Long Nails, Knitting for Babies and Other Tidbits

Long Nails & Short Hair

Way back in 1992 when I willingly cut off a full head of healthy hair for the first time I was very uncomfortable with my decision. I thought about doing it for months, but still I was uncomfortable. So much so that I wore a hat for two solid weeks to keep it covered up. Part of my discomfort was the feeling that I was no longer feminine enough. I’ve never been one for make-up—except lipstick and the occasional eyeliner when clubbing—so I thought I needed to keep just a little bit of the “girl” around so I started getting my nails done. This was back when airbrushing was at it’s height of popularity, and multi-colored highly patterned nails were all the rage. After a week or two of that madness I settled back into either a French manicure or no color at all…every once in a while I would do a single color on all the nails.

I would actually go to a barber shop to get my nails done and thought it would be easy one stop shopping for my “beauty” regimen…I use the term beauty loosely. I met some cute boys and one that I dated for a bit who made me LOVE this hair cut. He would hug me and rub my head at the same time. It was awesome….he had issues and it didn’t last, but he did help me through a time of self doubt.

So, I’ve grown out and cut the hair multiple times since 1992, and the hardest thing is finding someone to cut my hair so that it doesn’t look too hard, too manly…to be frank: too butch. When I moved here I couldn’t find anyone to cut my hair the way I liked it on a consistent basis and just ended up with the Caesar. Caesar being a very low cut even all over, also called a One or a Zero depending on how low it is. I am still not a make-up person, although I have given it what I think is an honest try, and once in a while feel like I need to girly it up a bit. So, I head back to the nail shop. I did this about a month ago.

I started with tips and they’ve grown nicely. They’re about 3/8th of an inch long. They look natural and really nice, even with no color on them. They slow down my knitting. They must go. I haven’t decided if they must go altogether, or if I’ll try to cut them down first. I’m kind of enamored with them so I will likely make them shorter and see if that speeds up my process. If it does not then they’ll be going for sure because I miss making socks!

Knitting for Babies

I’ve told you all about the saga of knitting for my niece. I haven’t gifted the sweater yet, but I think I will this weekend and ask that she wear it to Thanksgiving dinner so more than just three people get to see her in the sweater.

See the pretty colors. These are the colors I chose to make a blanket for her:

The colors are from top left: Soft Yellow, Watermelon, Blue Mint

Second Row: Limelight, Grape, Green, Lemonade

Third Row: Mango, Raspberry, Rubine Red, Iris and Rose Violet

The blanket has stalled. I’ve been working on other things and last night started a knit item for a different baby…she’s the daughter of a friend of my cousin’s. The mother is apparently fond of me and I feel like I should have a gift in hand because she has a new baby. I made another Tulip Cardigan out of yarn that I’m hoping would have been leftovers from Senaiah’s blanket. The colors that did not make it into the sweater are: Rose Violet, Raspberry, Green, Soft Yellow, and Grape...and I added a color not in the picture, Dk. Country Blue.

I’ve only got one full square done so I’ll be able to tell from that color’s leftovers if I’ve set myself up to buy more yarn. No matter, I’ll just make Senaiah another Tulip in a larger size if I need to buy more yarn. I’m setting myself on a cycle here, but it’s too late to turn back now. The only way I can remedy this is to make the blanket smaller if I’ve used more of the yarn than I should have. It will be easy to frog the half square I’ve knit and pull out a couple of rows of the first color, but here’s to hoping that is not necessary.

I don’t have pictures of it, but last night I got the body of the SSBrites sweater completed up to the bottom border. Just a few more rows of that and I can do the front flaps and applied i-cord cast off. If I can keep up the pace it will be done before Thursday. Which is also when I need to have Senaiah’s DIC sweater done…just need to weave in the ends on that. I’m going to try to do that tonight for sure.

Other Tidbits

Here is a shot of my dad’s sweater….I so need to finish this. I’m on the end of the first sleeve. It took me a little while to “figure out” how to do garter stitch in the round. Does anyone out there know? I’m pretty sure I got right, but no matter. I’m not pulling it out. So, just one sleeve to go and then I need to decide about the front flaps and button vs zipper situation.


I started to make myself a hat. I love the look of this, but I’m not sure I’m equipped to make it. The nails might have something to do with this. I might just give up and make a different hat with this yarn, Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted in chocolate. I need a hat to tool around New York in.

I started to make socks for myself. I originally cast on with the yarn that Dixie got me for my birthday on the Sox Stix she gave me. They’re gorgeous, but they’re too large for this yarn for my knitting style [I’m a loose knitter—sounds so dirty!], and they’re blunt. Anyway, I moved them to a Knit Picks Classic Circular of the same size and it was then that I realized I need to go down a needle size. So I cast on a different yarn one day and it’s UGLY and kind of splitty. Anyway, the nails are not helping, so they will more than likely go today. I want to knit socks….plus, what am I going to knit on the plane?

And finally a shot of the Lady E as it sits today....I still don't think it's long enough which makes me feel like I'm elephant wide and pissed because I don't want to buy more yarn!

A Little Off Kilter

That's the feeling around her for me and my knitting that is.....I don't really feel like writing, but I have been reading and knitting.....although, sadly not at the same time. I would really just like to go home and get in bed and stay there. No phone, no errands, no people. Just me and my knitting and books and educational TV. Oh well.

The Little Sweater:

Senaiah's sweater of many colors is almost complete. I need to weave in the ends and turn it over to her parents. I told my brother that I wanted her to wear it with a jeans skirt and her mother told me they found one. I was stunned. Hopefully, it won't be embellished the way the ones I ran into were...although, with all of the colors in the sweater it might not matter. If I get a picture I will share it with you. Here are shots of the complete sweater and a close up of one front & the sleeve. I was all prepared to complain about the so-so instructions and color changes on the sleeve, but I don't have the energy. It came out nice. Clare told me it's the nicest thing I ever made...and Christine loves it too!

















Wobbly Circles:

The Wobbly Circles tote is almost done as well. I need to do two lines of stitches on the bottom of the bag and then work on the felting.

Here are the sides at the end of the knitting:

















And here we are after my fit of weaving in of the ends....I know that you don't need to weave in the ends, but since I'll need to do it and do a good job of it for Senaiah's sweater I decided to "practice" on these. It wasn't bad...I'm not saying I want to do it all the time, I'm just saying it wasn't bad.


















And here it is one minute from completion. It needs stitching along the corners to form the bottom of the tote so that it can stand up. I love the way this came out! Lets hope this feeling persists through the felting process.



















And now on the needles is the Lady E...no matter how much I work on her it seems like a never ending process. I was able to add almost a whole skein to her last night, which leaves me three to go.....maybe. I started with 8 skeins of the Silk Garden, and ordered 3 more...so, if I only plan to use 10 for the body then I'm more than half way done, but if I need more then my percentage of completion drops. No matter. I'm dedicated to her....strict monogamy because I want her ready for my trip home!