Calliope Hummingbird

 

When I was in Glacier National Park last summer for my residency, I was lucky enough to spot a Calliope Hummingbird off the porch of my cabin on Lake McDonald. The brilliant fuschia-colored throat and teal body were eye-catching. So I knit a wing-span shawl inspired by that hummingbird. I have started publishing the patterns I create from Glacier as I finish them, so this one is on Ravelry now too. 

From the pattern: Glacier National Park, take note of its vibrant gorget.  A gorget is a patch of colored feathers found on the throat of male hummingbirds. Gorgets are typically iridescent. and the Calliope sports a beautiful fuschia patch that can be seen even when he is flitting about the park. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park. 

Glacier NP Artist-in-Residency presentations and artwork

 I finished a couple more artworks from my residency in Glacier this summer. I have a few more I would like to get done before the two presentations I have in February and March. I will be talking about my residency to the Salt Lake Knitting Guild and the Utah Surface Design Group. I am excited to share my work but a little stressed to get as many projects done as possible. The truth is that I had so much inspiration from this summer that I will be knitting Glacier works for a few years. 

This is Avalanche Chute, a fun modular scarf. Info from the pattern: Avalanches send tons of snow ripping down steep mountainsides. They follow the jagged avalanche-carved valleys made over millenia. These chutes are stripped bare of vegetation allowing new tender shoots to come up every year, feeding the diverse wildlife in Glacier National Park. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park. 

And this is Saint Mary's Falls, inspired by one of the many, many waterfalls in Glacier NP. Info from the pattern: The beauty of Saint Mary Falls cannot be overstated. With its fast current and roiling turquoise waters, it is a must see at Glacier National Park. The blue-green color is created when fine glacial material known as rock flour floods into the lakes and river during snowmelt. Rock flour is very light, and stays suspended in the water. When the light hits the surface the rock flour distorts the wavelengths of light, reflecting back more of the green and blue end of the spectrum. This artwork and pattern was produced as Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park.