KNITTINGDRAGONFLIES

Featured Etsy Seller

2010-01-31T18:54:00.001-05:00

After years of being a Behavior Specialist and Special Education Teacher, I sew for sanity. My two babies (ages 3 and 2) make everything in the past seem so ordinary and what lies in front of us as amazing. And chaotic.
As for the name of my shop? My Dad is my hero. And he calls me "NICO" for my middle name, Nicole.
At Nico Designs we create each item with design, style and functionality in mind. We strive to create products that are eco friendly by utilizing a combination of new, repurposed, recycled or upcycled materials. As we strive to understand our role as stewards of our planet we will adapt our manufacturing to be as lean as possible. This means we use our scraps/remnants in other projects or donate them to keep them from a landfill.

She also donates a portion of her sales to help fund childhood cancer research. Proceeds from the sale of select items will go to the Ronald McDonald House in Temple. And 10% of sales from the other items will go to MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston.

LOVE Pears

So cute, who doesn’t need a valentines day surprise!

Fiesta Medium Tote

I like this tote! It would make a good knitting tote.

Enjoy shopping!

Technorati Tags: Nico Designs,knitting tote bag,valentines day pears,etsy seller

Knitting Coraline

2010-01-29T07:43:00.001-05:00

Coraline is a 2009 American stop-motion 3-D horror-fantasy film based on Neil Gaiman's 2002 novel of the same name. It was produced by Laika and distributed by Focus Features. Written and directed by Henry Selick, it was released widely in US theaters on February 6, 2009, after a world premiere at the Portland International Film Festival.

When you realize Coraline is stop motion animation and with that comes a long process for creating each puppet in the film. and beyond that, someone has to outfit them! Would you believe one woman knitted all of Coraline's sweaters and gloves?

This is an amazing film, that took many, many true artists to craft this story together. Below are several videos of artisans.

Althea Crome the knitter of Coraline’s sweaters and gloves.

Suzanne Moulton head of the hair department

An idea of what it took to make the world of Coraline

Technorati Tags: Coraline the movie,knitting coraline's sweaters,Suzanne Moulton,Althea Crome,knit,knitting

Snowflakes

2010-01-28T09:30:00.001-05:00

Winter here usually includes a long stretch of sunless, wet, muddy grey days.

The predication last night was for ice and then snow. Well I woke up this morning to neither and bright clear skies and sun! Yay!

I’m delighted to see it after many dull days without it, but do miss my snow. So I decided to find some homemade remedies!

WINTER WONDERLAND PINK SNOWFLAKE COOKIE GIFT SET - $18.00 us

Snowflake Goat Milk Handmade Soap $2.70 us

Original Photo 5x7 Snowflake in the Window $8.00 us

Mini Clipboard and Post it Notes – Snowflakes $8.50 us

Snowflake. Silver Plated Locket Necklace $22.00 us

Snowflake Dangles

Technorati Tags: etsy snowflakes,homemade snowflakes,knit,knitting

This and that…need some knit patterns for after the holidays?

2010-01-19T18:11:00.001-05:00

Need some help finding patterns? Knitters Review gives us a lift of seven great little knitted items, hats, neck warmers and a cute little mouse.

From Knitty Winter of 06 it’s Norberta the Dragon by Kate Kuckro, and her blog SimplyCrafted.com

Kate also had her Toasty pocket creatures in Knitty winter 05, cute and quick

From Crafts on Toast a super cute Bender pattern! (from Futurama)

Who can’t use another HackySack? This is a knit pattern for them from Sharon at ShazzasPatterns blog. I have crocheted them before but never knitted.

From Cosmic pluto knits, here is a shawl pattern that only takes 350 yards / 320 m of fingering weight yarn, (you can use your handspun!) Reversible and fast and beautiful! It is the Milkweed Shawl. Destined to become a classic by anyone that knits it! She also has LOTS of other great patterns!

I love this The Thing Pattern, for your comic book or Fantastic Four fan, by Knittycat.vox. Please check her blog out.

From ChezPlum a sweet little lace purse. The Isabeau purse is a quick little knit, using a very easy lace pattern. It’s an ideal project to use up odds and ends, as you’ll need only one skein of yarn (approx.100-120 yds)+

Get Knitting!

