This winter has been a rough one here in western Kentucky. We have had a number of significant weather events, and it feels like my children have been out of school more than they have been in it. At this very moment, as I type this, we are getting freezing rain with an expected half inch to an inch of ice accumulation. With all of this cold, wet, miserable weather, it is no wonder that I find myself dreaming of hot, dry New Mexico summers.
Check out the ice accumulation on my back porch.
In my college years (and also a couple of post college years), I spent five summers working at Philmont, a cattle ranch located in northeastern New Mexico owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America. The ranch offers year round training and high adventure opportunities for both youth and adult scouts. Working there was an amazing and wonderful experience, and, while it has been many years since I have set foot in that state, there is a part of me that still considers New Mexico home. This month’s block is an ode to that far-away home. (I apologize for the dimness of these photos. With the bad weather, natural light is hard to come by today.)
The center motif of the block is the Zia, a sun symbol that appears on the New Mexico State flag.
The blue motif you see around the edge of the block was inspired by this ring. I purchased it one of my first summers in New Mexico and still wear it regularly. I love the simple geometric pattern and the texture of the silver.
Originally, I had planned for this block to be only yellow and red, just like the New Mexico state flag. My intention was to stitch the motif from the ring in purl stitches / reverse stockinette, giving the block more texture, not more color. But, at the very last minute, when I went to pick up the yarn, I grabbed the blue for the border.
In all honesty, I am not convinced I made the right decision. Part of my lack on conviction is the fact that colorwork is not one of my strengths, and the border feels untidy to me. With any luck, it will neaten up once it has been blocked.
All of the designs on the block are done using stranded colorwork techniques. Hopefully, the floats on the back won’t get hung our caught on things once this block has been stitched in to the final blanket.
Here is a gratuitous picture of the blanket block posed with my son’s Lego tower. He wanted the tower to be in the picture too.
As always, if you are interested in stitching up one of my block designs, you can contact me on Ravelry. Also, if you have your own blanket that you are working on, please come visit us in the blanket thread in the JMF group on Ravelry. There are several of us working on assorted blankets, and we would love to have you join us.
Cris lives in bucolic western Kentucky with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of assorted four-legged creatures. She spends her days as a librarian and her nights dreaming of a small plot of land where she could raise a few chickens. She be found on Ravelry as Flarkin.
