Well- it is finally done! My contribution towards the Welcome Blanket project- an alternative narrative this agenda to build a wall. It was a craftivism project that took me just about 2 months to complete.
Why did I spend money and countless hours stitching away at a blanket? Because at the core of my being I believe in the power of making and crafting to connect us. In this case it allowed me to connect with other knitters across the country and globe to make something to symbolize welcoming- not building walls. Much like the Pussyhat movement- I felt connected and inspired in my making to contribute to a cause.
My blanket is headed to the Smart Museum in Chicago next week to be displayed with others until they are then distributed to refugee resettlement organizations to place with families as a welcoming symbol.
Trying to stay true to my desire to be very conscious of my choice of yarns I decided to go with cotton. I did read several review of the Billow cotton by Knit Picks of it's tendency to shed but I will tell ya- it did shed. I am hoping that calms down after the first wash. Another complaint I read about with this yarn was the thick thin element that often people did not like. I actually really adore this element to the yarn. I thought it added a rustic element to the blanket that really appealed to me.
I choose a pattern and color pallet that resembled "wheat" to reflect on both my heritage of being in the midwest and coming from a farming family on my mother's side and also of my Volga German ancestors that lived in the Saratov region of Russian in which has wheat in their flag. You will have to let me know if I nailed it or not!
It was a thoughtful project I was happy to take on and I look forward to hopefully taking a trip up to Chicago to see it on display.
Wish my blanket luck as it makes its smart journey to Chicago and then onto a family!
I took some advise and just absorbed the moment and did not take any photos of the sun and moon during the eclipse but had fun documenting all around it and thought I would share ummm just a few, okay more than a few here!
Because the town where I live was in the path of totality it really was front and center in our community. The weekend before you could have tossed a stone in either direction and found a fun thing to do. My crew ended up in one of our big parks that day before the eclipse for a 9 mile bike ride and music festival. My husband made some fun sun/moon photo props, we grabbed some starburst to hand out and hit the trail for some shenanigans! Little did we know my youngest would have the opportunity to entertain as a larger than life minion!
The bike riders were treated to some local favorites Shakespeare's pizza and tunes by Pat K before heading back to the main park for more music. Our evening ended with music, beer, and relaxing with our community.
Originally on the day of the eclipse my boys were going to head into school which all had plans to watch and view. I had tossed around several options for myself and decided to stay in my own backyard. A friend of mine said it best- it was a moment to just be still. As it turned out both the boys requested to stay home with me. I was not going to refuse if they chose to hang with me instead of friends at school- these are my teenagers after all! I will ignore that maybe they just wanted a day away from school and pretend it was all about hanging out with their mama- who happened to also have a stash of moon pies, sun chips, and starbursts for them!
I started my day off with some delish peaches, french-style yogurt that I could not resist- dang you marketers that know how to get me and some walnuts. I then proceeded to go out in the morning sun and wind my yarn for the special knitting during eclipse day. I got one of the "Great American Eclipse" yarn kits from Darlin Dixie Knits. Gorgeous yarn and bag! When the eclipse started I just sat out on my deck and knit and kept checking out the progress. We were a little nervous as some hazy clouds started to move in but it never obscured the sun from us.
About 15 minutes before totality I joined my boys on the roof of our house (it is a pretty low pitch) and laid on a blanket and prepared for it. It was stunning- we had about 2 minutes and 30 some seconds of totality. A blanket of dark came, the night time insects started singing and I could not take my eyes off the corona- it truly is something I will always remember. And I cried- I have no idea why, I just did! When it started to come out of totality and back into partial eclipsing is when I caught some of the crescent shadows on the deck.
After making some yummy simple lunch and eating during the remaining partial eclipse I knit some more and just absorbed the experience. The rest of the day fell into our normal patterns. Some homework, some knitting, and soccer practice.
Ironically this is one knitting project that is giving me fits! I messed up the pattern twice, did a poor job of winding my yarn on an uneven table which created a knotted mess that I did not realize was in the center of the ball till I pulled it out. So after frogging back the rim of the hat twice and splitting the ball into two and winding by hand I am starting it over today with a different pattern. So wish me luck on starting it over again- just a sweet simple slouchy hat in this sun infused beautiful wool yarn. It is a long weekend of soccer games between the boys so I should hopefully be able to make lots of progress!
I hope you all had some simple quite moments with the eclipse as well. We just heard that a portion of our state will be in the next total eclipse in April of 2024. We will have to travel a couple hours to get to that one but I am pretty sure we will load up the scamp and not miss it!
We floated 12 miles and enjoyed family, cool water, and lots of sunshine! The Eleven Point river is spring fed in several spots but we floated near Greer Spring which happens to be the second largest spring in our state. The next day the boys and I hiked down to the beginning of the spring and I truly understand why it is called a jewel. It is so spiritual to me to be in places like this in nature. I feel grounded and in awe in places like this!
We journeyed back home and made an obligatory stop by a local dairy for some ice-cream for the boys and I was able to knit in a couple rows.
A fun state side adventure that was much appreciated!
This is what half of a Welcome Blanket Project looks like! 1 month to go till the deadline and I need to kick it in to knit the other 8 blocks. The turmeric and natural colors schemes are lovely but I am adoring the cornmeal and natural colors block I cast on today.
Final push to get them all knit and then sew together before sending it off to the Smart Museum in Chicago. My husband and I were just hatching up a plan to make a trip up to Chicago before the exhibit is down to see it. A train adventure seems to be in our future!
Knit Your Own Adventure Part 5- San Isabel Wilderness area , birth cities, and Colorado goodbyes!
August 04, 2017
This is Part 5 and the last of the Colorado adventure sharing that I had with my family this summer. our trip ended in a beautiful wilderness area called San Isabel and it is located outside of Salida. Never underestimate stopping by the local rangers office to ask for advice on dispersed camping and hiking. They directed us to filling up our water supply and some fantastic dispersed camping near a hike called Brown's Creek Falls. They had me when they talked about the water fall! We had a great couple of days at our campsite with lots of knitting, campfires, and hammock time!
The hike itself was just right! a fast elevation change at the beginning of the trail with stunning views of the local 14er Mount Antero. 3 miles in and we were rewarded with a stunning waterfall, the perfect spot for a snack, rest and a couple of rows of knitting before we hiked the 3 miles back out.
So much joy in knowing when not to push on one adventure that looks doomed and having the courage to take the other road on an unplanned unknown adventure. Maybe the mountains where I was born needed to seem me again! Thanks for reading along on the inaugural set of adventures via my camp cup and looking forward to sharing more in the future!
Oh Silverton- you won my heart. I wish that I did not have to go on winding high mountain roads both in and out but I adored you! It is very historic and has some awesome shops and burgers! We ate dinner there and then drove a couple miles out of town to find some dispersed camping in a wilderness area. It was stunning and chilly! Beautiful mountains and incredible mountain stream to camp by. Our biggest adventure here was when our boys decided to go out on a walk together right before dark without flashlights. Did I mention their definition of walk was a good way up a mountain trail- yikes! But once they were safely back at the tent we hunkered in for one of our coldest nights of camping and then headed back into Silverton for some coffee and more exploring.
Once we left Silverton we continued on said winding, nerve wracking mountain highway- The Million Mile Highway or 550. I realized then that I should have been sitting in the back seat so I could breath better!
Ouray was not quite as historic and sweet to me as Silverton but we enjoyed walking around, finding the famous chocolate shop and some good eats. We passed on doing the hot springs as they looked more like a pool than mountain hot springs and made our journey towards the next wilderness area. Up next San Isabel wilderness area in Salida.
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