Wyoming Breezes

Disappearing Nine-Patch Quilt of Valor 58 x 72 Disappearing Nine-Patch was made from 5-inch squares of fabric from previous Quilts of Valor. It is QOV #75 - a complete list of quilts made for this program can be seen here .

Frame filled with honey and sealed with wax A few weeks ago, I went to Doug and Sheila's house to watch the honey extraction process. Doug is a  hobby bee-keeper with a few hives. super with frames filled with honey Before I arrived, Doug had removed a super from one of his hives. The super holds eight frames that the bees fill with honeycombs and then with honey. The tool on the top right is used to pry the frames out of the super. Doug uses a heated knife to trim the wax off of the honey-filled frame As shown in the photo at the top of this post, the frames are sealed with a layer of wax that needs to be trimmed before the honey can be extracted. Doug has a heated knife that he uses to slice the wax off of the frame. The wax is saved and given to a local individual who uses it to make other products. trimmed frames are placed in a spinner.  As Doug turns the handle on the spinner, the centrifugal force pulls the honey  from the frame. A drain at...

Loose Change Quilt of Valor 57 x 72 Loose Change was made from "coin" strips and scraps from previous Quilts of Valor, and the navy-blue floral border is yardage purchased at the Kansas Troubles shop in Bennington, KS where we stopped on the August road trip. The process of making "coins" can be seen here .  You may remember that I made another coin quilt recently:   E pluribus unum . Loose Change is Quilt of Valor #74 .

Shrine Towada City, Japan 1979 Another example of the rice ropes, mentioned in last week's Foreign Friday .

mini quilts display Kansas Troubles shop Bennington, KS August 2015 Marilyn and I love the colors of Kansas Troubles fabric, so a stop at the Kansas Troubles shop was necessary. Bennington, KS is just east of Lucas where we toured the Garden of Eden and marveled at the artsy public toilets ; however, we had to take a detour back to I-70 since a bridge was being repaired on the secondary highway we intended to travel. The shop had numerous quilts on display and bolts and bolts of the luscious KT fabric. Robert Hagmeire worked the cutting table and register Lynne Hagmeire has been developing quilt patterns and fabric for years. She was not in the shop the day were were there, but her husband Robert measured and cut fabric for us. Brenda V. and Marilyn M. August 2015 Who would think that all that beautiful fabric would be inside this humble store and in such a tiny town?

Twined rugs on display Fremont County Fiber Arts Exhibit Fort Washakie, WY June - July 2015 The rug and frame (shown above) at the Fiber Guild exhibit in June drew some interest from those eager to learn the process. Dates and times were determined, and the first session was on September 12, 2015 in Fort Washakie for three students. Another lady joined us at a work night held two weeks later, and others may join at the next scheduled class meeting in October. Ingrid T. tightens the eyebolts on her rug frame  Students assembled their frames: nails were pounded, corners squared, and eyebolts affixed.  Lorre H. loads the warp on her frame.  After the frames were built, denim was stripped and sewn into strips so the frames could be loaded. The process of twining was demonstrated and then practiced by the students. Before leaving for the day, they had at least two - three rows started at the top and bottom of their frames. The class would have a "work nig...

I took some silk scarves to Denver because I thought Brenda would enjoy dyeing them with the bleeding art tissue. For the first scarf Brenda dyed it with the turquoise strips, and then the next day, added bits of color in the white sections. We discovered that freezer paper worked great as a protective base; then we spread out of layer of clear plastic food wrap. After the tissue and scarf got a good spray with the vinegar water, we added another layer of plastic wrap on top and sealed the edges. The scarf was kept flat on the counter overnight. Brenda wanted butterflies on the second scarf, but the fussy wings took too much time to cut. she ultimately used two overlapping "vees" to suggest the butterflies. After the scarf had been pressed, the wings were outlined with a Pigma pen. Brenda was going to use dashes but found the ink bleed, so she just used dots. We were surprised that the dots turned into "Xs" Brenda created a third scarf with...

drop spindle, roving, and bobbin September 25, 2015 Two years of planning came together on Friday and Saturday: a Spinning Weekend with Maggie Casey - sponsored by Fremont County Fiber Arts Guild. Maggie is a well-known spinner and author, and we were honored to have someone of her expertise come to our small community. spinning wheel and roving September 26, 2015 hands of a master (Maggie Casey) winding a bobbin September 25, 2015 spinning cotton fibers directly from the boll September 26, 2015 I took a LOT of photos of the classes, so more photos of the weekend can be seen on the newly established  Fiber Guild blog throughout this week.

Shinto Shrine southern Japan April 1980 The thick rope hanging in the archway is called  shimenawa  and is woven from rice straw. The white paper, hanging from the rope is called shide .  The rope signifies a sacred or holy space. Believers would approach the shrine, throw a coin into offertory box, then summon God to the shrine by pulling on the long rope suspended in the middle. Believers then bow twice and make a wish with their heart, clap twice, and bow deeply once more.

I enjoyed knitting the two Nymphalidea shawls  for Brenda so much that I made one for myself. (aren't you impressed with my first attempt of taking a "selfie"? My arms were not long enough to take it without the help of a mirror) The multi-colored yarn was a skein that I picked up at Christy's house when she invited Guild members to help themselves to her samples. The Wildfire socks were knit from Christy's samples, too.  Yarn:       Knit Picks Gloss (Black) 220 yards - 70% merino, 30% silk                 LANG Mille Colori Baby 207 yards - 100% merino Needles: US size 6 Pattern:  Nymphalidea (free on   Ravelry  OR   Knitty - Deep Fall 2013 ) Brenda wearing Nymphladia #2 June 2015 Brenda wearing Nymphladia #1 June 2015

mini doily crocheted by Susan S. date unknown Recently I went over to Sheila's house to pick up some honey to mail to Judy and her Mr. in Wisconsin. Sheila (a non-knitter) and I looked through some of her mom's knitting patterns and hand-written knitting notes and notations to determine what could be discarded. In one box we found four doilies that Susan had crocheted that needed blocking. You may remember that Susan explained her process to me, and I blocked some of her final pieces . It is satisfying to see the doilies starched and stretched into their intended shapes. Big or small, Susan's doilies are works of art. square doilies crocheted by Susan S. date unknown These two square doilies were gorgeous, and blocking them required an "army" of pins to keep the sides straight. preliminary pinning of Susan S. square, crocheted doily Some of the "soldiers' had to be moved several times, but before long they were marching in a straight li...