Westering Women: Reaching the End of the Trail

I have finally completed my Westering Women quilt!

This was a 2016 block of the month project put together by Barbara Brackman, celebrating women who traveled west on the overland trails in the 19th century. You can find Barbara's introduction to it here. I stuck with fabrics that were either 19th century reproductions or in the 19th century style, all of which I pulled from my stash.

I pieced all of the blocks by hand, but assembled the sashing and borders by machine,

and custom quilted it on my longarm machine.

I have given this quilt to a good friend, who, as a female research geologist, I consider a pioneer of her generation. Years ago she traveled westward a very great distance from her native England to live in central Texas, so it seemed an appropriate gift.

Several months ago she and I agreed to make an attempt on the Grand Teton in 2018, so I am including a couple photos of that beautiful peak. This one, taken along Mormon Row early in the morning, shows the Grand immediately to the right of the barn.

The Grand is the peak on the far left hand side of this image, taken from the south fork of Cascade Canyon (on the west side of the big peaks). 

I just love those high, lush meadows! For scale, note the two hikers in the top right.

While I'm at it with photos from Grand Teton National Park, here are a few wildlife shots from last summer that I never managed to include in a post. This moose may look a little crazed, but really he was just tearing at branches for his meal, and seemed completely oblivious to our presence.

This mule deer, on the other hand, was totally aware of us and seemed to be posing for the camera.

Finally, here is my favorite Teton critter, the pica. Not only are they incredibly adorable, they are great fun to watch.  If you take the time to sit quietly on open, rocky slopes, you will likely see picas scampering among the boulders gathering greenery for their nests, and hear their calls, which sound to me like a squeaky toy you might give your pet.

Any day, sunny or grey, is brightened by a pica sighting. Wishing you many days of pica cuteness!

Summer Greens

I knit this wrap for my sweet cousin and actually had it delivered to her in time for her birthday earlier this month, one of the few times I have finished a project well before the event it was meant to celebrate.

But I got an early start, having fallen for the Raven Ridge yarn at Knit on Pearl in Jackson, Wyoming, last summer. The luxurious silk and merino blend yarn made working on this such a great pleasure that I picked it up at every opportunity and finished quickly.

As I noted the first time I knit the Calza wrap pattern, it is completely reversible, thanks to garter stitch for the body of the work and a knit one/purl one ribbed cable edging.

Raven Ridge yarns are hand dyed in Montana with colors inspired by Montana landscapes. This particular yarn color, called Wolf Lichen, is a light, variegated green that really does look like wolf lichen, which you can see growing on conifers in the western states.

Since the yarn is very much a product of the west, I'll finish this post with a few pictures from Jackson Hole, one of the west's iconic locations. The John Moulton Barn, one of the remaining structures from old homesteads along Mormon Row, is a popular spot for watching the sun rise on the high peaks.

Other Mormon Row structures may be less dramatic, but have their own charm.

The area is, of course, most famous for its natural beauty. In early summer the valley is bright with wildflowers,

 while up high the lakes may still be frozen over.

Ice and reflections on Goodwin Lake

Dramatic skies are as important to the scenery as what is on the ground. Summer storm clouds roll in from the west, usually in the afternoon.

Clouds over the Tetons, seen from the top of Snow King Mountain

Morning clouds, like these seen at Schwabacher's Landing, may portend a mostly rainy, but still beautiful, day.

May all our rainy days be filled with beauty!

A Fresh Start to the New Year

Each member of my family skis with a distinctive style that reflects his or her personality. Steve skis athletically and elegantly, skis chattering in his narrow old-fashioned stance, Eva skis gracefully and always solidly in control, and Isabel is fast, with a wide racer's stance, impatient to get down the mountain first. I tag along behind, somehow getting the job done, enjoying the company, the scenery and the freshness of being in the outdoors. I have occasional moments where everything clicks and I can glide effortlessly through new powder or swoop around a big mogul, drop smoothly down the steep side, and then repeat again and again until the burning in my legs makes me stop. What a rush!

Looking back along the route to "The Crags"

Last month Jackson Hole served up the best Christmas skiing conditions I can remember. Days of low visibility but lots of fresh powder where we stuck near the glades for their enhanced perspective alternated with sunny days in which we carved up open slopes.

In spite of all the great skiing, my most vivid and enduring memory of the week was waking early to watch the snowy peaks of the Teton range brighten in the morning light. As Annie Proulx might have described it, "I stepped out into the grinning morning" and took a few photos.

Teton Sunrise

I brought home some of that exhilaration and energy and am using it to work through projects and chores at home in addition to working on quilts and various pieces of needlework.  One of those projects was the pile of mending that has been nagging at me for months. It turned out to be a matter of less than half an hour to deal with the entire thing. This old pillow case with a hand-crocheted edge, one of a pair my mother gave me years ago, needed only one long seam to repair the edge that had frayed completely through. I love that I am able to continue to use it and know I will sleep well when I put my head on a pillow clothed in that beautiful and crisply ironed pillowcase.

As promised in my last post, here is the pattern for knitting in the round a tiny sweater for a toy bear.  I made the one pictured here for my daughter's roommate, who was recently accepted by the University of Chicago.  Congratulations Noa!

Top Down Knit Sweater for Beanie Baby Bear:

Materials:

• Worsted weight yarn in white, cream, or color of your choice (I'm not sure how much you really need, but it isn't much).
• Worsted weight yarn in contrast color (scraps should suffice).
• Set of five US 4 double point needles.
• Stitch holders.
• Small button (optional).
• Needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge: 

• 6 stitches per inch.
• 8 rows per inch.

Begin by working back and forth (not in the round).

