Pixie Pull-Backs

Our first sides-up style since her haircut!  I am giddy.  She got a lot of compliments on this one, and it lasted three days to boot!  (Probably could've done longer, but I wanted to wash her hair.)  For a quick overview of what you're looking at, this is four pull-backs (two on each side) with some latticework thrown in.  If you can see it in the picture, there is a one diamond of purple elastics and one of turquoise on each side.  The purple elastics lead to the front pull-back on each side, and the turquoise to the one in back.  The two diamonds overlap, since the front turquoise elastic is just in front of the purple pull-back.  See it?  A bit of an argyle pattern. 

To recreate this style, start with a part down the center of your style-wearer's head.  On each side, you're going to make four rows.  The front row will simply be gathered into a purple elastic.  (Or whatever color you want... I'm going to refer to them by the colors I used so you can follow along.)  The back row on each side will also only be one elastic, but don't do that yet!  The two middle rows will each be divided into three sections.  That's the general plan.  Here we go step by step...

I'll be working on the left side of her head to show you the process.  Above, you can see the first two rows.  Go ahead and tie the front "row" with that purple elastic.  Then part off the second row (the three triangles in the picture above).  Part out that middle triangle, and tie it off with a turquoise.  DON'T tie off the other two triangles with purples yet... at least, it will be easier on you if you wait.  I only did in the pic above to show the angles of the parting.  Now, divide the hair from the front purple, combining half with the section on the left of row 2 and half with the section on the right.  Both of those will, as said before, be purple elastics.  Go ahead and tie them off, like so...

Clip the little turquoise pony out of the way.  Next, part off the third row.  Below, I've tied the whole third row with a temporary hair band (white) to keep it out of the way while I twist and clip the rest of the hair at the back, to keep IT out of the way as I work on the third row (sorry for the blur)...

I did this for working on row 2 as well, just didn't show a picture of it.  Criss-crossing the alligator clips works quite nicely, and if you make sure to twist the hair once, you won't get hair falling out of the clips.  If your daughter/hair model has longer hair, you can secure the hair at the back with another temporary hair band, which works even better! 

Remove the temporary hair band, and divide the third row into three triangles, just like the second row.  Clip the hair for the middle triangle out of the way.  Then unclip the turquoise elastic from row 2.  Divide it in two, combining half with the triangle on the right, and half with the triangle on the left, both with turquoise elastics.  Then unclip the middle section.  Combining the two purples from row 2 with the middle triangle of row 3 with another purple elastic.  Tie this one off close to the scalp, so that it's nice and spout-y.

Finally--you're almost there!--part off the fourth "row."  Again, this will all be one section.  Tie it off together with the two turquoise elastic ponies from row 3, using another turquoise elastic.  (My row 4 ended up being more like a sliver of hair.) 

You're done!  Now do the same thing on the other side.  ;)

Here's the finished product...  I don't usually bribe for sitting for hairstyles, but this one took a while, especially as I was figuring it out, so Little Miss got a cinnamon roll for her trouble.  She did like the end result, though.  We thought she looked like a little pixie, with the springiness of the four pull-backs; hence the name of the style!

And for funsies... Can you guess which one of these doesn't belong?