Technorati Tags: Seven free knitted patterns,Milkweed shawl,The Thing pattern,small lace purse pattern,Norberta the dragon,pocket creatures,bender pattern,hackysack pattern

Hooping, Henna and Red hats

2010-01-13T20:19:00.001-05:00

Fire Hooping, Barrington. Photo by Amanda Giles

My girlfriend Rachel, who is my Henna sister, got a fire hula hoop for Christmas! While I’m still practicing on a standard hula-hoop, she has progressed to a LED hoop and now a fire hoop. I love the directions, it actually says, “at some point you will catch yourself on fire”, so someone stands by with a fire extinguisher while she hoops. Now that person should be sober! And you can’t really knit if you are the extinguisher person either.

Red Hat pattern by Bernat, this is the second hat I have made with this pattern.

Every month we get together to henna our hair, if you are interested in moving away from chemical coloring to henna, like many people are, (especially if you are being treated with chemotherapy or pregnant) the best website is Henna for Hair.

Rachel before hair…light brown

and after….beautiful auburn

We were both interested in switching to henna and started the journey together. She is a light brown, I had colored my hair so long I wasn’t sure what it was (how much grey I had), and it was breaking off at the scalp and in the front. The same mix brought her a lovely auburn color, while it made my hair in the orange family. But henna takes 3-5 days to “oxidize” and the brassiness fades into a rich color. I couldn’t believe how soft and shiny my hair felt, she has long hair and said her husband loved it, and couldn’t keep his hands out of it.

This time I added some other herbs to darken my color, and try and head it towards the brown/auburn family.

Original color:

Using 1/2 Henna and 1/2 cassia, before oxidation:

This is when I learned, that cassia lightens henna. OK

after oxidation, still a little bright for me. I now know I could have done a buxus gloss and it would have pushed it into the brown family.

This is the current color made with 1/2 henna, 1/4 buxus, 1/4 indigo

I love this color, I don’t want to go any darker, but love the auburn, this is one day after. The color should change a little with oxidation.

Technorati Tags: knit,knitting,knit hat pattern,knitted simple tam,henna journey,henna,buxus dioica,cassia,indigo,dyeing your hair naturally

Hats and vegetarian chili

2010-01-10T16:50:00.001-05:00

Burrrr……It is cold here! We have had about 2 weeks of very cold weather for Southern Indiana. With temps in the single digits at night and in the teens during the day, we are bundled up and ready for some warmer temps.

As usual, we are the marathon dog walkers, no fenced yard, and large dogs equals our own exercise routine. This has resulted in a hat knitting binge for me. Quick and warm, everyone needs a hat.

My mother always taught me that most of the heat escapes through your head, and you need to wear that hat to stay warm. Now I have read the study that determined that may have been misleading, but when it’s 4 degrees out and the wind at 30 mph, I’m not going out without my hat. When the temp dips this low it feels great to put on a knitted wool hat and bundle up against the winds.

The pattern I used is a free one from Bernat for bulky yarn, I used Bernat yarn felting natural wool in color 94310, (a pink/purple blend). On size 8 US circular needles, using the magic loop technique. (see here for a great YouTube tutorial from the KnitWitch)

It took approx 120 yds of bulky weight yarn for me to make this hat.

While knitting on a cold day, what more could you want but some homemade chili cooking in the Crockpot?

Vegetarian Crockpot chili (or stove)

1/2 cup dried small red kidney beans

1/2 cup dried black beans

1/2 cup dried adzuki beans

Place all of the dried beans in a bowl and cover with water the night before. If you would like to make this on the stove or in a hurry use a can each of beans.

1 can (28 oz) of rotel diced tomatoes with chilies

1 large onion diced

1 green pepper diced

V8 juice, approx 2 cups, more if you like thinner chili

Soyrizo I can usually find this at a local grocery store, used to be harder to find locally for me, great meat/protein alternative

3 T Chili powder

3 T Cumin

1 t Red pepper

1 T Oregano

Drain beans and rinse well. Add to Crockpot, add the rotel, spices, and diced ingredients. Now add the Soyrizo and cover all with just enough V8 juice to cover all ingredients.

Cook in your Crockpot for 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high. If you are using canned beans on the stove, bring to a boil and simmer for 40 min.

