Fleeced - "A Day of Beauty"

It was my sister who introduced me to the concept of a "Day of Beauty". This would be a day when some out-of-the-ordinary improvement is made upon an aspect of one's physical appearance (or at least that is how I understand it is supposed to be...in theory... )

This weekend I thought I might try out one of 'em thar Days of Beauty for my own dang self. Like so many things I do it would have been better left to the imagination.

Ever look in the mirror and say, "Girl, you need somebody else to take over the command station," or "Wow! There really isn't anybody at the helm at all is there?" That's become my mantra. I give you my new bangs. (For emphasis of perspective I've super-imposed graph lines.)

No, I did not cut them myself. You will note that the right quadrant is decidedly shorter than the left when viewing the picture straight on. If we were playing Battle Ship I would be speaking of quadrant F-3. I did leave a tip for the stylist because it is partially my fault. I'm the one who said I wanted a change and I'm the one who said I wanted a low-maintenance hairdo. The stylist (who, incidentally has beautiful hair) suggested "we" go short. She said this in response to my inquiry as to what would be the best hair cut for "somebody like me". I thought she meant a short style would make my face look more feminine or younger, you know, something flattering. I told her to, "go for it". (Ah yes, "Go For It". In retrospect that's more of a phrase men might bellow when breaking huddle at a football game as opposed to something a lady sings when enjoying her special, special Day of Beauty.)I'm also the fool who said, "Do my bangs look a bit uneven?" This question triggered a flurry of additional activity in quadrants B through F-4. I am a quick learner though. When she said, "How's that?" I replied, "Perfect". (All around it was a day for misusing words.)

When it was all over, my glasses were back in place and I was holding the hand mirror she gave me so I could review my situation from all angles. I asked her why it was that "we" went so short, why was this the best hair cut for me? She replied, "You said you were low-maintenance. The less hair you have the less hair you need to maintain." Who can argue with that logic? By then I was too busy shaking with laughter anyway. (Thankfully my hair grows rather slowly. I've got a good 3 weeks of hearty laughs ahead of me.)

I learned a lot from my day of beauty: First off, I've matured a bit since 6th grade when a hair cut such as this would have had me crying instead of laughing. Secondly, I've matured as a hand spinner as well. When I first started spinning my own yarn it would have bothered me to watch all that hair get swept into a dust pan and thrown away. (Back then I tried to spin anything from dryer lint to medicine bottle cotton.) When it comes to fibers I'm decidedly more selective now.

Which brings us full circle. This is, after all a web log of textile adventures. I've finished dying the 15 lbs of soft, white wool. The dye lab is now dismantled for the season and I have a lovely supply of fibers to utilize in the months ahead:

The above picture shows my efforts of the past few weeks. I'd like to close this long post with a special comment about my craft. I work primarily in wool. No animals are ever harmed as a result of my need for wool. I use fleeces from healthy, well-cared-for sheep. Having just been fleeced myself I know that this is not a painful experience (physically).