Lavish Cape done

 Here it is on Rylie who sadly isn't that much smaller than me anymore. I mean she is a string bean but she's sure catching me in height. 

It's hard to see in photos but I had what I believe was a genius idea. The pattern called for changing to a yarn that was identical but had glitter in it when you got to the part where the open weave is starting and leaves are ending. I couldn't find a yarn I liked with glitter, in green, and new yarn that fit the bill for matching skeins cost $100. I started it in cheap yarn because I wasn't that sure of my skills. However, it was turning out better than I expected so I hated to waste my effort. So we braved the tornado weather last week (we were in Chicago) and walked to a knit shop. I originally was going to try and find a similar yarn with glitter to switch to but nothing would work. And I found this beautiful yarn for my NEXT cape from this book. So I left without a solution. 

Then it came to me!

Metallic thread. Why not carry a strand (or two would have been even cooler) of metallic thread to just add some glitz and make my own glitter version of the yarn. So I did and it worked great! 

Toronados sweeping through Central Illinois while we dodged torrential rain to go to Knitting Shop!

Pat needed to walk briskly for 30 minutes so I suggested we walk to a knit shop I wanted to visit here in Chicago. (We're in Chicago for weekend, we're up here at least monthly) I don't believe we have cute little knit shops in Peoria with fancy shmancy yarn so I wanted to check this place out.

I bought four skeins or really 2 skeins and 2 hanks to be exact and wow I spent $100 basically. But online some yarn I wanted would have cost me that for just 2 skeins so could be worse.

Alpaca with a twist-Baby Twist

Berroco-Flicker

Rowan-Cocoon

The top one Pat picked out himself after he said "Hey you can make me a scarf for Christmas!" One down just three to go. Joe wants socks but I haven't picked up that yarn yet. And Rylie I bought some yarn to make something but of course the kids will probably want more than just knit goods for Christmas. But I do prefer gifts that are made to those bought in stores. No idea how long it'll take me to knit all of this. I need to finish this green cape I started that is a little over half done so I can work on the Christmas stuff. I could stop it and pick it up again but I'm on a roll with it and I'm afraid to not finish it. Plus I had an amazing idea today. This cape comes from a book that is designed to use ArtYarns. When I saw this book at JoAnn's I certainly didn't realize a couple things:
1. How incredibly beautiful some yarn is now days.
2. How outrageously expensive yarn is now days!
3. How hard to find some of this yarn is except on the internet.
I don't know about you but I kind of like to see the yarn before I spend $96 on 2 skeins. So I couldn't commit to buying the yarn for the cape in the book I liked that led to me starting knitting again. I also wasn't sure of my skills so I bought cheap yarn.

One+One Scarves, Shawls & Shrugs

Bait and switch! Here's the yarn they used.

ArtYarns Silk Mohair Rhapsody in Leaf Green and Leaf Green with Silver Glitter (glitter on the left)

The glitter is every so faint, you can't even tell in the picture in the book the two different yarns or how the transition to the glittered yarn adds to the peice. Yet the OCD in me can't let go of having some glitter in my capelet. So today while riding the bus I had this great idea! I could get a silver thread and twist it or just knit it along with my plain old yarn as I go when I get to that part. It would add just a touch of glitter (or more than a touch) but then all my yarn would match like theirs. If this works I could be on to something!

Sisters Art Studio

Picked up yarn for Pat's Christmas present and some really cool yarn for another capelet. Staff was very helpful. (@ Sister ARTS Studio) http://4sq.com/IagmRp

Want to learn to sew?

I'm excited that I haven't forgot how to sew. I also just realized yesterday I don't have to go to fabric store and pour over the pattern books anymore it's all online! Duh! Technology has blessed sewing the same as everything else. Then I wondered if you could buy patterns online and print out and what do you know you can. Or at least you can on the Butterick site. But I think the tissue paper patterns are probably a lot easier to work with then taping all that computer paper together....

But I also stumbled on to these great videos that went step by step on how to read a pattern and thought wow that's amazing for someone who doesn't know how to sew. So here's the link.

http://butterick.mccall.com/b5879-products-44957.php?page_id=155

So I was looking at Butterick dress patterns and looked at B5879 and saw hey they are now modifiable for your bust size. They didn't have that 20 years ago but then luckily I was a B cup. Well 20 years later and one baby I'm now a D cup so I hadn't even thought about that. I was luck the outfit I made had a poofy blouse. But come to think of it the corset did kind of run into trouble in that area hmmmm so I'll have to make some patterns for the D crowd and pick up how to alter ones that don't have the adjustment.

Working on my outfit with my hair styled for Halloween (the dry run).

Rylie must have snapped this and I didn't even know it.