Serve with homemade cornbread

My grandmother would make this in the original cornbread molds that looked like little corns.

Nanny’s homemade cornbread

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2/3 sugar (we always use half white, half brown sugar)

1 t salt

1 T baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup milk (skim ok to use)

1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Pour into a 9 x 9 pan, or muffin tins

Bake 20-25 min in pan, 12 min or so in tins (depending on how full you fill them), or until toothpick comes out clean.

ENJOY!

Technorati Tags: knitted hat pattern,bulky knitted hat pattern,vegetarian chili recipe,crockpot vegetarian chili recipe,sweet cornbread recipe

Everything you wanted to know about Sock Monkeys and more

2010-01-05T19:17:00.002-05:00

Well I’ve become somewhat obsessed with sock monkeys!
It seems that people have definite opinions on them, similar to clowns, love or hate them. So it all starts with a pair of socks $4.95 from WalMart.
After making a couple for gifts for my niece and nephew. The mania began. The traditional sock monkeys that we think of were made with a specific sock, the Rockford Red Heel Socks. John Nelson, a Swedish immigrant to the United States, patented the sock-knitting machine in 1869, and began manufacturing work socks in Rockford, Illinois in 1890. During the Great Depression, American mothers first made sock monkeys out of worn-out Rockford Red Heel Socks.
Sometime around 1951 Nelson Knitting company discovered that their socks were being used to make monkey dolls, this resulted in a dispute over the pattern. The company was awarded the pattern in l955 and started including it with every pair of socks.
In 1992 the Nelson company was acquired by Fox River Mills. A change in the red-heeled sock design distinguishes monkeys made with Fox River Mills socks from Nelson Knitting Company socks. Fox River heels are more uniformly ovular, without the end points that gave Nelson Knitting-made sock monkeys their smiles or frowns.
You can still buy the Nelson socks so your sock monkeys will “smile” at you. They also have several other differences. This site is full of patterns and information, and you can also buy the new or old style socks.

Beginning and end results above, of course I had to add a knitted scarf, and vest!
I found several good patterns, and tutorials, (if anyone needs a fast, traditional gift)
From Lenny Taylor short and concise directions here
Web Goddess has a detailed tutorial on how to cut and sew
From Paton Yarn, a free knitted sock monkey pattern
Another knitted sock monkey pattern from Thepatternbox.com, from Mummble-Jummble2, she has other free patterns also.
Here is a crochet sock monkey pattern from qDpaToOtieS very cute, and a nice blog, she has a wide variety of tutorials from snow globes to pumpkin pie upside down cake!
Craftbits has a sock monkey pattern for modern striped socks
I like this one from Clubhouse.com, it is detailed
From the Wikihowtomake a sock monkey
Sock monkey blog, of course
And we can’t let our sock monkey’s go with out some stylish knitwear, here is a pattern for a hat and scarf from Sock Monkey Fun, and a crocheted skirt.
And from Patricia Spork a Sock Monkey poem
Vintage Sock Monkey
By Patricia Spork
Clean socks filled,
sewn to bond,
monkey doll’s
floppy bod;
Red pom-pom
—sometimes—
adorn
hatted top,
While red lips
—always—
smile
stuffed bottom
Well that’s everything I know about Sock Monkey’s! Have Fun..

Technorati Tags: sock monkeys,knitted sock monkey pattern,crochet sock monkey pattern,sock monkey poem,knit,knitting

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T21:31:00.001-05:00

Enjoy yourself, watch some football and knit!

Another easy knitted hat

2009-12-30T12:28:00.001-05:00

We seem to be on a rented movie marathon at my house. I think it has something to do with the post holiday decompression.

Mostly rainy and cloudy here during the winter, it’s perfect to cuddle up on the sofa and knit or spin.

I found some yarn in my stash and I’m off.

Easy Ribbed Hat (made with bulky yarn)

yarn Bernant Felting Natural Wool, color way 94420

Needles size 8 US, circular needles

I used the magic loop method, see here for help

Cast on 64 stitches, being careful not to twist stitches

Pattern is K1, P1 all around every row

Continue until approx 6 inches or around the top of your head

Start your decreasing

Row 1: Knit pattern (k1, p1) 6 stitches, ktog , place stitch marker

Row 2: Knit all around

Row 3: Knit pattern until last two stitches before marker, then ktog

Row 4: knit all around

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until you have 8 stitches left on the needle.

