Baby Mario: Warren's First Cosplay

For Warren's first anime convention, we dressed him up as Mario. I knit the hat using this pattern generator.


There was much squee-ing. Much, much, much...


And just when we thought it couldn't get any cuter, this happened:


Cuteness overload.

**Also, the 3rd episode of Revenge of the Knits is available through itunes and the Revenge of the Knits website. Episode 4 is coming soon!

Falling behind, catching up

So, I have not updated the blog in a while. I have been avoiding it. It isn't that I don't have anything to share. It's more that I just didn't want to sit still for long enough to write about it all. :) I have been knitting. A lot. An awful lot. I have much to show you.But before the knitting, I will show my latest weaving project (albeit, a few weeks old now).




The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Silky wool in various colors. Stash yarn, all. Weaving really uses it up. I have a few other things planned for other pesky yarns in the stash that just can't seem to find appropriate projects. :) Yay!

As for knitting. Where did we leave off? I'm just going to plow through and not give much detail here, because there is a lot of stuff!
First, this is a gift that I pulled together for my BFF who is due only a few weeks after me!:



Patterns here and here. I fully intend to make matching ones for our little guy. Squee.

Here is another super easy crocheted soaker:


It's not as cute as some of the others I've made, but it will fit for a long time and that is possibly more important. :) Pattern here.

I was commissioned by a friend to knit a yellow vest for one of her ACEN cosplays this year. I worked my bum off and managed to finish with time to spare! The convention is May 14th-16th.



The actual color is more yellow in person. It looks really light in the photo. It fit her. Success. I will post pics of her wearing it with the rest of the costume (which I didn't make, for the record) after this weekend. :)

Finally, I just finished this vest over the weekend. It is from a Japanese pattern from this book. It was comically small before blocking, but now it fits just right! This was another stash buster project. I've gotta get through it before the baby gets here!




I'm starting to feel very cluttered and panicked over the state of the condo. I don't feel like any room in the entire place is up to my standards at the moment. We need more bookcases, and storage. I need to go through every cabinet in the kitchen and re-organize it all. I need to fill up a few boxes for the Salvation Army...trouble is, I don't know what to fill them with! All I know is that there is way too much going on in this tiny space and I am SICK TO DEATH OF IT ALL! I know that this is all a part of nesting and completely normal, but I'm definitely working myself up over it. I just feel like I don't even know where to start.

Otherwise, this being pregnant thing is a good experience (can that go on my resume someday?). I've not had many issues or discomfort...just a bit of acid reflux/heartburn and sore and swollen legs. I don't sleep as well either, but I think that's just nature's way of preparing me for the sleepless nights to come. Thanks a lot. I really like making my husband do things for me...like the laundry and sweeping. :) We thought we had decided on a name a long time ago, but now we are changing our mind and haven't made the final decision yet. For certain, his middle name will be Uel after my great-grandfather.

The baby's room is slowly coming together. Pics when it is more presentable. We have a crib and a glider/ottoman (thanks to the in-laws). It's looking cute (but cluttered) so far. Oh clutter. Hopefully our trip to IKEA tonight will help with that a little.

OK, that's enough of an update for now, I think.

Progress Update: Cosplay and Knitting

Cosplay:


The hemline needs to be brought up about 5 inches for it to be the length I want. There are a few areas of concern in the gathered waist that I will be fixing over the weekend. Still needs sleeves, collar, and zipper. :D So far, it is going well. I have not started designing the pinafore, but will likely get started on that this weekend. (PS-this is my Alice in Wonderland costume).

Knitting:



My Demi pullover, likely started in 2008...I can't remember. I really wanted to have this done by my b-day (November 14th), but I seriously doubt it's going to happen. I've just started the armhole on the back (no, the front is not finished yet!). Yikes. The sleeves will not be full length nor will they be cabled. I have very little yarn. Probably just enough for a short sleeved sweater (or possibly only a vest!).

I'm still knitting

This is actually a knitting post, for once! :) I've got a couple of things to show you.

Blommsterknopper (a swingy cardigan):



Silk Stainless Steel Jacket:


Lillehammer (a hat):


Coraline Sweater!!!!:


I am most excited about the Coraline Sweater! I'm making it with this awesome navy blue yarn WITH SPARKLE that I found at Joann's! It's a Vanna's Choice yarn and I am amazed at how nice it feels despite being acrylic.

I'm sold! It's the perfect color (and the perfect price!)

Asuka Cosplay

Well, it took me long enough to get this posted, but I've finally got myself off my butt to do it. At ACEN in May of this year, I cosplayed as Asuka from Evangelion. Here is a picture of her:

Here are some pictures of me cosplaying as her:



I made the dress myself (you might recognize it from a previous post. I'm super happy with it. It fit me perfectly and is altogether cute. My husband made the sync nodes (the little red things in my hair). I made the baby blue choker. I bought the wig. I already had the shoes. I love the costume. There you have it. Asuka. Yay.

