Wyoming Breezes

August's goals are centered around finishing some projects and to clean my spare bedroom (craft room). Cleaning the craft room is the most ambitious project: the room is crammed with fabric, yarn, and items I have collected for the hospital nursery. I laundered all of the donations, and the items are in sealed bags. Even thought the hospital is limited on storage, I am hoping that they can find room for the items. I am going through my scraps and cutting the bits and pieces into standard sizes of squares and strips and sealing them in plastic bags; thus, when I decide to make another quilt, half of the work will be done. The flannel scraps crammed into the bag in the top photo need to be cut and organized. The smaller pile of cotton scraps is just a representation of the chaos that I need to tame. These scraps came from the receiving blankets, burial gowns, and demise pouches I made this past year. I doubt that I will eliminate all of the chaos in the craft room, but it would be n...

This afternoon I finished a second pair of socks for the afghans for Afghans Youth Campaign . The socks knit up fairly quickly using worsted weight yarn and size 5 needles. I have some more yarn suitable for this project, so I hope to complete at least two more pair before the campaign deadline. Won't you join me in making some socks, mittens, sweaters, or other items named in the campaign information? You can make the difference in the life of a child.

The Oddball Baby Blanket project was so successful that it has been split into regional groups: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest Plains, Midwest Great Lakes, Southwest, and West Coast. I am excited to begin anew, but saddened that I will not be in direct contact with some of the ladies from the other areas. It has been exciting to see everyone's knitting talent and to see the blankets grow. The last round of blankets for the old group are just being finished and the finished blankets can be seen here . It is an honor to work on the first blanket for the West Coast group. Desert Sand was started by Ladylou in Colorado, and she sent it to me. The West Coast coordinator is AuburnChick, and she has started a blog to showcase our handiwork. The West Coast region covers the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming , and Hawaii . If you live in one of these states and want to participate, please leave a comment on the West Coast Oddball Knitt...

This morning I finished thirty neck coolers, in time to take them to my church. A group will be gathering there this afternoon to make even more coolers to put in the care packages that will be sent to troops in Iraq. These coolers offer the soldiers some relief from the sweltering temperatures. About a month ago, I found nearly four yards of unbleached muslin at a thrift shop for 25 cents and purchased it with the intent to make some neck coolers, but when I got the call yesterday about the care packages I knew I had to get busy. I tea-dyed the muslin, and began working on the coolers. Once I got into the rhythm of assembly sewing, it went pretty quickly. It is hard to believe that these ties only use 1/2 tsp. of the Watersorb crystals . The cooler pattern that I use, requires "medium" crystals. If you decide to make some neck coolers, make sure the crystals that you use do not have fertilizer on them. I am sure the troops appreciate every neck cooler that is sent to ...

My knitting group met last night, and one of the women brought cupcakes to celebrate three members birthdays - Bea R., Colleen J., and mine. It wasn't until after we had all enjoyed the cupcakes that she told us her secret: the cupcakes were healthy. She had used a recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious . The moist, devil's food cupcakes were made with an avocado puree, and the cream cheese frosting contained cauliflower puree. These treats were delicious, deceptively delicious, without even a hint of the healthy ingredients. Thank you, NJ for the treats. This morning, I was shocked to find a birthday greeting on Renna's blog, Finding My Knitch . Thank you for making my day special, Renna.

I had a nagging feeling all morning to go to Lander to check out the thrift shop. I battled with myself. I rationalized that I really didn't need anything to justify driving 75 miles, yet the urge continued. After eating lunch with a friend, I decided to make the drive. I arrived in Lander an hour before the thrift shop opened, so I wandered downtown. I found a fabulous knitting book, The Complete Book of Knitting, by Barbara Abbey in a second-hand book store for $3.00. Even though it is a 1971 copyright and the photos are black and white, it was bargain because it has directions for a lot of knitting stitches. I was happy as I continued meandering down Main Street. I went into Neat Repeat and found three new skeins of yarn, listed as twenty-five cents a skein. That was a good deal, but the skeins were on sale for ten cents each. Wow, now I was really happy. I ventured to the Methodist Church Thrift Shop: a great place that always has wonderful bargains. It is my kind of thrift sho...

