RIP Dreads

Well, due to some unforeseen circumstanced that will most likely have me going to job interviews at some time in the near future, my dreads have been killed. They lasted one month shy of a year. I am very very not happy about this, but I know that I will have a better chance with interviews with 'normal person' hair. I had to send my husband off to the local store to get the conditioner because I started crying just thinking of it. It took a week of work to get them all out. We did a good amount on the weekend (starting in the back and working forward) and a few each day after that. We did not cut my hair short, because with how 'red' this state is, we figured long 'feminine' hair would also be more desirable. It hurt so bad, after a while I started taking tiny (like a half a teaspoon) swigs of rum after each one was done. We also broke my dread comb, loosing 3 steel teeth. Here are some before pics. Can you tell I am not happy about this?

 Take  a look at all the hair that came off my head (yes, that is a quarter next to the massive hair ball)! Even if I do get a job where I can have dreads, I am going to have to let my hair regrow so it isnt so thin!

I got a haircut after this because it was just too long. Nothing fancy though, just a normal.

Dreads: 5 months

I am updating you on my dread journey (and coming up soon I am actually going to update my blog with a couple product reviews, yeah!). I have had my dreads for a little over 5 months now, and they are coming along slowly but surely. I am trying to keep up my maintenance with ripping the roots. I hope to soon strong arm my husband into sitting down with a tapestry needle and helping me sew in some of the errant hairs. I have some pics of me with my hair down (a rare event) and some of my more 'special' dreads.

You can see in the pic of me that I got an awesome purse! I will be writing about that soon, because I am just so stoked to get it! I also got some BaconSalt (they sell it at the Kroger around here!!!). It took all my willpower to not just crack it open last night when I got it and eat it all right there. I havent even smelled it. I am cant wait to write that review!

Little Dread Update: 3 months 3 weeks

I know I am a little late... but I just wanted to show some pictures of my dreads after a particularly painful ripping session. They are being a pain... my hair texture is probably one of the hardest to dread... but I am not going to give up!

Best Freaking Hair Dryer EVER!!! (story included)

This is my saga of the elusive Hot-n-Gold Ionic Soft Bonnet Dryer Model #Gh2138. Listen and learn, my children, to my story.

Once upon a time, there was a girl interested in getting natural dreads. She pined away for years, waiting until she had the time and resources to do it (mostly) right. She researched and found the most perfect ideal (and highest rated and well reviewed on Amazon) bonnet style hair dryer to dry her dreads in a timely manner. She found the fabled Hot-n-Gold bla bla bla (see my first paragraph). It works reliably, is hot, can be used hands free (so she can blog while drying her hair), durable and all around great design. But lo, can she find anyplace on the whole interwebs to buy such a magnificent hair drying machine? No. Amazon is out of stock, eBay is useless, Google just laughs.

Dejected, she buys a warming conditioner cap by mistake (which was returned, but she was out postage). She then found what she thought would be a suitable substitute... but the much anticipated package never arrived (being diverted to her old address which she forgot to update... then stolen because the tracking info said "delivered").

After months of frustration (and loosing a bunch of money on a priority packaged that SHOULD have been re-routed given the USPS's own rules and admission...grr) the poor girl had all but given up hope of ever finding her magical golden cap. A life of feebling attempting to dry a full head of dreads with a normal dryer which would not fit a bonnet attachment because it was shaped abnormally mixed with hours of air trying awaited.

To sooth her wounded soul, the girl (along with her prince charming) went to the local mall to eat hot soft pretzels with mayonnaise (it is really good, try it!). While they walked around, the girl spotted a beauty supply store (not a chain one). One look couldnt hurt right? Maybe she could at least see if they even had bonnet hair dryers for sale, but she didnt think they would.

Much to her surprise, on the lowest shelf.... lay the Hot-n-Gold beauty she had been hoping for all along! Throwing fiscal conservancy to the wind she quickly grabbed the box and hurried to the register (thank god they took plastic)!

To this day, the dready girl sits, typing away, drying her dreads quickly and hands free, gladly thanking the bonnet dryer gods for allowing her the joy of sharing her story and inspiring others with soaking wet hair that they too... if they are lucky, can find their own golden crown to hotly blast their worries (and wetness) away!

Dread Journey: 1 Month 1 Week

I know I said I would take a picture of my dreads each month, but right now I think it is going to be when ever I can. This picture was taken at one month and one week. They need a lot of tightening, both at the root and at the ends. My ends tend to curl when they are just washed too... which is a bit strange, but cute when I have them up in a pony tail. I like them about 150% better when they are up in a pony tail. I worry about back combing them too much and having the hair break.



