Monday, October 30, 2017

Juniper


My new favorite from my Great Basin inspiration mostly because of the colors. Last year the berries on the juniper almost outnumbered the needles! Juniper is one of the most abundant and widely scattered trees in Great Basin National Park. It is typically found growing among pinyon and sagebrush. They are very hearty and can live to be 650 years old. Juniper berries are the female seed cone (not a true berry) with unusually fleshy and merged scales making it look like a berry. The berries can be dried and made into beads for jewelry and are also deliciously eaten by jackrabbits, foxes, coyotes and people. This artwork was produced under the Darwin Lambert Artist in Residence Program at Great Basin National Park.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Desert Colors


The dazzling colors of September in Great Basin National Park are not only limited to the high mountain aspens. The lower sagebrush ecosystem is vibrant with colors that sing under the intense blue sky of the dry desert.

I used some reclaimed silk I had dyed with natural dyes several years ago for this project. The yarn was the same as the West Desert Hood I created years ago (see picture below). The colors truly echo the muted desert colors in the fall. This artwork was produced under the Darwin Lambert Artist in Residence Program at Great Basin National Park. 



Monday, October 16, 2017

Still Knitting Great Basin


Although my residency is over at Great Basin National Park, I have a few more pieces inspired by the park that I want to finish before I have an exhibit next year on all my inspiration. I had to go to Southern Utah to teach a workshop last weekend and took some time out to go up the canyon in Leeds and knit among the juniper. As luck would have it, I was knitting a piece inspired by juniper! This one is now my new favorite. Stay tuned for finished photos soon.

Monday, October 2, 2017

Pinyon Nuts


I missed the Pinyon nut harvest when I was in Great Basin National Park last week but I remember the work last year that was involved just to harvest a small bag. The park allows visitors to harvest pine nuts up to 25 lbs. I wanted to create something inspired by my tiny nut harvest that was maybe not as much work to knit as the nuts were to get. Hence this neck warmer of piney textures (and pine wood buttons!).

From the pattern: Gathering pinyon pine nuts is a great way to experience the fall bounty of Great Basin National Park. The single-leaf pinyon, Pinus monophylla, is an abundant tree found between 6,000 and 9,000 feet. The nuts produced by these pines have been important to Native Americans and animals for millennia. Gathering pine nuts within Great Basin National Park is allowed in the fall only and is limited to 25 lbs per household. The goal is to ensure that plenty of nuts remain for Clark's nutcrackers, pinyon jays, and ground squirrels. This artwork was produced under the Darwin Lambert Artist in Residence Program at Great Basin National Park.