Mary Margaret’s Lace Tam

First completed New Year knitting project!  😀

Once Upon A Time is one of those shows that when I first saw it, I thought “I’m going to watch that.”

And I never did.

Once the Doctor Who 50th anniversary and Christmas specials were over, I had nothing good to watch. Thank goodness for Netflix having seasons 1 and 2 available online.  I watched season 1 during my Christmas break.  One of the things I fell in love with was Mary Margaret’s wardrobe, especially her hats.  Many of them are knitted, so I jumped on Ravelry to find any patterns. Luckily, one of my favorite of her hats was available as a free pattern.

I used this pattern and Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in steel cut oats (I chose the color to match Mary Margaret’s but to also give me a versatile palate for my wardrobe).  It was a quick knit but took a while with the large number of stitches and small sized needles.

I was determined to finish this hat quickly so I could wear it this season, but in doing so I made my right shoulder a bit sore.  I get a bit enthusiastic with certain projects to the point that I physically injure myself; my shoulders and hips frequently protest against my creative endeavors.

Since the Ultra Alpaca Fine comes in a skein of 433 yards and I only needed 200 yards for the tam, I have plenty leftover for another hat for a Christmas present.  I am slowly loving working with alpaca blend yarns.  It runs through the fingers and needles so nicely and feels very warm but not itchy on.  I may be doing more projects in alpaca.

Katniss Cowl Take 2 + Accessories

Once I had finished my Katniss cowl, I wanted to make another one that was more screen accurate. Two of my friends on Tumblr had made one using herringbone stitch, which is closer to the original piece. I can’t make up patterns on my own, so I chose to knit the cowl designed by AnaidDesigns on Etsy.

Originally I was going to follow the pattern exactly, except I planned on wrapping the icords with extra yarn. However, once the cowl was complete I didn’t like how wide the collar was on me and how it bulged in the back. I spent two days and a lot of hours ripping out seams and redoing everything. Eventually I got it the way I wanted and that best replicated the original.

Here are screen shots of the original.

And here is the second cowl I knitted.

And the back.

I wanted to complete the outfit, so that meant a quiver, arrows, and a bow. I managed to find the NECA bow replica from the first movie still available at an online Halloween store. I didn’t need anything that I could shoot, just something that looked like I could.

I made the quiver following the instructions from this blog. I had to make stuff up as I went along but managed to make a decent looking quiver. The arrows were made on the fly from six 5/16″ dowels, an exacto knife, feathers, and paint. Again, I wasn’t looking for something that could shoot, just look it.

Now that everything is 100% complete, this cosplay is ready to wear this coming weekend to Ichiban Con.  I’ll be going with my favorite photographer, Sarah of Starrfall Photography, so there will likely be more photos later.

P.S. Please excuse the crappy iPhone photos.  I was in a bit of a hurry and haven’t charged my Canon camera batteries.

Happy New Year

Happy 2014 everyone!

2013 ended with me being lazy and productive at the same time.  I didn’t do any work related things and I didn’t do any traveling; while my mother/roommate went to visit my brother in New York, I stayed at home with the kitties and knitted to my heart’s content.  I completed a few projects and made headway on others.

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I’ve started to make a few. Since this blog is all about my sewing and crafting, I’m only going to discuss those resolutions.  My crafting resolution is simple: knit and sew more.  I have plans to knit all of my close friends winter accessories as Christmas presents.  I have already started, but since I don’t know who follows me here I am going to refrain from posting any specifics.  I decided to do this now since there are tons of patterns and things I want to knit, but I knit so much for myself I can’t use them all.  There are going to be a lot of hats, cowls, and gloves coming off my needles before December rolls around again.

I also plan to sew more. I have this affinity for skater and circle skirts lately so I am going to attempt to be making a number of those.

As for cosplay plans, here are the top 5 picks for the time being.

I have no plans for anything anime/manga/kpop related. All of my plans circle around my current obsessions: Doctor Who, Hunger Games, and Once Upon A Time. Three outfits on my list – Katniss hunting, Katniss training, and Clara – are done except for a few accessories (shoes and/or wig).  I’ve already started the mock up for Katniss’ parade dress, and have a decent pattern in mind for Snow White. Since there isn’t much to be done, I am likely to add to this list (tentatively, I am considering adding Katniss’ arena outfit from the first movie and a Mary Margaret outfit).