Cut a long tail and draw through all of the loops.

Stitch back and forth through the top of the hat to secure and cut.

Done!!

This quick hat is perfect for just about anyone.

May your knitting needles fly as fast as dragonflies

Technorati Tags: knit,knitting,easy knitted ribbed hat pattern,knitted hat pattern

Easy knitted cap pattern

2009-12-27T16:11:00.001-05:00

I have been knitting over the holidays. A little, some light knitting that I don’t have to think to hard about. Looks like I’ve got a red theme going…

Some house slippers… Easy pattern here

Going to knit another pair for a girlfriend in the hospital.

It has been cloudy and cold here, a little snow falling. So we have been watching some movies. I knitted an easy cap while watching Star Trek, (picked out by Steve) and Julie & Julia. (for me). This allows for a lot of knitting and spinning.

Here is the pattern (see hat above)

Easy Knitted Cap

I used approx. 200 yds of worsted wt 100% wool Galway in dark red

US 4 circular knitting needles or size to gauge(i use the magic loop method, see here)

Gauge = 17 sts and 24 rows, 4 x 4 swatch

Cast on 76 stitches, be careful not to twist when joining the circle.

Knit 2, purl 2 every row for 2 1/2 inches.

Now starting knitting all around until 7-9 inches, about to the top of your head.

Decrease using:

Mark beginning of round

row 1 knit 2, ktog, around (you should be able to have 19 decreases per row)

row 2 knit all around,

row 3 knit 1, ktog around

row 4 knit all around

row 5 ktog all around, (8 stitches left)

take the 8 remaining stitches and cut yarn leaving a long tail, draw these up with a needle, stitch through several times and cut.

Now your ready to go out and enjoy the winter

Technorati Tags: knitted slipper pattern,easy knitted cap pattern,knit,knitting

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-25T12:18:00.001-05:00

Winter Knitty is out, Check it out!

Hope you get everything you want!

Featured Etsy Seller

2009-12-19T12:38:00.001-05:00

Calkat is Kathy and Carrie, they have numerous etsy shops and also blog.

I love the idea of yoga fairies

Namaste Pose - Yoga Fairy $15.00

Cobra Pose - Yoga Fairy $15.00

She makes about every pose you can think of, cute and I think the vibrant colors are nice also.

Ametista's.etsy.com

PurVeyOrs of DeLiCiOuSly DaRk aPoThEcArY bOtTlEs, FuRrY MoNsTeR bOxes, uNuSuAl OnE oF a KiNd GiFtS aNd MoRe...

Mr. Snowman Apothecary Bottle $10.00

CalKat the Jewelry Junky.etsy.com

Sole Luna e Stelles $58.00

blog located at http://calkatthejewelryjunkie.blogspot.com/

Enjoy shopping!

Technorati Tags: featured etsy seller,calkat,yogafairies,ametista.the clayshoppe

Imagine learning knitting from You Tube

2009-12-13T10:43:00.002-05:00

When learning to knit or spin, You Tube has been a great resource for me, especially when I’m in the middle of a pattern, and have to figure out something, with no knitter to ask. Here are some recent videos that may help you.
The KnitWitch has a number of great knitting tutorials available. Here are some of her new ones.
Wet Blocking a Knitted Piece
Weaving in Ends on Stockinette Stitch
Weaving in ends on ribbing
How to work in ribbing
How to tell the difference between a knit stitch and a purl stitch
Binding off in Pattern
How to do stockinette stitch
How to perform a knitted bind-off on the right side of your work
How to recognize a backwards knitting stitch
How to Purl through the backloop
Knitted Cast On
Knit Witch Yarn Bowl Demonstration
How to fix a dropped stitch in knitting
How to perfom a Cable Cast-on
I knit with cat fur, is great, don’t let the title kid you, she has a wealth of videos on all sorts of stitches.
Abby Franquemont, love to spin? Check out the queen of the drop spindle and the wheel
!

Have fun with your knitting!

