Hello Fall!

Where do I start? I changed jobs! Hopefully, my new job will be a much better fit than the last job. It will free up a lot of time in the morning for me to do "my" stuff (writing, knitting, making music, and my new passion: jewelry making). From what I've learned over the last 3 years, I will not become this job. This job is just a means to fund my life. I will not take the job home with me. I do wish to get better hours though.

On the hair front, my hair is still coming out, even after the Aphogee 2 Step Treatment. To protect what I still have, I decided to go back to basics, and put on a lace wig (see above photos). Hopefully, I can grow out the weakend hair (my fault - I've pinpointed it to the color remover fiasco from a couple of months ago). Since I haven't gotten around to getting my new 12" virgin malaysian straight (from Rex, of course), I decided to cut my old 18" RVMS and cut some bangs into it. I'm happy with the results. I didn't paint the inside of the cap. I just put the self adhesive bandage around my head. I don't even have a wigcap on. I was being lazy about it, but very happy with how it turned out. My skills are still there. I thought I would have to add some lace to the back and ventilate some hair back there, but it fits my hairline perfectly. I will probably need to redo it the Sunday night before the first day of work.

Okay, even though it's knitting season (yeah!), I'm getting into jewelry making. It started with the sale of two of my Rearden bracelets. I still have enough blue metal to make several bracelets, but being proactive, I started to look for more blue metal. From there, I found jumprings, which led to learning how to make chainmaille (think Dark Ages, Middle Ages, King Arthur), which led to wire wrapping. I have an (empty) Esty store and I will sell bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and anything else I can think to make. My Esty store will also carry my handknit goods, and eventually my music (mp3s), my photography, my lacefront DVDs, and my books. I love knowing that I have an outlet for all this creativity.

2nd Aphogee Treatment

Before the treatment:

The breakage on the back left side:

The Aphogee 2 Step Treatment:

The last time I did this was six weeks ago, to the day (I put it on a calendar, and I've scheduled them out). I have the bigger bottle, so I was was liberal with the application. It has the weirdest smell. I can't describe it, but I'm so glad that I have to do this only every six weeks. I followed it up with the Balancing Moisturizer and Mega Tek scalp treatment. I can't tell if the Aphogee 2 Step Treatment is working. I'll keep doing it every six weeks though.

Let's talk about the breakage. My hair is still breaking off especially on the left back side (see middle pictures). The top pictures show that the rest of my hair can cover the spots, and they're growing in from me putting Mega Tek directly on those spots. I'm so tempted to cut it all off and start again, but I'm not going to. The new growth is NATURAL. I haven't textlaxed since the disastrous last time, and I'm not due to do it again until November 15. I may not even do it then. I'm so scared. I just want to baby my hair until it stops breaking off, or until it's double the length, and I can cut off all the over processed hair. I have to say that my hair is the longest it's ever been , in my life, curly or straight. Other than sitting under the dryer to dry the Aphogee treatment, I've not put any heat on my hair since April 2009. What a journey. I have pinpointed the breakage to be from when I used the dye remover a couple of months ago. I shouldn't have ever done that. Big Lesson learned. Luckily, with my new growth as curly as it is, I can disguise my bald spots. I haven't worn a LF since August. I'm still working on getting a shorter one.

I received the greenish blue niobium jump rings, so I will start making the new Rearden Metal bracelets, in a chainmaille pattern. They will be a bit more expensive because the niobium is expensive. I love how all of this has led to me learning how to make wire jewelry. I can't wait to set up my Esty shop with all my stuff. I have to break out my knitting needles. That's what fall and winter mean to me. Knitting season.

Hello Esty, here I come!

Very exhausted, but it's under construction:

Creative Magic

Handmade knits, the "Bracelet", my music, lace wig application DVDs, etc.

Finally, a commercially creative outlet for my expansive output.

Stay tuned.

February - #44! So Much to See, So Much to Do!

So much has happened since the last blog. I had a birthday (44 - ugh!), we toured Alcatraz Island, and I'm making great progress on my Leviathan sweater. My birthday was a weekend. Andrew is so sweet, and he makes me feel special everyday. He gave me a dozen orangey-peach and yellow roses and a chocolate birthday cake with whipped cream frosting:

I don't know why he put my "1st birthday" on it. It did have Tinkerbell trinkets on the cake.

The day before, we went to my beloved San Francisco. I LOVE San Francisco. We started the day at a BEAUTIFUL restaurant called The Cliff House. It's on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The views were spectacular. I had a Bellini and we shared a plate of spicy calamari. I definitely want to go back to that place.





