new and not sure what to do.
Dreading Methods
Thanks for posting this, I'm almost in the same boat as you and the information that other people have given you is useful to me 
Forum Activity for @australe
Washing Natty Dreadlocks And Tips For Beginner
Dreading Methods
I'm going to agree with SE on this one...
Why do you think a tam would look strange on you right now? I think your hair needs room to move around and putting pressure on it flat against your head doesn't seem like its going to help your hair knot up... No one is going to know you don't have dreads under a tam
Washing Natty Dreadlocks And Tips For Beginner
Dreading Methods
I'm a good one for liking to experiment and see what happens... the good thing is worst case you can just frogg your project and start over... Try finding some merchandised cotton instead of regular cotton, its got a nice smooth texture and is MUCH easier to work with than regular cotton yarn...
I've got 3 skeins of an awesome wool blend that I've had for two years and haven't figured out what to do with it, I'll be making myself a winter tam out of it now that I have a purpose Its black, silvery gray, and teal
Ixchel said:
ah yes you are the smart one, i normally don't like to stray from patterns but thinner yarn/larger needles sounds like just the solution i need to try
I hate knitting with cotton but I do think i should try a tam out of it, all mine are acrylic or wool & the wool does get warm sometimes & i just don't like most acrylics. Now all i need is the time to sit & try it
Washing Natty Dreadlocks And Tips For Beginner
Dreading Methods
So far its coming together really well... while my husband was T&Ring some of my hair in the back today I took advantage of the time and started crocheting it... Something else you could try going would be to fine a thinner yarn and still use larger needles, you'll get a looser knit that way. I'm using Merchandised Cotton for this tam, its pretty thin but still using a size hook that I would normally use for worsted weight yarn, it's crocheting up pretty loose so it'll be great for warmer weather, which is mostly what we have here in Delaware... and using cotton vs wool for a warmer weather tam will make it easier to wash when it gets builtup sweat
Ixchel said:
i'm still a pretty slow knitter, i was self taught & i think i hold my yarn differently than most ppl & it slows me down some. I could do more lacy knitting & it would be more open & light but lace is scary & i'm not that great at it either lol. (guess practicing it might help...)
can't wait to see photos that sounds so awesome!
Washing Natty Dreadlocks And Tips For Beginner
Dreading Methods
I think it depends on how fast you are at knitting... and your probly right about crochet being more open than knitting... I just came up with an idea this morning for an AWESOME spring/summer tam for myself, I can't wait to get started on it! I'm actually going to use a doily pattern for the center part. Its going to be a silvery gray star and I'm going to fill the spaces between the star points in with the main color which is a mix of dark blues greens and charcoal... Once I get it done I'll be sure to put pics on here of it!
Ixchel said:
i do have a knit slouch, it just seems the crochet ones can be more "holey" so might be better for summer & i hear crochet comes together quicker?
Washing Natty Dreadlocks And Tips For Beginner
Dreading Methods
To be honest with you I don't know why you couldn't knit a tam... see if they have patterns on there for one... I just said crochet because thats all I know how to do, knitting tends to be more stretchy and smoother...
Ixchel said:
thanks, i use ravelry a lot. I just seem to have trouble figuring out crochet stitches (i'm a knitter). I'll check out about.com i've only been trying youtube so far & a lot of the videos for what i was trying to figure out were crap quality & not showing the stitches very well so it was hard to see what they were doing.
thx again
Washing Natty Dreadlocks And Tips For Beginner
Dreading Methods
I've been crocheting for a few years, I found a free pattern on ravelry.com
One of my best resources for learning to crochet is about.com and youtube.com
Ixchel said:
did you already learn to crochet or did you do it specifically for tams? (if the second one what tam did you learn with? I can knit but my crochet is very poor & the only project I completed was unusable lol)
Australe said:You could always learn to crochet and make yourself a tam with wool yarn, thats what I did for my hubby. It is really simple to learn how to do it!
Washing Natty Dreadlocks And Tips For Beginner
Dreading Methods
You could always learn to crochet and make yourself a tam with wool yarn, thats what I did for my hubby. It is really simple to learn how to do it!
dread extensions
Dread Accessories
Just a thought... but you should google wool dreads, you can find directions how to make pretty colorful dreads that you can add into your hair for some color and length
Here starts the journey! Mums with dreads.....
Dreads in the Family
My grandparents saw mine for the first time. My dreads are a little over a month into them now, gram just kinda wrinkled her nose a little and said they looked dirty. Of course she also said some other pretty classically lame comments to me about babywearing and breastfeeding too. I take her with a handful of salt most the time and still love her anyway The rest of my family was fine with it, if they thought anything they kept it to themselves. I like them and thats what counts anyway!
Its amazing how it feels to finally be able to let go of having to worry about taming this crazy freaking hair I was born with everyday! And I can't believe the progress I've been having in just over a month
Kaytee Elizabeth said:
i couldnt agree more!! =) i havent had anyone disapprove yet, but Im getting together with my gma and aunts this weekend, so we will see!