Technorati Tags: Abby Franquemont,The knit witch,you tube knitting tutortials,knit,knitting

Wouldn’t you like to be knitting here…

2009-12-12T14:17:00.001-05:00

With a mug of tea or glass of wine and a knitting project.

Get your knitting out and enjoy, I can hear the fire crackling!

I’m done with my hair towel wraps (see here, on how to make), they are all wrapped up and I’m ready to settle down with a cup of tea and my new mag.

Technorati Tags: knit,knitting,towel hair wrap tutorial link

Knitting and podcasts….

2009-12-10T18:42:00.001-05:00

Podcasts are great to listen to while knitting or spinning. I really enjoy it.

I also like to listen to my favorite podcasts, music or books, while cleaning or commuting to and from work.

Some of my favorite are:

Cast On by Brenda Dayne In her description it says “A podcast about Knitting”, but this is so much more. Brenda’s beautiful voice lulls me into a dreamy knitting mode, while I learn about, well you never know. Historical, interesting, musical, essays read by the writers, oh and knitting. She is charming to listen to and never fails to bring a smile to my face and heart. This is my number 1 podcast.

It’s a PurlMan, a guy in Boston with Knitting issues. Funny and good knitting info. The host, Guido, was introduced to knitting by his fiancé and has been completely obsessed ever since.

The Knitmore Girls A mother and daughter team, who knit. I recently was introduced to this and am enjoying it. I like this duo, and the way they work together to produce a informative and entertaining podcast. I can’t help thinking the whole time, “my Mom would never do this”, makes me want to steal her away.

Lime N Violet a couple of wacky girls, who love yarn, spinning, and always ready to talk us into buying more.

Non knitting podcasts

Wormwood-This is my new favorite. It is a serialized mystery. It is described as arcane mystery, weird romance, and strange horror. I’m enjoying it. It reminds me of weekly radio episodes that use to be produced, way before our time. It is done quite well.

Lipgloss and Laptops, This is produced by a Canadian woman, it usually gets me into trouble, I always find a makeup product to buy after listening. But I always tell myself I save so much money by not buying some products that she reviews that are duds.

Any Jane Austen book, there are quite a few free downloads of classic books here. Of course, who is reading it makes or breaks the listening experience.

Knitting podcasts come and go. Some of my favorite don’t seem to be producing anymore. (KnittersUnscensored, Pixie purls)

If you have a favorite knitting, or other podcast, please let me know. I would love to find some more.

Get your IPod and your yarn out and get knitting!

Technorati Tags: knitting podcasts,podcasts,knit,knitting,audio classic free download link

Southern holiday recipes

2009-12-07T19:52:00.001-05:00

Upon moving south, I learned that the Holidays include a different variety of foods. I love corn bread stuffing, and cranberry fluff, but my favorite is sweet potato pie. I’m a long time pumpkin pie lover, I’ve always requested pumpkin pie for my birthday instead of cake. So pumpkin is near and dear to my heart.

But when I first tasted a sweet potato pie, I’ll have to say it is a close second.

SWEET POTATO PIE

Ingredients

1 (1 pound) sweet potato

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (of course it would be an absolute SIN to use store bought!)

Directions

Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.
Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a soufflé, and then will sink down as it cools.

CRANBERRY FLUFF

2 c. fresh cranberries
3 c. miniature marshmallows
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. apples, unpared
1/2 c. seedless grapes, red or green
1/2 c. walnuts
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip Grind cranberries and combine with marshmallows and sugar; cover and chill overnight.

Core and dice apples; add apples, grapes, walnuts, and salt. Fold in Cool Whip and chill at least 3 hours before serving. Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Serves 8-10.+

Now my husbands family has a fondness for fruit cake, I’m going to make Claudia’s recipe from Mr.. Puffy’s knitting blog. Now she calls it a Christmas cake, but I’m going to say it’s a fruit cake, can’t wait to try it out.

Oh, and my husband bought me a new set of bathroom scales. How kind of him, our old one broke. I’m sure it’s just to watch his weight with, right?

So while we are eating our goodies, I’m sure some knitting would burn lots of calories, right?

Technorati Tags: Holiday christmas cake recipe link,sweet potatoe pie recipe,cranberry fluff recipe,knit,knitting

This and That….recycle it..