As for the knitting, the following items are on my list to complete by the end of 2014 (and yes, these are for myself):

–Dr. Watson’s Cabled Crew Neck Jumper
–Chuck
–Mereweather
–owls
–Effortless Cardigan
–Mary Margaret’s Lace Tam
–Mary Margaret Brioche Pullover
–Kalaloch

I said I wasn’t going to knit a lot for myself and now look what I did. In my defense, I have the yarn for three sweaters already, and the lace tam does not take long.

Can I make these resolutions?  Crossing my fingers that I can.

Catching Fire Katniss Hunting Outfit

When I first saw the promo shots for Catching Fire, I totally fell in love with Katniss’ hunting outfit. It’s her same outfit from Hunger Games, but I LOVED the cowl addition to it.

The cowl is really what made me want to do this outfit. I searched everywhere for a pattern for something similar. I didn’t want to buy a handmade piece since I am a knitter and can make it myself. It took a while but a free pattern popped up on Ravelry that I snapped up.  It was a great opportunity to use some leftover gray yarn from my Hermione sweater, plus find an excuse to purchase some alpaca yarn from my local yarn store.  The yarns I used was Takhi Jackson in gray (3 skeins), Berroco Ultra Alpaca in charcoal gray (2 skeins), Knit Picks Swish in marble heather (3 skeins), and Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool in oatmeal (1 skein).

The lovely Katharina Schnorr is the creator of this cowl and it is a beauty.  So easy to knit up, and so quick to.  I love the colors and it is so warm.  I wore it when I went to see the Catching Fire movie in theaters and when I went to pick up my brother from the airport at Thanksgiving.  I am in love with this piece and need to find more excuses to wear it.

Once the cowl was in the works, I set out to find the other pieces. It was tough going at first since the hunting jacket has a specific look. Mostly what I was looking for was a hip length brown leather jacket with bottom pockets that had flaps.  I wanted it to be a little boxy but slim fitting (oxymoron, I know) since Katniss wears her father’s jacket.  Most searches for “women’s brown leather jacket” turned up very fitted jackets. I eventually found from at Kohl’s that I liked, and it was on sale for half off (bonus!).  It isn’t an exact match and is a tad shorter and more fitted than I expected.  But it’s a beautiful jacket nonetheless.

Boots came from Modcloth and were a bit pricey, but they have great stuff – plus I was looking for tall brown boots to wear in the winter.  The boots had to be brown leather and lace up.  Modcloth had plenty of those but many pairs also have buckles and funny other things.

With my wide hips bootcuts or trouser cuts are best, but they weren’t going to work being stuffed into the boots with my already wide calves.  Skinny pants tend to make my hips look wider and give me a camel toe effect.  I was originally going to make the pants so I could avoid the camel toe effect so many other skinny jeans give me…until Eddie Bauer had a skinny version of their curvy jeans. They fit well, avoid the camel toe, and are the perfect gray color. Bonus!

I anticipate wearing this for Ichiban Con 2014 as well as for Halloween when it comes around again.  It works nicely for a cooler weather outfit with the jacket and the cowl.

Note: After I posted my cowl to Ravelry, I had a giant pouring in of requests to knit this cowl for other people. After a lot of debate and discussion with my mother and knitting group, I decided that I would be willing to knit this for others…under a few conditions.

First, payment for a cowl is $200 + shipping. Payment is due upfront, in full, and via PayPal only. This cowl is hand knit, stitch by stitch, and takes approximately 15 hours to complete. The yarn is high quality wool and alpaca. Nothing is done by machine. Shipping is dependent on weight, shipping speed, distance, and any confirmation. This is a fairly heavy cowl and I personally don’t like to ship anything slower or less secure than USPS Priority.

Second, turn around time is approximately 2 weeks. This takes into account any other projects I am working on, my career (most important), and shipping time. The cowl is not difficult but it takes time, and I have other things on my plate.

If you are still interested, you can leave a comment with your contact info so we can message the details.

Night Terrors Scarf Pattern

I have gotten a lot of request to post my pattern for Amy’s Night Terrors scarf. After cleaning it up, here it is.