Actually I liked my hair better the first time. Second time it was a little too much. And I look pretty tired. My mom ended up in the hospital the weekend before so even though I worked so hard to NOT procrastinate and do it all in the end, I ended up working 3 nights in a row until midnight or after to finish it. I guess it's not procrastination if you start early and it takes a long time and events happen to derail you. So yay for me! Vyvanse it a miracle drug. In the past I would have made huge mistakes due to not following the directions and that never happened, I only had to do things again because I changed my mind about certain things. I found this striped fabric in our storage unit that yes would be 20 years old and was in perfect condition along with 5 yards of linen that didn't fair so well and pseudo leather that looked a little worn as well. It was exactly what I had been looking for the contrast on the skirt and couldn't find so I changed to that instead of what I bought. I hadn't cut out the other yet luckily but I had cut out the lining for the corset and I didn't like it. It was too thin. So I used the contrast I bought for the skirt as a lining instead. And I did have to do it twice. The first time I sewed it with 5/8" seam allowance and realized oops it was the one set of seams that was supposed to be 3/8". Luckily I had so much of it I just cut it out again. But I almost ran out of interfacing. Since I was using fusible I just had some peices fused with hodgepodging of the interfacing.

So I planned on much more detail on the corset but as I said above I didn't exactly like the fit and I didn't have time to purchase good boning. I used the usual plastic stuff they sell at Joann's and now I know why the people in the know discourage it. Parts of my corset are permanently bent. I really would like to purchase one instead. Normally yes I want to make it all myself but I can't hold a candle nor do I have the time to figure out how to make one out of leather or even better vegan leather. Check out this corset on etsy I want so bad!!!!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/165453103/26-waist-steampunk-pirate-linen-chain?ref=af_you_favitem

or this one:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107318692/24-waist-steampunk-underbust-explorer?ref=af_you_favitem

Next question.... where else can I wear steampunk clothes? Can I wear them around the house and to work? Because I sure love them.

What about this one?

Or this one?

It wouldn't be hard to make that top and skirt. Sigh... just need more places to wear the stuff. Maybe I could just be Steampunk Mom at home! I bought a pair of new boots on ebay that will complement these outfits nicely that were originally $475 and I got them for $80!!!! Yes that's right!

Much more comfortable then the silly stiletto boots I wore on Halloween that I'll NEVER wear again. 

(They were borrowed)

1917 spyglass replica came from India took long time...

Costume goggles already broke

New goggles for future....

These are from the Etsy shop Steampunk Wasteland. 

Yes I 'm thinking I don't have to make it all and I can support other craftspeople or should I say Artisans. I know look at me, big step.... I am willing to not do it all myself. Especially as my nerf gun really didn't look that good and the paint fumes gave me a headache of magnificent proportions. I will buy a gun as well. I really would like an antique real gun... doesn't have to work rather it didn't. Maybe a stage prop.

Oh and check out this skirt and the colors... remind you of anyone.

I'm thinking about buying a dress form so I can use it for sewing and when not using it for that just having my steampunk costume on it and working on the details. Or I could make a dress form out of duct tape for that.... Have you seen these?

DIY duct tape dress form

Halloween costume coming along

The skirt is done except for the remaining hand stitching. I thought I could do that while I got my hair done but there were 2 little dogs there and ooops I forgot until after they left with their owner. Also Melissa did a trial run of my hair last night. We decided on a cross between a Victorian Up-Do and Amy Winehorse. Heavy on the latter probably.

It's really quite tall so the picture isn't doing it justice. Doesn't really go with my glasses either. And it's still up today because she doesn't want me to wash my hair so if I took it out I'd have this whack hair and well it's fun to wear different hair why not get 2 days out of it! I also about finished the corset last night. Boning was a b*&^% but it's in. I just have to again hand sew the bias tape around the bottom. THEN I need to find buckles desperately. Still haven't found any and I need 5 1" to 1 1/4" Brass Buckles. 

Then in the process of finding buckles I also felt then I needed a gun. Some of my props I bought on ebay will apparently not make it in time. Sad. I was especially excited about the telescope. But I can work some more on this throughout the year and wear it again next year.

Another Blog? Yes I should somehow just have one but I am a splitter not a lumper.

I wanted a place to post about sewing, knitting and crafts. I also need a place to just journal and I do that through out my other blogs but not sure I should. Who knows!!! I am never happy with how the blogs look I just get frustrated and quit editing and plan to come back to them later.

So anywho this is another work in progress.

I am currently working on a Halloween costume that will be Steampunk and should not be blogging but should be sewing since that's in 4 days.

I joined a knitting club that meets second Tuesday of the month at Karen's house. So I thought I should post about those projects as well. I want to make some of these shawls and such from a book I bought and I also need to make more female friends desperately outside of work. So when Karen invited me to this gathering I jumped at it. Now I was the only one that showed up last time and I do know Karen through work but since we met on the Ethics committee meeting first of all I figure she is fine with us being friends and physician/patient. Afterall she's a nurse as well. And wow she can knit so fast and talk it's very impressive.

She also lost her mom the same time I lost my dad so we shared how we were both still reeling from that and were both surprised how disoriented we were.

So starting a new chapter in life. Not just a doctor. Not just a mom. Not just a wife. Not just a gardener-want-to-be-landscape-architect. BUT also a seamstress and knitter!!!!! Ta dah!