I know they are just baby dreads, but I want them to lock up as fast as I can make them! So far, my hair regimine is: wool sleeping tam, 1:1 dilution of Dr. Bronners Tea Tree Oil soap, spray with saline solution occassionally, spray with lemon juice solution occasionally, one a week no-poo baking soda/vinegar rinse treatment, and backcomb/crochet hook when ever it is clean and I/my husband have the time. I dont think I have ever put this much work into a hairdo ever!

Stuff Just For Me

I just wanted to show off two of my latest creations.

The first is my attempt at the Wren pattern. I used some Lorna's Lace Shepard Sock Yarn in Hermosa. I like how it came out, but I may reposition the button.


The second item is a tam, just for me to sleep in. I have heard that sleeping in a wool hat will help them dread... so bingo! That what I want to make! I used Fisherman's Wool from Lion Brand in Nature's Brown. The yarn was different to work with... as it felt at times slippery or greasy. I dont know how to explain it, but the final product was just fine. Maybe it was because it was 100% wool and I had never worked with wool like that. I started out using a pattern from a book I had, but pretty quicky I went off the 'chart' and just went free form. It still worked out just fine.

WIP: Felt and beaded double sided headband done!

I had this idea a while back for a felt headband with leather straps for ties. I kicked it around in my head for about a month then decided to try it. In that month, the headband grew a skull and sported some bead embroider. Oh, and it also became double sided. This first one I finished is just a prototype for me to keep.



It took a lot of energy to make it, so I am unsure if I will make more for my shop. I might (and I will probably break out my sewing machine next time instead of doing all of the stitching by hand). I am not completely happy with the quality of some of the felt (hint, dont use craft felt unless it is the thick kind).



I like the way it came out. I haven't gotten dreads yet to test it out, but that is why I gave it braided leather straps: so I could wear it with either 'normal' hair or dreads. I also love that it has two sides. It is more versatile that way. I am definitely going to make templates out of card stock next time!

Fail... at Neck Warmers

This weekend I was determined to work out a neat neck warmer I can wear all day while I am at school, teaching etc. I set out with some lovely red yarn and my knitting loom. Well, first, I ran out of the red yarn.... so no problem, I will make it double sided. I really want something that hugs my neck so I worked out a nice ribbed pattern to try. I got to learn and practice how to make the purl stitch on my loom, which was neat. I go on my merry way, knitting along. Well, I finish everything off and....


The binding off is too tight... while most of it will slip over my head, that darn binding stitch wont budge. Dang. Well, it does make a nice and warm ear warmer!



And dont forget, it is revertible! That is great because I really want to wear these items with the majority of my t-shirts during the winter. You can see that the black matches my knit arm warmers too! Those are a mess up as well, they were supposed to go all the way up to my armpits, but I didnt make them wide enough on one end and they were too tight on my elbows... so they are now a pair that sit below my elbows and are scrunchy. At least they still work!

Yesterday I tried again. I dont have any pictures of it because it was so messed up, I made my husband pull it apart. The second one was made from a nice grey and black combo. I fixed the "constriction" problem by not knitting in the round on my loom. Well, I also wanted to add some embelishment in the form of a cowl that you could fold over your nose and mouth if it was really cold, fold it down when you were inside. That didnt really work out... it ended up looking like a bib. Epic fail! I was so disappointed because I couldnt even salvage it. Well, I salvaged the yarn.

I tried again today. Plain and black, no cowl. I dont have any good buttons to close it, so it isnt done just yet... until I can make a trip to the local craft shop. I really hope it works. If it works, I may make a few more for my shop.

Wait...there are new clothes in the house?

Wait...there are new clothes in the house?
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

I am absolutely certain that cats have a six sense (or maybe a couple more) that tells them the exact worst spot for them to nap. For example... everything you own is full of cat hair, so the most logical place to nap would be on top of the bag full of new, prestine clothes! How about on top of a stack of deconstructed boxes several feet high stacked on a couch? Wonderful! On the keyboard... Great! I love my kitties anyway, what can you do with that cute mug looking at you?

Investigating a Crime Scene!

Investigating a Crime Scene!
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

Happy Halloween everyone! I know I dont have black hair... but my costume this year was Abby from NSIC. She is sorta my hero. She gives me hope that I can some day be respected and employed in a lab while having the ascetic I long for. One of the best complements I had today was several people thought, before I told them about my Halloween costume, that I was just dressing up a bit to do something special! I normally wear a lab coat at work, so the only thing I did different was put my hair up in pig tails (my hair isnt long enough for braids... barely long enough for the pig tails!), changed my necklace and put on some make up! I didnt have to actually go and buy anything for my costume. How cool is that!

