Knit The Nite Away: 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 Trinkets

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.

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!