The original Noa Noa scarf that the Doctor Who companion Amy Pond wears in the season six episode “Night Terrors” is near impossible to find. Rather than continue a fruitless search for such a simple item, I decided to knit this lovely myself. The pattern is so simple that a beginner knitter will be able to recreate it. The pattern is repetitive and makes for great knitting while watching TV.

The supplies listed are the ones that I used. Make sure to use the appropriate needle size for the yarn that you use. I prefer the weight of a sport or DK weight yarn, but this scarf can be made in a fingering or worsted weight as well. If you decide to use a different weight yarn, your yardage will change as well.

Supplies:
• US size 6 circular or straight needles
• Knit Picks Capra Cashmere in Caviar (1 skein)
• Knit Picks Capra Cashmere in Harbor (5 skeins)
• Knit Picks Capra Cashmere in Black (5 skeins)
• Stitch markers (optional)

Gauge:
Since this is a scarf, gauge isn’t necessary. It is recommended to obtain the gauge for your needle and yarn, but the ribbing will make this scarf quite stretchy.

Abbreviations:
CO: Cast on
K: knit
P: purl
BO: Bind off

Row 1: (k1p1) repeat 6 times, (k2p2) repeat 15 times, (k1p1) repeat 6 times

CO 84 stitches in Caviar, knit row 1 for 4 rows

Switch to Harbor, repeat row 1 for 12 rows
Switch to Black, repeat row 1 for 12 rows
• Repeat the above two color blocks one more time

Switch to Harbor and begin next two rows

Row 2: (k1p1) repeat 4 times, (p4k4) repeat 8 times, p4, (k1p1) repeat 4 times
Row 3: (k1p1) repeat 4 times, (k4p4) repeat 8 times, k4, (k1p1) repeat 4 times

Repeat rows 2 and 3, switching between Harbor and Black every 12 rows until desired length.

End in Harbor color.

Switch to Black, knit row 1 for 12 rows.
Switch to Harbor, knit row 1 for 12 rows.
• Repeat above two color blocks one more time

Switch to Caviar, knit row 1 for 4 rows. BO

Notes: Using Capra and size 6 needles makes a wide scarf (around 9 inches). If you are using a similar weight or heavier weight yarn and do not want your scarf as wide, decrease your cast on stitches to 76. Maintain the border stitches in rows 1-3, but decrease the “inside” stitches of row 1 to 13 repeats and the “inside” stitches of rows 2 and 3 to 7 repeats.

If you are using a lighter weight yarn, you can increase your cast on to 92 stitches. Maintain the border stitches; increase your “inside” stitches in row 1 to 17 repeats and the “inside” stitches of rows 2 and 3 to 9 repeats.

My scarf ended up being 6 feet since I like long scarves I can wind in different ways. How long you make your scarf will determine how much yarn you will need.

It is recommended that you bind off in a stretchy method to maintain the stretch and give of the ribbing. My preferred method is Jenny’s stretchy bind off.

No blocking is necessary. If you do not block, the edges will roll in on the scarf a bit. I   didn’t mind this, but if the roll bothers you then blocking will fix that.

Kuroshitsuji Elizabeth Cosplay

I confess: I haven’t actually worn this costume yet.  It’s finished and has been sitting on my cosplay rack for almost two years.  I was going to wear it but the wig I bought was three different colors.  I am either going to purchase a new wig (that comes in one piece and therefore one color) or borrow my friend Ali’s wig.

I’ve cosplayed from Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler before, but it was always as Ciel.  At some point I got tired of cosplaying males and decided to do more female costumes.  At first I didn’t like Elizabeth’s character but I loved her clothes.  This one stood out the most for me.

The original image I used made the dress look more teal so that was the color I went with.  I made this costume purely for the cuteness factor.  I love the frills and ruffles and all the little details.  The hat was so cute, and all the crown designs were pretty.  But I hate the fabric I used.  It was the perfect color and the perfect weight; it did really well on the screenprinting.  It drapes nicely and flows when I want it to.

It broke 4 needles.  FOUR.

Again, I don’t remember the patterns I used since I did a LOT of modifications. I think the end result came out really well.  It fits well but I haven’t really worn it around.

And the hat.