WIP: Flower Hair Accessories

WIP
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

Pay no attention to the mess in my craft room! I went crazy last night with some fake flowers and hair clips and barrettes! I have to figure out which ones I like enough to keep, but I think I will put a few up in my etsy shop soon. If you see anything that you just have to know more about, just let me know! I had fun going to Joann's yesterday and browsing their 70% off flowers and just having fun mixing and matching. I cant wait until their fall/Halloween stuff goes on sale because those are more my colors. I want to get my hands on the fall leaves and possibly black flowers. Hot glue is a wonderful thing... except all those wispy thread things that get everywhere! I know the pink and while ones will go up... and I dont own any clothing that are either of those colors. I cant believe how large some of these are! Let me know what you think!

I also have been working with a new product; memory wire! I have a couple of things created that I will blog about later... and I hope those will go up in my shop too!

Taking the Dreads Out

Well, my handmade wool dreads made it a little over a month. I think if they would have been installed a bit more securely they would have made it two months. I think maybe the texture of my hair makes it hard for stuff to stay in... because these were double secured and some of them still slipped down with in a week. Getting them out took a little under an hour. For some reason, I love the way my hair looks when I take extensions out. If I could just keep that half dready piecey look I would. The next part wasn't so fun... my husband brushed out the knotty mess that was my head after a month of being tied to wool. Man, that hurt a bit (but not as much as putting in real dreads, trust me) He had to clean out the brush several times because of all the hair that was coming out. For those of you who think that is a lot of hair, take these factors into consideration.
1. During the whole month my dreads were installed, the hair that would naturally fall of my head couldn't.
2. Putting the dreads in and taking them out puts some extra stress on hair too.
3. You didnt see the tub after I finished washing my hair, so you only see about half the hair that came off my head!
Anyway, brushing it out came me quite the hairdo! I hope you like all my embarrassing pictures! And, yes, my husband is a saint for doing all this for me. He is just glad he can run his fingers through my hair again!

Update... its been a long time!

Man, it has been a long time since I blogged. Sorry about that everyone in cyberspace. There have been some interesting things going on in my life, plus I wanted a little down time before my summer semester started up again.

First off, the Amazing Technicolored Dream Hat sold a few days after I listed it, and that was super exciting. I have another one that is almost ready to list and I hope that one goes just as fast. I also whipped up another similar hat but it uses different granny squares, different colors and is smaller. I hope to list that soon as well.

We have a new addition to our home, and her name is Mesha and she is about a year old. She is really uniquely colored, and her eyes are the color of the sky. We got her about two weeks ago from the local humane society. She is still very shy and skiddish, but when she decides to come out from under the bed all she wants to do is be petted and loved. Her purr box is very loud! Our other cat Dot is still working on adjusting from being an only cat to sharing the love. They occasionally get in each others faces, but it is quickly over. I hope that all these little scuffles disappear soon.

Also, about 2 and a half weeks ago my husband and his sister installed my roving wool dreads, and you can see how they came out. I like them and they are very light. They are slightly easier to clean because you can wring them out, which you cant really do with synthetic dreads. The next batch I made is going to be longer though.

I also bought an old wool sweater from a local thrift store and did some needle felting on it. While the colors arent my favorite (I never wear pastels) I think it is cute. I also hope to list this, but I think I am going to try and sell in on Vampire Freaks first. I hope it sells, because it was a blast to make!

Wool Dread Extensions: Part 4

That looks nasty...
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

I know that you are thinking... wtf is that picture?!? Well, I just finished dying my dreads and I am giving them one final rinse in the bath tub. I cant wait until they are all done and are dry. Then I can start making arrangements with various relatives to install them! I am so excited! I have never made anything for my hair quite like this! I have brown, red and some brown with red tips. I think they look great for my first try, but I will have to wait for a final judgment until I install them. They are on the short side because I knew I would be walking around campus a lot and I hate to be too hot. Tell me what you think!