2009-12-06T18:56:00.002-05:00

From CraftIdeasInfo here is a way to recycle a old cereal box into a good looking tote or gift bag.
Planet Green has an idea on how to repurpose those wool sweaters into nice looking mittens. Also check out FeltsoGood on flickr for more images.
Recycle those plastic bags into “plarn” (plastic yarn) and make a nice sturdy grocery bag. Thanks to myrecycledbags.com. She also uses cassette tape to crochet Barbie dresses and other things (evening bags!) Her list of patterns here
Neauveau Fiber Arts has a tutorial on how to unravel a wool sweater and prepare for repurposing.
We all have these to toss, you have to take a look at pwka on flickr, she has a nifty idea to carry your bagel to work in. Perfect!
Sports bra from mens underwear, I’ve seen this before, but it is worth repeating, thanks GiannyL. Look at her video and her website where "Do It Yourself has never been so Sexy" she has some great ideas!
Be green

Technorati Tags: Cereal box into tote/gift bag,cd spindle into bagel keeper,how to repurpose sweater yarn,plarn how to make it what to do with it,mittens from felted sweaters,sports bra from mens underwear

Hair towel wrap stocking stuffer

2009-12-03T13:06:00.001-05:00

I have been looking for stocking stuffers, and ran across this tutorial from Skip to my Lou, her blog has so much great info, and is fun to read.

I followed her tutorial. I purchased a bath towel from Wal-Mart that was $2.50, by folding this in two, I was able to make one from each towel, with a little leftover to make a small face towel.

I just bought one towel as a trial run, now I’m off to buy 20 towels and more elastic.

Mini microfiber hair wrap

I have short hair, and the regular size hair wrap is a little larger than I need, so I experimented with a smaller towel. I wouldn’t go any smaller than the size below and if you measure a standard hand towel it is approx. 16 inches x 27 inches. This would be the perfect size.

I purchased two microfiber, (which absorbs water wonderfully), tea towels (size is approx. 25 inches x 12 inches) from the Dollar Tree, price 1.00 a piece, they come in several bright colors. I picked green.

I roughly traced what I thought would be a good shape for the size of my towel, and cut it out.

This a good size if you have short hair, the towel is quick to dry and easy to use.

The only change I would make in the instructions is, I would move the elastic band up to 5 or 6 inches from the edge, because the “tail” is not as long to catch in it, (I think this would work well for a standard size hand towel as well.

Then, in just a few moments, a great stocking stuffer for any gal in the family.

Hope this gives you some ideas for the holidays.

Technorati Tags: hair towel wrap tutorial link,microfiber hair towel wrap,hair towel,hair towel wrap for short hair

Henna II, the sequel..Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water

2009-12-01T15:30:00.001-05:00

Some sequels are just plain better than the original, Die Hard 2, the 1989 Christmas Vacation, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan, After the Thin Man, The Bourn Supremacy, Toy Story 2, and my last one Dawn of the Dead. Sometimes it takes some tweaking to get it just right. Knitters live by this lesson..

So fearlessly my henna saga continues. I decided to re-henna my hair with the hopes that I would be able to get that rich color I was seeking.

With henna you can add several other plants, that are dried and ground, to adjust the color. Indigo, which we all are familiar with, can be added to darken it from a little all the way to black. (the indigo when combined with henna produces a deep rich black). If you desire a strawberry blonde look you may add some cassia obovata, this adds a golden color. To tone down the brilliance of the red, people add buxus dioica (also known as Katam, has been used for obtaining light brown, ash browns and brunette colors),which cools the colors. Amla (also known as the Indian Gooseberry), also is reported to tone down the color of the red, so not as vibrant.

It is fun to mix yourself, like in knitting and the gauge rule, in hair coloring it is “test strand”.

Chemically dyed and over highlighted

So after the first day of applying a 2/3 henna (75 gms) and 1/3 cassia mix (25 gms), after 4 hours my hair ended up to be this color.

Day 1, no oxidation yet.

The darkening of henna from orange to reddish brown (commonly referred to as oxidation).

I still decided I would like to see if I could get the super bleached out front to match the back a little more.

Day 5, I mixed henna (100 gms) with approx. (9 gms) of amla. Waited for the dye to release overnight, and got to applying.

Immediately after rinsing out, photo taken in the sun.

