Just Give it to Me Straight...

We don't have a diagnosis of obsessive/compulsive disorder in our family, but we do go through periods during which Boyo is completely hung up on an idea and can't seem to let it go.  We can have a discussion, itemizing reasons why what he wants is impractical and/or unreasonable, each of which he verbalizes understanding.  So the conversation is over, we think the subject is dropped, and everyone goes about his or her business.  For about five minutes.

Usually it isn't anything new, just a variation on a theme - video games are the most frequent topic.  It would be strange if Boyo asked for game time fewer than half a dozen times between coming home from school and bedtime.  This weekend, he definitely caught Dearest and I by surprise by being completely stuck on the idea of straightening his hair.

Does it bother us that he wants to do something like that?  No, in fact, we have no problem with the kids wanting to express their individuality through personal style. Boyo had his ears pierced when he was eight - we made him wait a whole year after he started asking, to make sure it wasn't a passing fancy - and wears a different style of earring in each ear.  He likes to have flashes of color in his hair - currently it's purple.  The only hard and fast, no-exceptions rule we have about clothing is that it has to fit properly and not show underclothes.

Carey, being the cool big sister that she is, took it in stride when her little brother came over to have his hair straightened and get styling tips.  Yes, she tells him the same things I do, but it gives me a break from the repetitive subject for a while.  Of course, since the subject came up, Girlie has to get in on this because she has much more experience, and even has her own hair straightener, which she graciously offered to let Boyo use.  The trouble is, hers is an old one that has large plates, and Boyo has pretty short hair.  He desperately needs to get one like Carey's...

Tune in next time - we'll see how long this phase lasts.  :-)

Basketweave stitch pattern in Paton's Kroy sock yarn 'Mulberry Stripes'

Sooner or later, most knitters will develop a preference for a particular brand or style of needle.  For many folks, the choice comes down to circular or straight needles.  I almost always use circular needles, even when I'm not knitting in the round, because circs are easier to use on the treadmill and I don't have to worry about dropping a needle.  I'll always have straight needles available, and I think they look great on display in a knitted pencil holder - a can with a sleeve knitted in any stitch pattern one cares to use.  The one shown here was knitted with left over sock yarn on my little 9" circular needles and was a great 'stashbuster' project.