Then it was off to Alcatraz. It's a penitentary, what else is there to say. I do like the fact that none of the prisoners had to share a cell. It was interesting. I delighted in the fact that some of the prisoners learned to knit and crochet.






We ended up at my most favorite restaurant, The Crab House. I could eat pounds and pounds of the crab. The garlic fries are to die for also. I'm still trying to decipher the recipe. The navy neckwarmer made its first public appearance:


All in all, it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had. Andrew makes it all so special.

On the hair front, I was scouring You Tube looking for layered haircutting vids, and I came across the CreaCut. It looked so neat that I ordered it. Click here for the You Tube video. I'm a little nervous, because I ordered it on Thursday, now their actual http link doesn't work. I'm needing bangs and layers in my Virgin Malaysian Straight. Hopefully, when I start working (a regular job), I'll be able to purchase a new wig whenever I want. I'll keep no more than 3 at a time. I decided to retire the hybrid virgin malaysian loose curly/Amina. I wore it for the birthday weekend, but she was shedding up a storm. I tried reinforcing the seam in the back by sewing some extra lace on top of it. The neat thing was when I removed the wig, I didn't have to remove the adhesive and tape from my skin. It was still tacky (I'd only had the wig on for 2 days). I put another layer of Vapon over what was still there, and put the Virgin Malaysian Straight right on. I did add a little dark makeup to my bandage/wigcap. Maybe I can do this two or three times a month, to further reduce the manipulation of my real hair (since I know how to do the beehive/spiral cornrow).

Speaking of hair, I finally saw Chris Rock's "Good Hair" yesterday. I LOVED it! I could see the comedy in it. I wish there were more natural haired girls representing. As soon as my hair is shoulder length, I'll be LF free. I think it's easier to take care of natural hair once it's fully embraced and accepted. I can't wait to be able to go to the beach and just jump in the water and not care that my hair is wet. As long as I carry my scrunchies and elastic bands in my bag, I'm cool. No more straightening. Just wild, and free, with a few blonde streaks here and there. Patience and tenacity are propelling me towards my goal. I love that the older I get, the more I don't care what other people think. I ran out of my GNC NourishHair caps. I don't really know if they work. I know that the MegaTek works. I will keep using that until forever. I'm trying to go through my products, without buying more. So far, the products (conditioners) that are keepers are: Silk Elements Luxury Moisturizing Conditioner, MegaTek Cell Rebuilder, Nexxus Humectress, and Tressemme Flawless Curls. I like the Organix Vanilla Silk more for the smell. I love the extra virgin olive oil for my deep conditions. Everything else is collecting dust. As for shampoos, I really like the Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo. It's no more that $2! In these recessionist times, who can beat that! Hopefully, I can keep my hair braided and hidden until I can't stand it anymore. I'll eventually remove the bandage and wigcap and wash my braids. I love the path my hair growth is on.

I'm wanting to do more singing videos. Andrew and I have up on deck: No Excuses (Alice In Chains), 9 Crimes (Damien Rice), Down In A Hole (Alice In Chains), and Set the Fire to the Third Bar (Snow Patrol). Up for me solo is Harvest for the World (Isley Bros), Whenever (Maxwell), Why (Annie Lennox), and a million more. I'm doing songs I love and think are great. Not what's popular. I love music.

Visual Progress on the Carrie/Episode 88 Sweater

No, I'm not looking my best. It's Saturday, and... there it is. Here's the progress on my beloved Carrie/Episode 88 sweater. I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to start the point. I can see that the back is too wide, but I like how the neck rolls onto itself. I'm not taking anything down, so I'm going to have to work it out. Stay tuned.

The Navy Neck Warmer is Finished!

I love the navy neckwarmer. Only took 2 days! In the round! No seam! The only hard part was when I had to increase the purl stitch before and after the knit stitch. I had to pick the yarn over from the left hand needle and twist it with the right hand needle, and put it back on the left hand needle, then knit it over to the right hand needle... whew! That was all to lessen the hole that the yarn over would make, because I couldn't close it up on a purl row, since I was knitting every row. I also had to double all the rows (the second knit row subbed as the purl row). I ended up with 198 stitches. I had to do the gauge conversion math - not easy, but doable. Yes, it still resembles a lamp shade. It's to be worn under my wool peacoat. I hope it's cold. I'm wearing it to San Francisco next weekend, to shield my neck from the perilous winds of the ferry boat.

I Caved, Again!

I couldn't comb through my hair this morning! It hurt so much. I know that I wanted to wait until April to textlax, but I had to! With my hair growing as much as it is, I think I have to text every month. I had to do it twice, because it didn't relax as much as I wanted it to. Here are the results (my hair is still wet):





From now on, that's going to be my sign - not being able to feel my scalp and not being able to comb my hair. I'm loving the length. I'm getting some nice hang time.

