Saturday, October 31, 2015

Steampunk, a series of torture devices?



It is now October 31st and I can't believe tomorrow is already November.  It feels like it finally, it's actually chilly and I might have to drag my feeble plants in tonight.  I also need to sauce, butter, bake, or otherwise mutilate the fruits of our apple picking labors last weekend before the bag runs amuck. I've been grossly preoccupied with my Halloween costume this month and while I look hella awesome, my house is in dire straights and in need of some domestication.

This year for Halloween I went steampunk. I get one of two reactions - awesome or WHAT is that?!?!? 

Dr. Livingston, I presume?


Steampunk is a fantasy genre in a Victorian world where electricity and industrialization haven't quite taken hold and machines operate on steam and clockworks, explorers battle over air and sea in airships and great galleons over discoveries, and inventors gleefully violate humanity with their inane creations. It's kind of like Pirates of the Caribbean meets Indiana Jones meets Studio Ghibli.  To be steampunk you need corsets, metal, goggles, leather, boots, and a gun to defend your person and property. The devil is in the detail!

Steampunk accessories
Steampunk Trinkets




Neck Corset
You Shall Not Pass!
I made most of the accessories for my costume and purchased the garments. I was inspired by a few films and fell in love with the knitting world of Needles and Artifice.  I made the Master and Commander cap to add a pop of color to my black and brown theme and was able to incorporate some beaded fingerless gloves I made a few years back.   It turns out my costume was a series of torture devices with 4" heels that I could stab a man through the heart with, a corset that kept me from indulging in Halloween sweets and a neck corset of my own design that made, well, everything awkward.

Goggles from Verillas
Occuli and apertures

I did get my feet wet in leather work though and tapped into my jewelry skills on the neck corset, watch fob and wrist cuffs. I can now rivet, eyelet, and mold leather. I did snaps but I would not count those as a "can do" yet.  My biggest takeaways?  Keep the rawhide mallet away from the dogs and set 30 minutes aside to use the restroom while in costume!

Steampunk wrist cuffs
For Personal Edification

Check out these businesses if you're putting together steampunk, goth, larp, or otherwise funky gear!

Yandy - corset
Hips and Curves - peasant top
Springfield Leather - neck and cuffs hardware
Hardware Elf - neck hardware
Hades Footware - boots
Dark Knight Armory - belt, clips and belt bottle
Moonhoar - gun holster
Verillas - goggles



Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Fall, Ad infinitum?



It's been a minute since I posted.  Why, might you ask?  Well, as I mentioned in my last post, I had to travel for work.  Let's just say it involved about 1569 miles, 1 bloodmoon, 1 new car starter, 1 repaired tire, 1 sick child, a week out of town for work immediately followed by a weekend out of town for a family visit, and to top it all off with a toy surprise, a vet checkup that ended with bladder infection meds and xrays for 1 of my dogs.  Due to the chaos I did not get to my yarn stops I had planned and I was just happy to be here when it was all said and done.

And speaking of happy, it is fall!  Well, officially, according to the calendar.  According to the weather apparently I live in FL for 12 hours of the day and Chicago for the other 12.  We call it St Louis, a magical land of confusion and mysticism.  I have, however, had the air off for at least two weeks, nevermind the fact the house gets down into the sixties at night and in the mid 70s during the day.  We're not here during the day, it's fine, really.

In celebration of fall and all things foliage, I present this month's knitting design Leaf River.




Leaf River metallic knit scarf
Leaf River a la Patons Metallic
The idea was sparked by seeing many a leaf motif knitted in one direction and wanting a pattern where the leaves flowed in both directions and went endlessly on.  To many, fall signifies the end of summer and vacations.  For me, it is the beginning of crispy outdoor walks and hot chocolate oatmeal mornings and a new buzz of activity around the school year and holidays.  I wanted my design to be ad infinitum knittable and entirely up to the knitter when it would end, or begin.  To me, nothing ever really ends, it just changes.  The pattern can be knit in any weight yarn, as long or as short as you want it to be, pieced together with other knitted "scarves" to create blankets or wall hangings,  I can't wait to see how others use this pattern!  Enjoy!