Better! Not so fiery.

I will post photos after this application has oxidized and see how much that changes the color.

So I’m a red head for now.

Now I need to get out my knitting needles and start knitting!!

Below are the best links to check this method of hair coloring out, they have all of the info you need to get started.

http://www.mehandi.com/shop/ everything you need here, a free downloadable e book that covers everything, forums, shops, photos and stories of henna users and what they used. As well as info on commercial hair dye.

http://www.ancientsunrise.com/ A more fool proof way of getting what you need, packaged into a box for you.

http://www.hennacaravan.com/how/hennayourhair.html more how to’s and recipes for the colors you want.

http://ilovehenna.tripod.com/id1.html I love this woman's hair, her two years journey with her henna use, also includes info on other colors.

http://www.tapdancinglizard.com/ Check this out if you are curious about henna body art.

Technorati Tags: Dyeing with henna,henna for your hair,buxus dioica,katam,amla,indigo,how to dye with henna links

Making silk or what’s not happening at my house

2009-11-28T11:13:00.001-05:00

This is from the New York City for the opening of “Traveling the Silk Road” at the American Museum of Natural History. Here you can see the Michael’s blog post on the filming of this. He is pretty much the Czar of sericulture.

Technorati Tags: michael cook,sericulture,making silk thread,the silk road

A Very Red Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:33:00.001-05:00

I have been coloring my hair since I was in my 20’s, graying early and not loving it. I opted for color. Twice I have grown my hair out, and only left it for about 2 weeks, to return to the bottle.

I’m outside so much my hair bleaches out very light, and tends to have a strawberry blond cast to it.

My lymph nodes in my neck swelled up and my doctor suggested that it was due to my hair color. So the research into henna began. I liked the natural side to it, and if you get tattoo grade henna, the color is fabulous. (so they say)

All of my research has also captured the attention of a co worker and we are going to jump into this adventure together.

Like Lucille Ball a blonde that is about to go red. I can only hope we look as good, not like Bozo

The best henna side I have found is: Henna for Hair

It explains more than you every wanted to know about henna. So our henna is in the main and on the way…

Nov 17th, Yes Henna in the mail.

Nov 24th evening, we have let our henna and lemon juice mix “release” its’ dye for about 20 hours, now we mix some ground cloves, ground cinnamon brewed in chamomile tea into the paste.

We have beer and are ready to apply, “warning, you should not drink and dye”

Rachel and myself, ready to get started, this was a long and gooey process…..lasting about 4 hours to apply to both of us.

Me getting henna applied, and then Rachel, of course we have help.

It takes a long time for longer hair, after application we wrap in saran wrap, cover and let sit for around 4 hours.

We need pizza now, and have switched to Mountain Dew….

This is me after I rinse it out, brace yourself

Brighter than I had planned on.

No photo of Rachel yet, the Henna will darken over the next 3-5 days, as the Lawsone migrates from the henna into the hair shaft and binds with the keratin.

At first, henna may seem coppery bright. Don't panic. (OK, this is my mantra at the moment, don’t panic, don’t panic….This will darken during the next several days if you used an acidic mix.

Your hair will take 3 days to settle into the true color. This is an oxidation process like a cut apple turning brown when left out in the air. Be patient and do not panic. OK, don’t panic…..

Any words of wisdom out there from some veteran henna users?

Crap I keep scaring myself, here I am in my Aran Shrug. See free pattern here.

Keep knitting, and Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Brewing up a rainbow….

2009-11-23T19:41:00.001-05:00

Do what you love, love what you do…

I have an Etsy shop and have tried to sell several different items in it. Maybe it was the items, my lack of enthusiasm, the economy or another variable, it never really took off.

Quite by accident, I started dyeing my hand spun fiber. One night on Plurk I posted some of my fiber and a woman went wild over it, and insisted I could sell it. I was just having some fun though, and ignored her.

Then another woman contacts me and wants me to make her some hand dyed yarn. so I do and sell it to her. After that I start getting all kinds of requests!!

My knitting is on the back burner right now, and my husband is extremely tolerant, with dyeing and yarn all over the kitchen. Dinner? What you want to eat?

Moral to the story, life is short, thanks to all of the knitters and dyers online that have helped me on my way!

Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today. ~James Dean

Now I’ve started a new Etsy shop, trying things out over on ArtFire and have my older Etsy shop, which I am working on some new items for, more on that later.

http://www.DizzyDragonflies.etsy.com

http://KnittingDragonflies.etsy.com

http://KnittingDragonflies.artfire.com

May your needles fly as fast as dragonflies…

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Wouldn’t you like to be knitting here…

2009-11-22T17:03:00.001-05:00

This is a random falls in southern Indiana, if it has a name I don’t know it. When we hike I always take a small project, usually socks, and knit a while when we rest. There is nothing like sitting at the base of a falls.

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This and that…or getting ready for the holidays

2009-11-20T17:51:00.001-05:00

A few links from me to you.

From the Make It Do It blog, a tutorial on making a snowman kit, this is a cute and easy gift you your and your kids to make and give.

From Swiss Miss how to make your own ink jet tattoo paper. How fun would this be?

To get into the Christmas spirit, how about this easy, and adorable patchwork star from Linaloo

From Hope studios a tutorial on how to sew a scrunchy gathered scarf from fabric, we have all knitted them, this looks fast and cute.

From All Things Heart and Home a how to on making expensive looking hurricane lamps for your holiday table

From Jan’s Free content a how to on making some greeting cards without card making software

If you live in the heartland like I do, you MUST have a casserole carrier. People make them like crazy, we buy them at every craft show, we take food to everyone, we don’t care! Funeral=need food, wedding=food, sad=food, celebration=food, in doubt?=bring food, any group of people getting together=yes we need food. This is a great all around casserole cover from Craftown.com

This is a great tutortial on how to make a cuff for that edgy friend, it is from the Think Crafts Blog contributed by , Anitra from the blog Coffee Pot People (which you have to check out)

Technorati Tags: snowman kit tutorial,injet tattoo paper,patchwork star tutorial,scrunchy gathered scarf tutorial,spray paint hurricane lamp how to,make greeting cards,casserole cover pattern,how to make a cuff bracelet

What is your biggest challenge as a knitter? Or I’m looking for lace knitting tips.

2009-11-19T10:11:00.001-05:00

Is it cables? finishing? socks? gauge? color work? For me it is lace. I love it, want to knit it, but it seems I spend a majority of my time tinking back. grrrr

But if we could knit anything we wanted carelessly what would be the point? I constantly battle lace knitting, yet have so many lace projects and UFO’s it is comical. I will not be beaten down, well, ok, occasionally. A couple of tips a girlfriend gave me:

- Swatch! Start with regular size yarn (cheap) until you get the pattern down

- Turn off everything: TV, music and distraction.

- Learn to read the charts, look them over, chart symbols here [good Knitty article]

- Use a lot of non snagging knitting markers, and count your stitches, repeatedly. Knitting markers can be anything from bits of yarn tied in a loop, to metal or plastic rings, the open ones are nice to slip into places or move.

- Use a lifeline at the end of each repeat or section of the pattern. Frogging (ripping back) in lace knitting is very difficult, because of all the complexity of the patterns, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what's a stitch and what's the space between two stitches. To put a lifeline in your knitting, finish a row of knitting and then thread a slick yarn like crochet cotton or dental floss through the line of stitches on your needle. The ends of the lifeline will hang loose on either side of your knitting (make sure to leave enough length on the ends of your lifeline that it won't pull out of the stitches as you knit). If you make a mistake, you can rip back to that row, put the stitches on the lifeline back on your needle, and start that section over. (Leave the lifeline in place, just in case you need to rip back again.)

- Make a photocopy of your pattern and work from that. If the pattern is too small to read easily, enlarge it. Write notes, cuss words, etc..about the pattern on your copy as you go. You can also use one of those plastic sleeves to keep it clean, from any blood, sweat or tears that you may encounter.

- Keep track of where you are in the pattern, using a magnetic board or a post it note.

- Using sharp pointed needles, like Addi Turbos may help

- Wood and bamboo may easier, less slippery.

- Watch those tricky YO’s, they can slip and roll, don’t miss these, it can cause tinking, cussing, crying, and sweating.

Any tips you can give me would be appreciated.

I found this nice blog post on introduction to lace from See Eunny Knit

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