June was a blur, so I forgot to post about the Oddball blanket called, "Neon Rainbow." To place the emphasis on the colors of the rainbow, these blankets are knit in garter stitch. I added the Lime Green section early in June and sent the blanket on before I left on my trip. This week, a photo of the finished blanket was posted on KnittingHelp.com. I think you will agree that this Oddball Blanket is a real stunner. A more subtle rainbow, Pastel Rainbow, also stopped in Wyoming on its journey. My section was pastel yellow. While not as bright as its Neon cousin this blanket will also be a beauty. Update: August 2008 Pastel Rainbow is complete, sans crochet edging. Pastel Rainbow is now ready to find a new home

In charity there is no excess. Sir Francis Bacon All Crafts for Charity, an online Yahoo Group, "adopted" my hospital nursery for two weeks in June. Thanks to the generosity of these talented ladies, I have been busy opening packages, creating a data base, and preparing the items for the hospital staff. You can see all of the beautiful items that I received here . I am overwhelmed with the sheer volume of hats and blankets that these women sent to help babies that they will never see. To date, I have received donations 56 dividuals in the following states or countries: California Colorado Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Kansas Louisiana Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri North Carolina New Hampshire New Jersey New York Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington Wyoming British Columbia, Canada Ontario, Canada Puerto Rico United Kingdom Earlier this year, I was grumbling because there was no way I could knit enough hats or sew enough blankets or purcha...

One weekend a year, my town hosts a small balloon festival that corresponds with numerous local reunion activities (family and school). I usually get up early on Saturday morning to take part in the annual balloon festival launch. This was the 28th festival that my town has hosted, and I've attended many launches over the years because I love to wander the field as the giants are inflated. No matter how many times I attend the small festival (compared to the rally in Albuquerque, the festival is tiny with only 30 - 40 balloons) but the crowds are always huge. I am always captivated by the sheer size and beauty of the balloons. My town has two hot-air balloons (Cloud Kisser and Cloud Kisser II) that are flown in various balloon festivals throughout the area to promote the town. It is awesome to watch the crews prepare the balloons for flight. Standing amid the growing envelopes of air is heavenly, and when one by one they ascend into the warming atmosphere at various levels, I c...

It appears that Santa and the boys are not bothered by the rising cost of gasoline and have been vacationing in Wonderful Wyoming. Their trip was probably timed to coincide with the current Christmas in July sales that are beginning to materialize. Hallmark ornaments will be revealed either this weekend or next. Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and JoAnn's are stocking their shelves with Christmas goods. Soon WalMart and Kmart will begin preparing for the season, and the countdown will begin. I do almost all of my Christmas shopping throughout the year, catching sales when I can. Doing this helps me to avoid the frenzied crowds in November and December, and I save a ton of money. My shopping for this year is nearly complete, and I found some great items for very little money. Planning ahead helps me to stay focused on Christmas as it was originally intended.

This is the Shirley Basin cut off between Laramie and Casper, taken on my drive home last week. Hopefully this illustrates why I love Wyoming so much. I haven't been doing much this past week except recharging from my two week trip. The knitting needles have been idle, and the house is a mess. Yesterday, I did manage to clear off the piles mail on the kitchen table and even finished reading Forbidden by Suzanne Brockmann . A member of my knitting group loaned me the book over a month ago, and on Tuesday was eager to see what I thought of the author. I was ashamed to tell her I hadn't read it. The book was a quick summer read, very enjoyable. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I started reading the other book she gave me Gone Too Far by the same author. I cannot remember the last time that I actually read a book: I have been spoiled by audio books because I can knit while I "read."

The purchases I made on my recent trip included two knitting stitch books. I looked for the perfect book in Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, Barnes & Noble, Border, etc. and finally decided to purchase Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns and a Leisure Arts leaflet simply entitled, Beginner's Guide Knit Stitches & Easy Projects . The Big Book shows two patterns per page and the photographs are clear, close-up, and in color. Over 550 stitch patterns (written directions and charts) are included in this book. I feel it is the most comprehensive stitch book that I could buy for the price. I purchased the other stitch book because of its size (about 5 x 7 inches), thinking it would fit nicely into my knitting bag. It contains a modest 26 stitch patterns, and the photos are black and white. The project patterns in the book include: basic mittens, men's muffler, two pillows, baby & full-sized afghans, and a cropped cardigan. It also has some general knitting instructions for th...

Every quilter has piles of scraps; however, I tend to have more than most. Fabric for the challenge quilts my sisters and I make after our quilt trips must be purchased on the trip. (It is our own crazy requirement.) I always seem to purchase too much fabric. I rationalize this way: since I am a reluctant quilter, I am afraid that by the time I work on the quilt that the fabric I selected will no longer be available. I can usually make two quilts from the fabric that I purchase. Scrap quilts have always appealed to me, and nearly all of my quilts are scrappy. They reinforce the concept making something from nothing and of "making do." Scraps from Duluth Stars were used to make Scrappy Spools, although, I do admit to "borrowing" some fabric from Marilyn's stash to make this a larger quilt. The quilt measures 74 X 99 inches and was machine-quilted by Candy Carpenter, The Comfort Zone , in Riverton, WY. I found the idea for this quilt here .

