffs June 2019 Since the weather has been chilly and rainy, I selected some yarn from my stash and began three pairs of socks and have a completed cuff for each. The repetitious knitting helped me focus on something beside the nasty weather. During my knitting spree, I also finished the socks used as a teaching tool .

stack of Ritzy Cracker quilt blocks June 2019 Other than trimming and squaring the stack of quilt blocks, I haven't made any other quilting progress in the past week. I took a hard fall on June 12th when I stumbled on an uplifted section of sidewalk and did a face plant. Thankfully, I didn't break any bones, but managed to bruise my sternum and a couple of ribs. My glasses were quickly straightened and the scrapes are healing. An acupuncture treatment helped reduce the rib pain and swelling which significantly improved my flexibility; thus, I'm moving a bit faster than I was last week at this time. Thanks to those who checked up on me. I appreciate your thoughts and emails.

high temperature on the 1st day of Summer June 21, 2019 Laramie, WY Wyoming has been downright chilly, rainy and snowy in some areas the last few days. Even though the calendar shows it's clearly summer, I'm still wearing sweaters and wool socks. When I got home from church yesterday, the thermometer revealed it was 37 degrees. Hot tea and steaming soup took the chill off, and I settled in to do some knitting. Hopefully, warmer temperatures will arrive soon.

ritzy cracker blocks in progress June 2019 Another Prayers & Squares project using fabric from my scrap bin. I'm trying to decrease the stacks of 5 inch squares in my bin, and these blocks will help with that mission.

simply garter scarf June 2019 The simply garter scarf is growing, albeit slowly. It's a good thing this project doesn't have a deadline. It's a relaxing knit and a good project for knitting at meetings and in the car, when I'm not driving, of course.

shimming a model Eagle Bronze Foundry Lander, WY September 2017 You may remember seeing the photo before in this post . I recently discovered some information about the finished bronze sculpture and thought you might be interested in where this sculpture now resides. Google image The following was written by Max Greiner Jr. : Apr 17, 2018 (full article can be found here )  Jeff Anderson, president of Leadership Inc., announced that a massive 1,123 lbs., 11' long lion sculpture has now been completed by eagle bronze in Lander, Wyoming, and is ready to ship to Israel. The No. 1 life-size (105 percent) bronze statue called the Lion of Judah will be shipped by air to Jerusalem as a gift of love from American Christians to the Jewish people, in honor of the 70th anniversary of the modern state of Israel, which is being celebrated this year. Anderson reports that sufficient funds have now been raised to make this historic gift possible, in collaboration with the sculptor. Ea...

Make it a challenge to step into the other line for a bit each day. 

June 2019 This sock is progressing slowly, but with purpose. I am teaching a friend how to knit socks and have been knitting along with her. I use my sock to show her the process, and Carol follows along with her project. She is working with worsted weight yarn on size 6 needles and is seeing quick progress. Carol has successfully completed the cuff, the heel flap, the heel turn, and is starting the gusset decreases. Soon, she will reach the toe and have a completed sock. Her family is already requesting socks for Christmas.

quarter log cabin blocks May 2019 I've been working with more orphan blocks from the Prayers & Squares group. The P&S orphan bin contained ten quarter log cabin blocks, and I raided my 2.5 inch scrap bin to make enough blocks for a quilt. They worked up quickly because I sewed strip sets rather than work with individual pieces. Bull's Eye 56 x 64 inches Prayers & Squares quilt I tried a few layouts for the blocks, but I liked this one the best. Brenda and Marilyn helped me arrange the blocks.

Spic and Span laundromat Laramie, WY May 2019 Sorry that I went AWOL last week. I don't have a good excuse other than a bad case of the blahs. Like other places in the US, the weather has been nasty and unpredictable. I have a NOAA weather radio and it has been alerting like crazy the last two weeks - severe thunder storms, hail storms, severe winds, and even snow. approximately 3-4 inches of heavy, wet snow Tuesday, May 28, 2019 Laramie, WY Thankfully snow this time of year doesn't stick around very long. Soon the streets and gutters were filled with thick slush. exit 65 on I-25 (near Slater, WY) four inches of hail Sunday, May 26, 2019 Two days earlier, the hail storm that pounded I-25 from Wheatland to Cheyenne was causing my weather radio to alert every 20 minutes until the storm moved into central Nebraska. Reports on Facebook stated the hail stones were ping pong ball to tennis ball sized. So what did I do through all this chaos? I cleaned the apartm...

a glass full of reading glasses Loveland, CO May 2019 The first thing I noticed in the restaurant was the glass full of "cheaters" at the register. I asked the hostess if they had been left by patrons, and she said, "Yes." However, no one has inquired about retrieving the reading glasses they've left behind. The cheaters are often loaned to customers who have difficulty reading the menu.

sipping and knitting May 2019 Last week, a friend asked me to accompany her on a road trip. While she was at her appointment, I started a pair of socks and sipped on a cup of Earl Grey. Several people stopped at my table to inquire what I was making. I love how knitting in public is an ice breaker and a conversation starter. The yarn for this pair of socks was given to me by my friend, Julie. She purchased the yarn ( Elegantly Twisted Yarns ) in Nova Scotia. Thanks, Julie!

Zeke's Baptism Ft. Collins, CO May 19, 2019 Yesterday, I drove to Ft. Collins for a special occasion: my great-great nephew was baptized. He was born on St. Patrick's Day to my great niece and her husband - their first child, and my sister's first great-grandchild. Friends and family came from three states (Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming) to celebrate. I love when families gather for happy occasions. Welcome to God's family, Zeke

photo from Facebook Downtown Laramie, WY May 16, 2019 Before photo from Facebook After

This cartoon brought back memories of the tricks students tried to play on my substitutes.  Over the years, I learned to be very specific in my lesson plans to reduce the shenanigans. Did you or your classmates ever trick a substitute teacher?

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...

Guacamayo Socks May 2019 Isn't it fun how the yarn striped on this pair of socks. The wind was blowing pretty good when I snapped the photo of the sock blockers hanging on the hedge; thus, the sock on the left looks smaller. I assure you, it is the same size as the sock on the right. Guacamayo image from Google images Yarn specifics are on this earlier post . Gradually, the plants and trees are sprouting leaves, but I've yet to see any blooms.