Thursday, March 13, 2014

Pin-Up Curls How-to!

Last winter I just got sick of my hair not curling correctly, so I was searching up dozens of hairstyles that I could try so I could hide my wimpy hair. Finally, I saw a tutorial on how to make your hair as darling as Shirley Temple's! (RIP) I immediately thought, "This is another tutorial on how to use a curling iron that will singe my delicate hair," but there ended up being NO heat in the process. The only things she used for this beautiful hairstyle were bobby pins and a good night sleep. Too good to be true? Not so! There really is a genuine hairstyle that will give you curling iron results that will last all day! Here's what mine look like:
The best part about this hairstyle is that no two curls are exactly alike. Now, here's what you'll need:

- A whole bunch of bobby pins. I use around 25-35 bobby pins. The amount you use solely depends on how many curls you want and how tight or loose you want them to be.
- Hairspray. You want something with a firm hold, but you don't need your hair to be a brick either. You will use this after you take the bobby pins out in the morning.
- Beyond The Zone Noodle Head curling cream (Or any hair product that works best for you). The purpose of this product is to lower the amount of frizz you may have.

Step 1: Take a shower. Your hair needs to be wet or else this hairstyle will not work out! No special shower treatment is needed for this hairstyle. Do your normal routine.

Step 2: Apply your favorite hair products. If you never style your hair and don't know what to buy, go to your local RiteAid or Wallgreen's (or Walmart, or Shop 'n Save, you get the point) and search for hair products that say 'Anti-Frizz'. You don't need to buy the most expensive product either.

Step 3: Pin up your curls! This part will need some explaining. The way I do it is I first take a lock of hair (maybe a half a pencil thickness...?). I wrap the hair around two of my fingers, then pin it flat to my head. Kind of the same situation the 'winding a bobbin' motion (sewing terms). Make sure that the bobby pin is placed across the entire curl so that it stays in place.

I am not going to lie to you. These. curls. take. practice!!! You may get frustrated, but please keep going! It really is worth it (as you can see). Eventually, you will feel like a ninja because you can pin the curls on the back of your head without looking. Boss!

Step 4: Sleep it off. If your hair dries in no time then you're all set. For people with hair like my sister's which never dries and can barely be styled, I believe that this will work for you too. You'll just  need more hairspray to keep the curls in their prime after you take the pins out. I forgot to mention, this works for nearly every hair length, it's just a lot more dramatic with longer hair. (Because there's more hair. You got me?)

Step 5: Take out the pins and admire your work! After all that pinning and sleeping, you now get to finally witness the fruits of your labors!

Step 6: Using your fingers, gently comb your curls for a more natural look. Sometimes these curls can look a little harsh (as in SUPER curly and unnatural), so use your fingers and gently comb them out. Or, use the more enjoyable technique: Whip your hair back and forth!

Step 7: Use your hairspray to keep those curls in place.

Now, go out into the world and rock your hair like there's nothing to it!

Here are some problems that I had to troubleshoot:

1. Some of my curls are looser than others, and others are very tight.
Solution: Unless your fingers like to change sizes on you, this problem will be solved with practice.

2. My hair is still wet when I wake up and I need to go! What do I do?
Solution: This is when you can take out your hairdryer. Turn on a warm setting to dry the curls while they're still pinned to your head.

3. The bobby pins are not holding my curls in place.
Solution: In my case, when I used too much of my hair product it made my hair more slippery, believe it or not. Another solution is that you've probably twisted a lock of hair that was too thick, and your bobby pin won't hold it in place. It will take more time, but take your time and make the curls as small as they need to be, depending on your hair thickness. Or you could buy jumbo bobby pins, but I don't know where to get any.

If you think you have the best brand of bobby pins or the best hair products for this hairstyle, please comment below and let other girls know what's best for their hair. Thanks, and happy styling!

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***This is meant to be an overnight hairstyle! I cannot give you a style that takes less time than a good night's sleep. Maybe you could blow-dry the curls for a while, but heat isn't that great for your hair, so I wouldn't recommend it.

***Because I'm a perfectionist, it took me 45 minutes to pin the curls to my head. The next time I tried it took me about half an hour. If you love loose curls and only place 10-15 on your head I can't imagine it would take you more than 10 minutes.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Crochet 'Lamby Hat' Pattern

I don't know if I have mentioned already, but crocheting is kind of my thing. Okay, I'll stop lying. I love it! I'm nearly obsessed! And because I'm obsessed, I've tried to create some of my own patterns instead of finding other people's crochet patterns online. So here's the story of this pattern:

It was a week or two before Christmas, and I was watching a short clip about christmas when I saw it: a family was reenacting a Nativity, and the little girl was wearing the most adorable sheep or lamb hat (whichever you prefer). It was one of those hats that made you say, "I need that child, or her hat." So, here I am to provide you with the pattern, 'cause I can't kidnap the kid for you (hehe).

So, let us begin!

Lamby Hat Pattern (Child size)



Materials needed:
1 skein of white worsted weight yarn (specifically the Pound of Love in White by Lion Brand Yarns)
1 skein of coffee worsted weight yarn (specifically Red Heart Super Saver in Coffee)
1 skein of pink worsted weight yarn (specifically I Love This Yarn brand in Soft Pink. This yarn can
be purchased at Hobby Lobby or on their website)
8.00 mm crochet hook
5.50 mm crochet hook
Large yarn needle (for sewing the ears to the hat)

Difficulty:
Beginner - Easy

Abbreviations:
rnd - round
st - stitch
sl st - slip stitch
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
lpst - loop stitch
sp - space
dec - decrease

Stitches Used:
single crochet
slip stitch
loop stitch
single crochet 2 together/decrease

Notes:
- If you want this hat to be a larger size keep continuing the increase rounds until desired size.
- On that note, after increasing to desired size, the hat will still increase is size for the next 2 or 3 rounds, so make sure that you crochet less increase rounds than you think you should so your hat doesn't end up too big. (I hope that makes sense...)
- If you use other brands of yarn than the ones I have suggested, I will kill you. Kidding! Use whatever brands you want, just make sure they're all worsted weight.