After all the work I put into this thing, I hope I get to wear it soon.  Maybe at Nashi Con 2014.

Hakuouki Okita Cosplay

Now that I am back from my last con of the season, it’s time to start working on new things.  But before I do that, I thought it was time to revisit some older costumes from before I started this blog.

This cosplay is back from 2011. At the time I was really into the otome game series Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan. Back then it wasn’t really well known so whenever I did cosplay from it all I ever heard was “cool costume” or got mistaken for a character from Peacemaker (which focuses on the same group of people, the Shinsengumi).

For those not in the know, “otome” is a type of Japanese dating game aimed at young women. You play the main character (which is usually a female and may be nameless and/or faceless) interact with your potential dating partners (anywhere between 4-12 different men with varying personalities).  Depending on your choices to specific questions, you can end up with the one of the dating partners…or none at all.

I had the opportunity to go to Anime Weekend Atlanta that year so I decided to cosplay Okita Souji, my favorite character from the game. The characters change from traditional Japanese period clothes to more Western military uniforms. I opted to do the uniform.

I can’t remember the exact patterns I used, but I modified most of them.  I had to add darts to the outer jacket to make it more fitted, and added the koi fish and peony flower design using screen printing. The arm guards were drafted and then sewn together although they fit a little funny.  Most of the fabric I used was left over from other projects since I tend to buy more than I actually use.

I have custom made prop swords but opted not to take them with me. It made the traveling less hectic since I was bringing another more involved competition cosplay. Also, they were expensive and I didn’t want the staff ruining them with their peace tying policy (which usually involved a zip tie haphazardly put on; I have had many friends have excellent props ruined this way).

I haven’t worn this cosplay since AWA but I still have all the pieces. I hope one day to wear it again when I actually have a recognizable group to go with.

Interesting story: I actually started working on this costume the year before.  I didn’t like any of the fabric I was using then; in fact, I accidentally burned one of the pieces on my iron and had to scrap the whole thing. I picked it up again only because of the stash fabric I had.

Amy’s Let’s Kill Hitler Cosplay

Once I got the Dr. Martens Triumph 1914 boots and decided to cosplay Amy Pond, naturally I set out to find other outfits I could do. Since I also bought the Palladium boots she wears in a Good Man Goes to War, I do plan on cosplaying her white “prisoner” outfit. But I also wanted something more colorful.

Since the outfit Amy wears in Let’s Kill Hitler includes the same boots as the Night Terrors outfit, of course I chose to do that outfit as well.

Most of this outfit is bought since they are very generic items. I bought the mustard colored tights from Modcloth and the jacket from Target.

The skirt…oh the skirt.  I looked EVERYWHERE for the skirt, even found the screen accurate one on eBay.  The problems with all of the skirts were 1) too short and 2) they would fit my wide hips but gap at my narrower waist (I am a classic pear shape). I thought about turning one of my old jeans into a skirt but they had faded over time and I didn’t want to bother dying them. So instead I bought a slim fitting pair of Levi Denizen jeans from Target and modified those into a skirt instead.

The only thing I don’t like about this modified skirt is that is gaps in the back hem.  The end of it just “pooches” out and it looks kind of funny.  I think this frequently happens when you convert pants to a skirt.  I’ll have to watch out for that pooch during photos…and keep looking for a more appropriate skirt.

I was originally going to sew up a lace version of the Topshop handkerchief crop top until a cosplayer on a DW cosplay forum decided to sell hers. At first I wasn’t going to buy it since it was a bit pricey, but then another cosplayer was selling hers for far more. I didn’t think I would get another opportunity to get a decent deal so I ended up getting the first one.

Since I am arriving to Banzai Con on Friday afternoon, I plan to quickly change into this outfit and save Night Terrors on Saturday.  The great thing about both outfits is they are easy to walk in and easy to play photographer in.

Daenerys Photoshoot

At the end of September, my fantastic photographer friend, Sarah of Starrfall Photography, and I did a photoshoot of my Daenerys season 3 dress.  We were doing the shoot in an effort to enter a 50mm lens photography contest.  We made it to the final voting round and are hoping to win.  We’ll see if we do.  🙂

The shoot was done locally in a field across from a church; later we moved locations to another area just before sunset. We chose the area and the time for the openness and for the availability of natural sunlight.  The results of the shoot and Sarah’s editing blow my mind every time I see them.