Duluth Stars was started in June 2005 and finished in June 2008, which is not bad for a reluctant quilter. My two sisters (Marilyn and Evelyn) love to quilt, but I only dabble in the craft; however, I like to accompany my sisters on trips to quilt shows. In 2005, we took a road trip to Duluth, MN to attend the Stars in the Harbor show. On the way to Duluth, we decided to make a challenge quilt and picked the Wyoming Valley block. We determined that each of our quilts had to use this block as well as a variation of the block. The Wyoming Valley block is the large block on the bottom, and the variation, using brown fabrics is in the top left. All of the quilts I have made are more conventional with rows of blocks all the same size, so I decided to shake things up by using a variety of block sizes and patterns. The blocks were easy to make, but sewing them together to form a quilt was more difficult than I anticipated. Marilyn offered to help me piece the quilt top together, and it w...

Take one ballroom, add over 1,000 people, a fabulous hotel and staff, and some informative sessions, and you have a weekend of fun and education. I was fortunate to be awarded a scholarship to attend the 8th International Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Association Conference. The conferences are held every two years and include not only PH patients but also physicians and representatives from numerous pharmaceutical companies. Scientific sessions (for medical personnel) were held on Thursday. Patient-led sessions on Friday covered numerous topics for the PH patient. On Saturday and Sunday, physicians and nurses hosted sessions for patients and their care-givers. I took copious notes so I can use the information in the newsletter that I prepare for the Wyoming Pulmonary Hypertension Support Group. Posters that explained current research projects were on display and many of the researchers were available to answer questions. Much of the information was beyond my understanding, but the...

Its roof has lost a lot of its original luster, the antlers have been broken off of the stag mounted at its peak, and the characters on the revolving bar have been glued back into place several times. Despite its condition, I consider this barometer one of my most valuable possessions. It may be very old and looks somewhat ratty, but it still predicts the weather without fail. During my childhood, the farmhouse porch was the home for this simple hut-shaped barometer, and everyone in the family knew what my mother meant when she stated, "The old witch is out today, so be careful" or "It is going to be nice today, the kids are out playing." This spring, the casual observer might think the barometer is broken because the witch has been out nearly every day since the first of June. She remains out today: it is cold and windy even though the sun is shining. According to the newspaper, today's predicted temperatures were a high of 49 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of...

Earlier this week, I finished one of the Mineshaft socks mentioned in the June Pillow Talk , so half of my goal has been met. I put the Mineshaft socks on hold when I began knitting the Ships Project Slipper Sox . Now that I have finished three pair of the Slipper Sox, I can focus on the final Mineshaft and should easily have a complete pair by the end of June. Update: June 26, 2008 The socks are finished and off the needles with time to spare.

Perhaps your grandmother did some knitting for the Red Cross. Perhaps, your great-aunt knit for the troops while she worried about the safety of her nephew or even a beau. Now you, too, can help bring a lonely young man or woman some "comfort from home." This is a challenge for all those who read this blog. Will you please consider making at least one pair of these slipper sox for the troops? The pattern, a simple sock with a short cuff, can be found here . If that pattern does not appeal to you, then one of these might. Please note that you can knit, crochet, or sew the slippers. The coordinators have complied a list of approved yarn and fabric colors as well, and you will also find size requirements on the same page if you scroll down. ( Note : the red bows are scrap yarn tying the two slipper sox together; they are not decoration.) Want to see the impact these items have on the troops? Read these letters and look at these photos . This month, the Ships Project is sendi...

Even though summer is officially over a month away, I have always equated June with the beginning of summer. For 33 years, June signified the end of school and two and a half months of freedom from grading essays, planning lessons, and dealing with teenage attitudes. Last weekend, I bought a watermelon because it sounded so good, and I was bitterly disappointed because it had no taste at all. I guess even watermelons know that it is not yet summer. I have several knitting projects planned for June. The Oddball Knitting group has decided to take some time off this summer, so we are not starting any new blankets. The ones rotating now will be the last until August. I still have two blankets scheduled to arrive in June: Pastel Rainbow and Neon Rainbow. I am trying to destash, so I am also working on another Oddball Baby Blanket on my own, using some Caron Dazzleaire in Baby Yellow/Green. I currently have about two inches done. I am trying to bring some organization to my life and to my gu...

On the first day of May I set a goal to use my wool scraps to make hats for the babies at the Rankin Birthing Centre in Canada. This week, in addition to the hats I sent earlier , I mailed five wool hats to BJ and an acrylic hat with matching socks. This is an on-going project, so I pledge to make socks for my next donation.