• Cast on 28 stitches in main color.
• Rows 1 - 3: work in Knit 1, Purl 1 (K1 P1) rib.
• Row 4 (wrong side): Purl.
• Row 5 (right side): Knit.

Arrange stitches on four double point needles as follows, with the first 5 and last 5 stitches on the same needle:  5 - 4 - 10 - 4 - 5.  The first 5 and last 5 will be the back, each set of 4 will be a sleeve, and the 10 in the middle will be the front.

Join the stitches to knit the remainder of the sweater in the round.

• Round 1: Knit, increasing 1 stitch at the beginning and end of each needle (except for the middle of the back) as follows:
• K4, M1, K1 (half of back)
• K1, M1, K2, M1, K1 (sleeve)
• K1, M1, K8, M1, K1 (front)
• K1, M1, K2, M1, K1 (sleeve)
• K1, M1, K4 (other half of back)  - 36 stitches on 5 needles
• Round 2: Knit.
• Round 3: Knit, increasing 1 stitch at each end of each needle (except for the middle of the back) in the same manner as Round 1 (44 stitches).
• Round 4: Knit.
• Round 5: Repeat Round 3 (52 stitches).
• Round 6: Knit.
• Round 7: Repeat Round 3 (60 stitches).
• Round 8: Knit.
• Round 9: Repeat Round 3 (68 stitches).
• Round 10: Knit to end of 4th needle (end of left sleeve).

Divide 14 left sleeve stitches onto three needles; place remaining stitches for back, front, and right sleeve on holders.

Left sleeve :

• Join stitches into round . 
• Knit 8 rounds.
• Join contrast color and Knit 1 round.
• Knit 1 round with main color.
• Knit 3 rounds in K1 P1 rib.
• Working in K1 P1 rib, bind off loosely.  Cut yarn, leaving several inches to weave in.

Right sleeve:

• Join main color yarn and work same as for left sleeve.

Body

• Place remaining 40 stitches on 3 needles and join into round.
• Work same as sleeves.

Finishing

• Weave in ends. 
• Using contrast color overstitch letter of your choice on the center of the front.
• If desired, sew a button to the back neck edge and work the yarn tail into a small loop.

Lots of Bears and Grand Views

Prior to departing for Jackson Hole several weeks ago I heard reports of significant amounts of bear activity in Grand Teton National Park.  This, along with having seen a post by Lucy of Quilting With the Past in which she showed off her knit bear, gave me the idea to knit one of my own.  I rummaged around online for a pattern and in my stash for suitable yarn and knit in odd moments here and there.   And here he is.

"Grand"

To give you an idea of his size, note that the squares on his quilt are one half inch on a side. I have named him "Grand" for the magnificent peak which dominates so many views in Jackson Hole.  He was fun to make, though sewing up the thirteen tiny pieces was a little tricky, especially because the hand spun yarn I used is so fuzzy that it was hard to see what I was doing. Next time I'll choose a yarn with better stitch definition.

Knitting a bear was indeed an appropriate choice for this trip. Altogether we spotted six bears, more than we have ever seen in a single season; in fact, more than we used to see over many summers combined.

The most entertaining encounter was in Upper Paintbrush Canyon, just above Holly Lake, where we spotted a mother and her two cubs.  In no time the cubs scurried forty or fifty feet up a tree, found themselves some comfy branches, and went to sleep. The mother stayed at the base of tree foraging for food and posing for photos, or so it seemed. In my excitement I made rookie photographer errors so unfortunately she is not as clear as she should be.

Black Bear cubs

Black Bear (Note that not all Black Bears are black)

Grand Teton National Park is of course named after its tallest and most famous peak, which is usually called, with equal measures of affection and awe, "The Grand." From every direction it looms up to capture your attention.  Its character seems to change depending on the vantage point, the time of day, the season, and the weather.

Since our overnight back country trip took us to the upper part of North Cascade Canyon in the evening we were able to take sunset photos of The Grand across the smooth waters of Lake Solitude.  For anyone wanting to make a similar trip, keep in mind that the area around Solitude is closed to camping so you will need to secure a permit (at the information center in Moose or the ranger station at Jenny Lake) for the North Fork Camping Zone located below the lake.  Violations can result in a citation and fine of $120.  Yes, the rangers do check.

Mount Owen and The Grand Teton across Lake Solitude

One morning we got up before dawn to take sunrise photos at Schwabacher's Landing, a location which offers stunning reflections in calm waters and a straight on view of a line of jagged peaks such as a child might draw. It turned out to be a great morning for photos with a sky full small puffy clouds.  If you want to go to Schwabacher's Landing note that the road has been closed to vehicles due to sequestration-induced budget cuts and is now being treated as a hiking trail.  We parked on the shoulder of the highway and walked down the road in about twenty minutes.

Sunrise at Schwabacher's Landing

The clouds hung around all day and made a dramatic sunset.

Sunset over the high peaks

From high up across the valley the peaks seem bigger.

Near Jackson Peak

From the south The Grand seems bigger yet.

Hiking down Taylor Mountain

In South Leigh Canyon on the western side of the range the top of The Grand sticks up like a shark fin.

In South Leigh Canyon

And from the upper slopes of Mount Saint John it feels as though you can reach out and touch it.

Climbing Mount Saint John with The Grand and Mount Owen (the darker peak with snowfields) as backdrop

Anyone wanting to see these mountains from a perspective other than the highway turnouts or Jenny Lake would do well to pick up one or more of Rebecca Woods' excellent hiking guides.  They are available at the Valley Bookstore in town, at the visitors' centers in town and in Moose, and online at The Jackson Hole Bookstore.  She describes hikes of varying lengths suiting a variety of abilities and interests so you are sure to find something that will appeal to you and your group.