Wool Dread Extensions: Part 3

Well, I am almost done! These are my dreads as of right now. Right now my total is 66, so all I need is four more to meet my total of 70 dreads! They are over powering the plastic hanger! I took a picture zoomed on the dreads. Now I just have to make the last few and to dye them. I have been making dread bands like crazy and picked up a new crochet book with lots of hat ideas. I cant wait to make a mess of new dread accessories! I even made a pair of pony tail things tonight.. but they arent quite done yet, so I cant post pictures, but I will once they are done. There is a great pattern for a total head wrap thing that is just awesome that I cant wait to try! The only issue I have with this book is 80% of the patterns involve elastic cord, which I dont have. Guess that means another trip to the craft store.

Crochet Frenzies: Dread Accessories

Well, in anticipation of my future wool dreads, I have resurrected an ancient hobby of mine; crocheting. I actually learned the summer between my junior and senior year in high school because (just like quilting, sewing, etc) I didnt have a summer job so I got bored. I actually first taught myself from resources I found online... and this was before things like "youtube" existed :P

Anyway, take a gander at what I have whipped up in the last weekend. Once I get going, I can crochet a pretty good clip!

My favorite one is first. I just love the way the camo looks, plus it is a nice size.



Simple, but depending on the light it looks too pink for me.



This didnt photography well. The yarn is black and it has silver strandy things woven into it... that is probably why it looks gray. It has bobbles in it too, but they are hard to see.



I dont think I am going to become a professional crocheter any time soon, but I have a wagon load of rainbow colored yarn that I bought for a project that fell through.... maybe rainbow dread wraps would sell? It would at least keep my hands busy :)

Wool Dread Extensions: Part 2

I thought I would show a little update on my progress. It is slow going, but today my husband helped me a little bit. We now have a total of 26 done... only 44 more to go! I am thinking I may dye a small batch of these ones red to see how all that works. I can then do some needle felting too! I think if I have any dreads left over I will make some dread falls on elastic bands and sell them on my Etsy page.



I have also started crocheting a bit to break up my time. I was looking around Etsy at dread bands and it inspired me to make my own. I have made two so far, but this camouflage one is my favorite by far. I will probably make one or two more. I have made a gray one and plan additional colors like black and/or red.



You can also see my old hand-me-down couch. I look forward one day to buying my own furniture!

Wool Dread Extensions: Part 1

Here is the start of my felted roving dread adventure. I haven’t ever made dreads before, either synthetic or wool, but I love the way dreads look. The last extensions I had were pretty long for my tastes (32 inch double ended dreads, so 16 inches once they are folded over). I thought this time I would try short little dreads to see how that looked. They are going to be roughly 17 inch double ended dreads, so about 8.5 inch dreads once they are installed. I am going to make the majority of them skinny (about 1/4 of roving width I got) with some larger ones (1/2 of the roving width) so there is some variety. I will eventually dye them brown to (hopefully) match my hair. I was thinking of dying a few red to mix in there too. I am also going to experiment on a few dreads with needle felting designs on them. It should be a fun experiment!

Anyway, here are some of my photos…I am going to try and document the whole thing. Please feel free to leave me comments!

Splitting the roving. I have already pre cut most of them (probably all of them). I think that 70 DE dreads should be enough to fill up my head. I still don’t know if I am going to leave any bangs.

After soaking it in a bowl of hot soapy water (I used a ancient bar of Dial and shaved some off with a potato pealer) I started felting. Here is an action shot. I found that pulling the hair out before rolling it worked well. Also, rewetting and rolling again seemed to get them tighter.

Here are three finished dreads, one that is 1/2 the roving, and the other two are 1/4. I also rolled them on my lap after dipping them one more time in the soapy water. I seemed to get water all over the place with all the palm rolling… oh well.

Here is a small one for a size comparison.

Okay, tell me what you think!!!

Dreads

IMG_2161
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

Well, I did get my synthetic dreads and had them installed last weekend. Here is the results. The installation was done by my husband and my SIL. They arent perfect, but it works. Hopefully they will get better from here! I also tried to non-permanently dye my hair closer to the auburn color of the dreads... and that didnt work at all! I am now debating on making my own wool dreads from roving in the future, but I dont know how much that will cost or how much roving I would need.

Some More Dreads!

I have my heart set on getting some dread extensions, and I found a place that has some for a killer price... but it seems they dont have dreads in my color...
My question to all of you is what color (by their description) would you buy if you had hair like this (the picture is from when I had natural dreads)


Here is the link to the dreads I want to buy: Doctored Dreadlocks

What color would you say (from the colors avalible in dreadlocks) is closest to my natural hair color. I dont want to dye my hair and I know that most of the roots should be covered since they are DEs.

Thanks for your suggestions! Oh, and I dont have time to make my own... so that is why I am buying them.