Wyoming Breezes

Courage Quilt of Valor 60 x 66 inches Courage is Quilt of Valor #62  (a previous post for this quilt can be seen here ) All of the Quilts of Valor that I've made are listed with links on this page . I'm currently working on two more quilts; with any luck, I should be able to reach my goal of 64 quilts before the end of July. Edited to add some information about the red square. No real story behind the red square other than those who serve are exceptional and unique individuals. They go where no one else will go and sometimes don't come home. They make the ultimate sacrifice for the frequently clueless masses. The red square represents those brave individuals who selflessly defend our freedom. Pattern: Stepping Stones by Susan Fuquay, American Quilt Retailer, Vol. 12, Issue 71

April 2015 An April bridal shower . . . for my great-niece, Stephanie, who will be married in July. Justin W. & Stephanie M. Conrad & Tripp Congratulations, Stephanie and Justin!

Bangkok, Thailand December 1979 Other images from this area can be seen in these earlier posts .

My friend Sue gave me this old photo on Saturday because she thought I might know some of the soldiers pictured and help return the photo to a family member - I didn't, but I thought that Far Side of Fifty could help. Far Side of Fifty has been successful in returning old photos to family members through her blog Forgotten Old Photographs . When Far Side returns the photos, they are considered a Full Circle: as of today there have been 116 Full Circle photographs. I'm hoping this group photo will become a Full Circle. Update - May 25, 2015 The photo was featured on Forgotten Old Photograhs today as Photo 1912 . Far Side also included all the names that were printed on the back of the photo.

Nymphalidea April 2015 This shawl was on display at Sin City Knit Shop, and Brenda asked if I would knit it for her if she purchased the yarn. Pattern: Nymphalidea (free on Ravelry  OR   Knitty - Deep Fall 2013 ) Yarn: Charcoal Tonal by hpkyll.com (100% extra fine merino wool)           Dune - Petite Madison by prism yarn.com (75% merino, 15% cashmere, 10% silk) Needles: size 6 US

architectural detail Paris Hotel Las Vegas, NV April 2015 I am drawn to unique perspectives, shadows, and details and love to capture them in photos. This photo was snapped at the Paris Hotel taxi stand. Paris Hotel Las Vegas, NV April 2015

Sock blank by Gale's Art April 2015 I'm a sucker for unique and pretty sock yarn, so when I read Susan B. Anderson's post about Gale's Art sock blanks , I immediately checked it out and made a purchase. Soon this gorgeous yarn is going to become socks.

Steam from hot spring and torii gate Southern Japan April 1980 Japan has a lot of hot springs, so steam is as common as Torii gates on temple grounds.

I'm making progress on the scrap sock yarn hats. Two sets of needles accompanied me to Vegas last week, but most of these were knit before I left on the trip. Not much knitting was done in Vegas, but I did knit a bit on the flight home and at the Fiber Guild meeting on Saturday. Compare the finished hats to the scrap yarn balls from this earlier post .

String and strip sets ready for future projects April 2015 Bonnie is challenging her readers to participate in a 15 minute Studio Spiff-up , and I am making progress. Thanks to her prompting, I have organized fabric, patterns, rulers, scraps, and strings. My "string bin" is now empty. I don't have a specific plan for these string and strip sets, but they might become a border on a future Quilt of Valor.   Note:  information about strings and string quilts can be found  here . Thanks, Bonnie for the motivation.

vests knit with reclaimed wool April 2015 I'm still working on finishing projects and using yarn from my stash. An earlier post gives the specifics of these vests that are going in the donation box.

My sister, Marilyn had a milestone birthday last week, so we went to Las Vegas to celebrate. Cheryl, a knitting buddy, and I caught a flight from Casper, WY and met my sister Marilyn and her daughter Brenda from Denver at the Vegas airport. After some confusion about where to meet the Denverites (who arrived at Terminal 3),  Cheryl and I (arriving at Terminal 1) caught a shuttle and found the baggage claim where Marilyn and Brenda were waiting. The days blurred into long walks up and down the Strip, sightseeing, and gambling. More on those activities in future posts. Of course, Cheryl and I had one other activity planned: a trip to a yarn shop that received raves on Yelp.  Sin City Knit Shop was about a 10 minute taxi ride from our hotel. It is a friendly place, and the variety of yarn was impressive for the size of the shop. Greetings and smiles were given the minute we walked in the door, and at the ladies were very helpful finding specific items for us. Near the...

Thousands of Origami Cranes Hiroshima Peace Park Memorial Hiroshima, Japan April 1980 I've posted about Hiroshima several times: those posts can be seen here

Fort Washakie, WY March 2015 Across the street from the Fort Washakie post office is a full-size sculpture of Chief Washakie with many interesting details, for example, the beaded moccasins and belt. The rose is commonly seen in the beaded work of the Shoshone tribe. Information on the beading designs of various tribes can be found in this document from the Wyoming State Museum .

Quilt of Valor kit I picked up two Quilt of Valor kits at the recent sew-in . The fabric is marked and the pattern included. All that's needed is some time for assembly. Stay tuned for Quilt of Valor #63 and #64 Quilt of Valor kit

“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with —that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . .  When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities,  you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these,  whether it’s clutter in your cabinets  or commitments on your calendar. (148)”   ~    Victoria Moran , Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty

I have another Quilt of Valor in the works - #62. The blocks are ready to be sewn into rows. As you can see, the pattern is called Skipping Stones, but I haven't decided on a name for this quilt that will be almost entirely black, white, and gray with a pop of red. Any suggestions?

Bangkok, Thailand December 1979

Scrap sock yarn April 2015 Sock yarn scraps are beginning to get the upper hand again, so it's time to knit some baby hats. Why do I have three sets of needles in the works? It's easier to sneak in some knitting time if a small project is within reach in the various places I end up during the day. Do you keep several projects in the works or are you a one project at a time person?

published in local paper April 2, 2015 I always knew that yarn could develop an attitude. . . Have you worked some surly yarn lately?