True colors shining through

I was so set on going to bed relatively early last night… and failed to do that, in a rather massive way. Around 4.3oam was when I bound off the icord, laid down my knitting needles, and tried to get all the Supernatural monsters out of my head so I could sleep.

I’m as enchanted by the finished Quantum of Autumn as I was by the process of knitting it.

Zitron Trekking XXL and Drachenwolle Merino/Linen, held together, 4mm needles.

The colors are even more fabulous and autumny in daylight as they were last night.

The only downside to the bright, sparkly, diverse colors is that they make my washed-out haircolor painfully obvious.

My one roomie didn’t even notice that I was wearing something in my hair – granted, it was in the rather dimly-lit kitchen and she wasn’t wearing glasses, but… yeah. Usually, I’d be the first person to ridicule anyone who said they should dye their hair to better compliment an accessory, but I’ve been contemplating switching back to something more natural for some time now, and this is just showcasing all the problems that go along with fire-truck red.

While I love the outrageousness and vividness of the freshly-dyed color, it’s also super-annoying to  drag a dark towel around everywhere to not stain the other towels. It’s annoying to sweat pink in the first couple of days after dyeing. And it’s annoying that when the water in the shower drain has finally stopped being pink, it looks like it does now and I have to redye anyway.

So, yes. Having had red hair on and off for two years now, I can say it’s worth it, a lot of the time. It’s unusual, it suits me, it’s fun… but it’s also pretty high-maintenance. And at this point, especially since I’m growing my hair out, anyway, too high-maintenance for me to put up with.

Can’t wait to see what the Quant will look like when I have brown hair again though! I’m thinking a shade lighter than my original color, and I’m thinking it’ll go fabulous with everything I own! :D

Segment Hairband

Another ridiculously simple hairband I made when I wanted to wear a green sweater but didn’t have a matching hairband.

SEGMENT HAIRBAND

You need:

– scraps of some Bulky weight yarn – I used some Lana Grossa Due I had left over from a hat

– 2 6 mm (US 10) needles

– needle

Gauge: isn’t really important, but mine measures 3 cm / 1 1/4″ across

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CO8 RS: sl1, p1, k4, p1, k1 WS: sl1, k1, p2, k1, p1Rep 4 times. Then p RS, k WS.

Repeat from * until desired length (I did 8 repeats), bind off. Sew ends together.

Red Mesh Hairband

I love hairbands as a nice solution to spice up my short black hair when I don’t have the time to actually style it. Also, they’re a great stashbuster for all kinds of yarn – I’ve made hairbands from super chunky yarn as well as leftover sock yarn – and this Mesh Hairband is one of the latter category. It’s super simple, easy to remember, and almost instant gratification.

RED MESH HAIRBAND

You’ll need:

– some scraps of sock yarn – I used some red Lana Grossa Meilenweit I had left over from a pair of socks, and I barely noticed anything missing

– two 3.5 mm needles

– needle

Gauge: isn’t really important, since you’ll adjust the band to your head size individually. My hairband is about 5.5 cm (slightly more than 2″) across, stretched wide.

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CO 14. Starting with a k row, work 2 rows of stockinette stitch.

Row 1 (RS): sl1 Yo, k2tog; rep from to last st, k1

Rows 2 and 4: Purl.

Row 3: sl1 SKP, yo; rep from to last st, k1.

Rep rows 1-4 to desired length (try to wrap it around your head from time to time), 2 rows in Stst, bo. Sew ends together.

Be careful with the length – this is extremely stretchy!