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

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

Review of a Kick Spindles Or Mother Marion to spin

When I made the decision to buy a Kick spindle I could find very little info on it, anywhere. Below is what I gathered, bought and my experience with mine. I could only find two being marketed, since I purchased mine I have found a third. Below is my views on the Kick spindle I purchased (Little Meggie from Heavenly Handspinning), and some info on all of the other Kick Spindles that I could locate. Links and costs are included. Review: Things I like about my Kick Spindle. 1. Long spin time, I like the addition of the ball bearing. 2. Leaves both hands free to draft 3. It's my "wheel" 4. I like using my foot, I am moving around and don't get stiff from one position. It's a very "active" type, rhythmic motion. 5. You can actually stand and use it also. 6. Great price point. 7. I have never spun on a wheel and when I sat down at one the first time, I could actually spin (some) I think this action of foot/hand coordination helped. 8.

Aran Shrug, Bridesmaid Wrap, Baby Bunting Pattern free

Here is the start of my "Bridesmaid wrap" from " Wedding Knits " by Suss Cousins. I am making it out of heavier yarn, From Handpainted yarns I love the yarn it is so soft and the colors are beautiful. The wrap is made in mohair in the book. I plan on making it a shorter wrap, due to the heavier yarn. I hope it turns out OK . If you check out the book link, there is photo of it. If you want a free Bridesmaid wrap pattern this is a lovely one from Knitty! I made this baby bunting, on the spur of the moment, just playing around. I used one skein of red heart yarn, and a small amount of the fun fur yarn in a coordinating color. Cast on 80 stitches at 4 sts /inch. Knit in the round, until 24 inches long. If you would rather knit flat, knit even rows, purl odd rows. Add Fun fur yarn, or other novelty yarn for the last 10 rows. Bind off, using a very loose bind off. I like to use the Elizabeth Zimmerman method of the Sewn Bind off

Crochet A Plant Hanger (easy)

It is getting frosty here and the leaves are turning beautiful colors. I had a mass die off of plants, (well, due to my neglect), I did revive a few by repotting. I brought in some plants from the deck, which Mother Nature took better care of. I decided to hang the larger plants, to save space and didn’t have any plant hangers. I prefer to put my plants in plain clay pots, and had already made my StuffMart run for the week. I got online and looked around for an easy DIY plant hanger. Of course I couldn’t find what I was looking for, although I found some really cute ones that I will link at the end. I was going to macramé one, but when I found some crochet patterns, I thought that would be faster and just as pretty. I looked around and did find a unopened ball of jute, opened it up and got my crochet needle out and started playing around. I’ll place links in the directions in case you don’t know how to crochet, this is super easy. Crochet Plant Hanger (easy) You can customize t

Knitting Dragonflies

Search This Blog