*Watch this video if you're not sure what a loop stitch is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAg1ygQb97s

Pattern

Body:
With size 8.00 mm hook and white yarn, start hat by chaining 2.
Rnd 1: Crochet 6 sc into second chain from hook. Join with sl st in first sc. (6 sc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, 2 lpst in same st, 2 lpst in each st around. Join with sl st in first st. (12 lpsts)
Rnd 3: Ch 1, 2 lpst in same st, *1 lpst in next st, 2 lpst in next st* around, 1 lpst in last st. Join with sl st in first st. (18 lpsts)
Rnd 4: Ch 1, 2 lpst in same st, *1 lpst in next 2 sts, 2 lpst in next st* around, 1 lpst in last 2 sts. Join with sl st in first st. (24 lpsts)
Rnd 5: Ch 1, 2 lpst in same st, *1 lpst in next 3 sts, 2 lpst in next st* around, 1 lpst in last 3 sts. Join with sl st in first st. (32 lpsts)
Rnd 6: Ch 1, 2 lpst in same st, *1 lpst in next 4 sts, 2 lpst in next st* around, 1 lpst in last 4 sts. Join with sl st in first sc. (40 lpsts)
Rnd 7: Ch 1, 2 lpst in same st, *1 lpst in nest 5 sts, 2 lpst in next st* around, 1 lpst in last 5 sts. Join with sl st in first sc. (48 lpsts)
Rnd 8: Ch 1, 1 lpst in same st, 1 lpst in each st around.
Rnds 9 - 18: repeat Rnd 8.

Brim:
Rnd 19: Switch to coffee yarn.

Here's the funky part: It turns out that your hat has been made inside out! Well, if you were to make another kind of hat you would turn it inside out to show the right side of the stitches. But, the loops you've crocheted were made on the wrong side of your hat. Don't turn it inside out! Obviously you want those loops to show, so don't let it bother you.

If I haven't scrabbled up your brain yet, then here's the kicker: when you switch to the chocolate yarn for the brim start working in the opposite direction. Why? Because there's a right and a wrong side to crochet stitches. Your hat was made inside out, but we need the right side of the brim to show. I guess the best way I can say it is:

Rnd 19 (cont.): When you finish with Rnd 18 you will be looking at the inside of your hat. Make a
180 degree turn so that the loops are facing you. Ch 1, sc in each st around, working to the left. Join with sl st in first sc.
Rnd 20: Ch 1, sc in each st around, join with sl st in first sc.
Rnd 21: Repeat Rnd 20. Fasten off.

Ears:
Make 2.
With size 5.50 mm hook and pink yarn, ch 11.
Row 1: sc into second ch from hook, sc in next 9 sc. Ch1, then continue to sc on the opposite side of the chs. (20 sc, 1 ch 1 space) Ch 1, turn.
Row 2: Sc in next 9 sc, 2 sc in next st, sc in ch sp, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 9 sts.
Row 3: Sc in each sc across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 4: Switch to white yarn. Sc in next 10 sc, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 10 sts. Ch 1, turn.
Row 5: Ch 9, sl st into first sc on opposite corner. (You are starting the other half of the ear) Ch 1, turn.
Row 6: Sc in same ch, sc in each ch across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 7: Sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Rows 8 - 11: Repeat row 7.
Row 12: Sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog. Ch 1, turn.
Row 13: Sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 14: Sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog. Ch 1, turn.
Row 15: Sc in each st across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 16: Sc2tog, sc in next st, sc2tog. Fasten off and leave a very long tail. (about 18-20 inches)

Sew the two connected halves of the ears together using your yarn needle. After all the edges are sewn, sew the two corners together. Keep the long tail so you can sew it to the hat.

Assembly:
The simplest way to attach the ears to the hat is to lay the hat flat on a surface, place the ears where you want them to be, then pin them in place so they don't flop everywhere. Sew them on, making sure to overlap the stitches (in sewing we call it backstitching) a few times so that the ear is solidly in place. Fasten off and weave in the ends, and voila!


Use these adorable hats for a nativity, or let your little girl wear it like a champion! Or make one for yourself! (Why wouldn't you!?)

Enjoy!! If a part of this pattern isn't clear or you have a question please feel free to leave a comment. I would love it if you would use this hat for personal purposes and please not sell it if you have a shop. I don't want to be that way, but I would love for this pattern to remain mine. Thank you sooooooo much and happy crocheting!


Here are the links to the materials I used if you don't have them at home:

Pound of Love in White: http://www.lionbrand.com/yarns/pound.htm
Pink yarn: http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/soft-pink-i-love-this-yarn-solid-yarn-248757/
Coffee yarn: PageID=62&CategoryID=4&ProductID=1969&RootCatCode=01000
Crochet Hooks: PageID=62&CategoryID=42&ProductID=2079&PPG=1&RootCatCode=03000
Yarn Needles: PageID=62&CategoryID=123&ProductID=2770&ItemID=4112&RootCatCode=04000