The shoot was full of bugs, spiders, and threatening weather (which thankfully never occurred), but was extremely fun. We did a lot of tromping through really tall grass, weeds, thorns, and who knows what else.  Location photoshoots are always an adventure since you never know what is going to happen.

I love working with Sarah.  Not only do I get awesome photos I otherwise would never get, I learn quite a lot from her on how to operate a camera. She has more experience than I do and it’s great to get perspective from an actual person and not just booklets, CDs, and audio feedback.  We have another location and concept photoshoot coming soon so expect pictures of those towards the end of November.

I cannot wait for future photoshoots, but I also cannot wait to wear Daenerys again.  Unfortunately this is more of a warm weather outfit with the lack of sleeves and open back. It’s going to have to sit in the closet until Animazement in May but I can’t wait for it.  🙂

The above photo is the one Sarah entered into the contest.  We were so excited to make it to the final voting stage.  We hope to win, which I think would be wonderful (more so for Sarah than for myself).  We’ll just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best.  😀

 

Amy’s Night Terrors Cosplay

Of the Doctor Who companions, Clara is my favorite. But I do love Amy Pond as well. I actually didn’t like Amy at first because it was just her and the Doctor; I much prefer the dynamic of Amy and Rory together since they compliment each other so well.

Recently while looking for some new boots, I happened across two of Amy’s screen accurate boots still available on Amazon in my size. I snapped them both up since 1) I have always wanted a pair of Dr. Martens, 2) Amy wears flat shoes, and 3) together they cost less than Clara’s Christmas special boots. Well, once I bought them the next logical step was to cosplay Amy. I have reservations about doing so since Karen Gillan is a redhead and Scottish and I am obviously…not. But I have always encouraged cosplayers of any race and origin so I thought why not.

Two of Amy’s outfits that I really like and stood out are her Night Terrors outfit and the one she wears in Let’s Kill Hitler. Luckily they are also the two in which she wears the Dr. Martens. I decided to start with the Night Terrors outfit since I really liked the dress she wore in it.

The boots are the screen accurate Dr. Martens Triumph 1914 in black. They are a tad long on my foot, but the width is perfect. Since they lace up so high and can accommodate thick socks I didn’t want to run the risk of returning them and ordering a smaller size.

I managed to get the screen accurate Noa Noa wool dress from a fellow DW cosplayer in Austria who was selling hers. I spent a pretty penny on it but it was new and unworn, and making it would have cost me nearly the same amount in labor time. I may still attempt to sew my own version just so that I have a warmer weather version as well. The dress is a size small; it fits me perfectly in my slightly broad shoulders, a little larger at my narrower waist, and hits above my knees. I’m a good deal shorter than Karen Gillan and had contemplated hemming it to the appropriate length, but that length is much shorter than even my shortest skirts and dresses. I decided I’m going to have to go for inaccuracy and leave the dress as is.

I’m still learning the functions of my camera so the damask like pattern on the dress doesn’t show up very well.

The jacket is an Oasis biker jacket I got on eBay for a decent price. It’s not screen accurate but it’s a very close style. It is also in black since the gray version of the specific jacket I bought was more silvery than dark gray.

The tights are Merona tights in dark grape/violet and were purchased at Target. To make the tank top underneath, I took a white Merona tank top I already owned and dyed it to a more dusty lavender color. I used to own a top in the color needed but I wore it so often I tossed it long before.

The scarf was knit using Capra Cashmere yarn in Caviar, Black, and Harbor. It was a simple rib pattern but it took me forever to figure out how many stitches to cast on.  The rib pattern changes at the beginning and end; it took some time and a lot of questions to another knitter to figure out the correct stitch count for a k2p2 that changes to a k4p4 with a k1p1 edge all the way.

I also have rings in rose gold plate that I purchased for dirt cheap on Amazon. The only items I will not have for this first wear is Amy’s A initial necklace and watch.  I have alts on Etsy I plan to buy but ran out of funds before the con.  Next wear I will have them.

I will be wearing this to Banzai Con in Columbia, SC this coming weekend. Hopefully I’ll have better pictures taken by my more experienced photographer friends.