grandma's birthday present

my grandma's 85th birthday is this october. my parents are going to taking her out with some of her gal pals for a fancy dinner. i am working a present for her right now. i actually bought this yarn last year with the idea of making her something, but we all know how slow i am, and here we are a year later. this is recycled silk left over from making saris...(this info is from http://www.rugsandcrafts.com/silkyarn.html but i don't remember where i actually bought it)

Recycled silk yarn is the by-product of colorful saris that women wear in South Asia. It is the loose ends of saris collected from industrial mills in India that is hand spun into yarn in Nepal. The vibrant colors and unique texture of these silk fibers and silk yarn are inspirational to designers, knitters, and artisans. The popularity of recycled silk yarn has extended beyond Nepal and India and has created an empowering cottage industry primarily benefiting women.

We work with women's development groups in Nepal to produce unique hand knitted silk yarn products. Knitting, crocheting, and weaving in their spare time in their own home, women make many products out of the silk yarn. This work provides additional income to support and improve their families.

so, it's actually really cool yarn. really bright colors, you can see just a bit from this pic. it's a little tricky to work with, but i found a pretty simple drop stitch pattern that has turned out to be great. this is after about 30 minutes of work.