Silk Poncho

Love this yarn! And I got two projects out of one shipment. It took just a little more than 3 balls of Ella Rae Shibu to make the larger version of Cool Hemp Ponchette by Lanaknits. It's the perfect cover up for a cool summer evening. The stitch pattern was easy to remember and the whole thing took about a week to knit. You can wear it with the point in front or in the back.

New Obsession

After working on an outdoor sign this weekend, I'm in love with resin! Well, it has a beautiful, thick, glossy finish, but it is soooo bad for the environment. So, my love affair will be secret and/or brief. For awhile there I was thinking of putting resin on anything that didn't move. :-)

Tips:

• Put the finish on when the project is new. The sign has been outdoors for 5 years and has some sun and water damage.
• Use enough resin to get an even finish. I skimped a bit (since I wasn't sure how much to get) and there are some low spots.
• Get all your tools together -- gloves, safety glasses, mask, stirring stick, pail large enough to mix resin and hardener, and a foam brush. And maybe an extra set of hands. It would have been nice to scrape out the pail to get every last drop.

Photos to follow later...

On the Needles...

Currently I have 3 active projects on the needles:

• Blue silk poncho
• Hemp/Wool "cocoon"
• Pink poncho for Jennifer

In addition to trying to clear my bookshelves of unread books, I'm trying to clear out my yarn stash, and it is Jennifer's b-day. I also have my "scrapbooking" knitting project that is another attempt to make something out of old yarn -- the French Scarf.

Below are the blue silk poncho and the French scarf in progress:

What's the First Rule of Dyeing?

Wear gloves! But the blue and green didn't seem to leave any color on my hands, why was the purple so bad? It's all gone now.

Used just one packet of each color, so the colors are pretty pale, but I still like the effect. I'm calling the color "heliotrope."

Kimono with Button

Here is the completely finished kimono cardigan -- all knitted, seamed, and buttoned!

via my Flickr photostream