On the knitting front, I decided to do another neck warmer in navy blue, and I revised the pattern. I'm using size 10 needles, and medium (#4) yarn, and I had to do the gauge math to figure out how many stitches to cast on to get the same size. So far so good:



I'm also doing it in the round so I don't have to sew any seams. I wanted it to be reversible, but some of the yarn had knots in it and they show through on the "wrong" side. I hate sewing seams, and anytime I can convert a pattern, I'm on it!

Making progress on the Carrie/Episode 88 sweater. I've seperated for the armholes, the back, and the two fronts. It's so heavy and awkward, that I'm only going to do one section at a time.

Quick Knitting Project - DROPS Neck Warmer Pattern 98-14

I knocked this neck warmer out in 4 hours! It's exactly what I wanted. Andrew thinks it looks like a lampshade. Now, I want to make a navy blue one. I love the patterns on the DROPS site. I'm still making progress on the Carrie/Episode 88 sweater, but it's going to be a long time before it's finished.

"Natural" Hair Progress/Next Knitting Project

I removed the virgin malaysian straight today, and this is what my hair looked like (after washing, conditioning (with a little MegaTek and Shea Butter), drying, and adding some Moroccan Aragan Oil:


I'm so tempted to textlax, but I did it just a month ago (1/6 to be exact). I'm going to try and hold out until April. As long as I can keep it braided up and hidden under my LFs, I can hold out. I'm not going to take 2010 progress pics (for the grid above) until right before I do a new app (the wavy malaysian hybrid) in a couple of days. My malaysian straight is shedding for some odd reason. The knots haven't been bleached either. Hmmm...

I've restarted on the Carrie/Episode 88 sweater. I pulled back what I started, and created a whole new pattern. I'm knitting from the top down. I actually cast on 310 stitches... 310 STITCHES! I think it takes me an hour just to complete a row. I think it's going to be lovely. The holes are the yarn overs in a leaf pattern that will travel down the spine of the sweater. Here's tonight's progress:



I'm thinking bell sleeves. I'm also thinking that this will look like a fancy snuggie. I'll be knitting on this bad boy for a hundred years. I've got the Icy Hot for my knuckles on deck!

Sade is back!!! She is the textbook example of how it's supposed to be done.

Finished with Colbi's Scarf!

I finally finished Colbi's scarf:


It took 31 days. I love the domino knitting technique. I got two of the domino knitting books by Vivian Hoxbro: Domino Knitting and Knit to be Square: Domino Designs to Knit and Felt. I think I'm going to do a domino hat next.

Next up on the project list is the hooded cowl for Dominique.

Phase Two of World Domination.... Music!

As you all can see (per the new video posted), I have added music videos to my YouTube channel. I've been playing guitar and singing for a very long time, but never serious enough to put it on display. What kicked it into gear for me was seeing these young girls on Ellen (Degeneres) last week, playing guitar and singing the Lauryn Hill version of "Killing Me Softly". I hate all that affected singing, but that's just me. So I'm going to post me singing all my favorite songs, mostly 70's rock stuff. I'll throw in some unexpected treats along the way. I had to get used to the camera, and our camera is really neat, because the view thingy swivels around so you can see what you're doing. Next up is "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, dedicated to the victims of the Haitian Earthquake (we donated $20 too).

The LA trip is next week. My coat should be here tomorrow. I was hoping my glue and tape from Hair Direct would be here before we left, but it's not. I'll have to milk this app for all it's worth, including many touchups. No major lifts yet, other than the nape right corner. The hair is performing spectacularly.

I'm still knitting Colbi's domino scarf. I'm trying to figure out what kind of scarf I want. I was going to do a scarf like the brown monster, but it's not working out in the stockinette stitch. I don't necessarily like garter stitch items. I'm pouring over some stitch books now. I may just do it in the domino motif too.

Knitting Along...

I finished the "brown monster" last night:



It took me exactly one month, from 12/11 to 1/11. I've started me one in light pink, to go with my peacoat. Anyway, I've started on Jarett's hat:



My Kindle skin came today:


Now she's ready to go to LA!

Okay, don't hate me, and I didn't want to admit it, but the sew in was a fail, for me. I took it out yesterday, and just did a glue/tape in. It wasn't as flat as I needed it to be. The concept still works, but I would actually have to custom order a unit to fit that braid, and maybe not so much hair out. I think if I get a frontal, it won't be full enough. Back to the drawing board!