I have a lot to catch up on here. I've finished a few knitting projects and I really need to share them with the blogosphere. So, up next: Leyburn Socks FO!

Lucy Cosplay

Since I said I would, and never did, here is the first post of two in which I will highlight my cosplays from Anime Central 2009. I will start with Lucy from Elfen Lied.

Here are a few images of the character taken from the anime:




And here is me:




I dyed the wig using sharpies. It was super easy. You just buy a couple sharpies in the color(s) you desire, pop them open, slit the plastic casing to expose the color, and drop them into a bottle 70% alcohol. I let my dye soak for a few days before using it. Then you put the wig (if it is small enough) into a heavy duty ziploc bag (gallon size) and pour the dye right in there with it. Shake, squish, soak, and rinse. You may have to repeat this to get the right color. So, a genius idea would be to empty the dye back into the bottle so you can use it again. To do this, just clip a small hole in one of the lower corners of the ziploc bag and you have a funnel! :) Yay.

The horn was made using Fimo clay. My husband did it. It looks like a cat ear, but it most certainly isn't. In the anime, Lucy has two horns but loses one in the final episode. So, I decided to only have one horn. I can't tell you how many times I heard this phrase while walking around ACEN, "One of your kitty ears is missing."

The socks were purchased from Sock Dreams. I cut out the heel and the toe to make them like they were in the anime. The shoes are just a pair of red kitten heel maryjanes that I already had. I just took the strap under the foot instead of over it to make it look like simple red kitten heels. Yay.

The dress is sewn from a nice heavy knit fabric in a dark gray. The neckline binding and straps are a heavy black jersey. The pink 3/4 sleeve shirt is American Apparel.

I painted my eyebrows to match the wig. I just coated my eyebrows with washable Elmer's and mixed acrylic paints to match the color as closely as possible. Once the glue dried, I put that paint CAREFULLY on my eyebrows. It washed off really easily at the end of the day and I didn't have to do anything crazy...or semi-permanent.

I call this one a success. :) It was a lot of fun to wear. My next post will be about the other costume I wore at Anime Central: Asuka Langley Soryu from everyone's favorite anime, EVANGELION!!!!

Cosplay woes

Some things look perfect, amazingly perfect...like I'm shocked I was able to make it so perfect.

Other things don't look so perfect, but they are acceptable.

Still other things look outright wrong...and there is very little that I am going to be able to do about it. These things are the wigs for my cosplays. I can hardly style my own, human hair. Styling synthetic wig hair is another story. I am most unhappy with my Asuka wig as it is orange (too orange) and the bangs are too short.

Which wouldn't be a problem if I knew what to do with my eyebrows. They are dark (my natural color) and my wigs are orange (too orange) and fuscia. Dark eyebrows certainly clash. The fuscia one sort of covers them, but the orange (too orange) one does not. I've considered bleaching them and using an eyebrow pencil or eyeliner in orange/fuscia to color them in...but then I reconsidered--because my hair is dark and I'd look like an idiot any time I didn't have the wig(s) on, which would be everyday minus 2 (the days I wear my cosplays). I've decided that I'm not crazy, nor that wonderful of a cosplayer to bleach and color my eyebrows. Sorry.

That's what we call "responsibility" and "better judgement." Grown ups are supposed to exercise these skills when presented with Utter Crazy.

Of course, I could just buy eyebrow powder to match my hair and continue to color in my eyebrows until the bleach grows out...only not in orange and fuscia...unless I wanted to...for kicks.

Kicks.

Lucy's Progress

She's coming along quite nicely:


Ok. For those of you readers who aren't familiar with anime...or the special brand of crazy that is cosplay...all shall be revealed in a later post. Basically, I am dressing up as characters that I like at a convention devoted to anime. Yes, sort of like those Star Wars geeks...Trekkies too. I will post photos of the characters I'm cosplaying as well as pictures of myself in the finished costumes as soon as the costumes are finished, which will be soon!

There you go, a very basic and undetailed explanation of "cosplay."

Tatting.

This is the result of my first tatting! I used a pattern in a book called "Tatted Snowflakes" by Vida Sunderman.

1 shuttle, red size 10 crochet thread


My second tatted piece: "Bejewelled Snowflake," also from the book, "Tatted Snowflakes" by Vida Sunderman. I made a silly mistake in the starting ring: I made seven picots instead of six. I didn't realize my mistake until the last stitch of the piece, so I just left it alone. Ooops! lol

I'm really loving tatting. It's super fast and easy (so far, anyway!)

I have been sewing. I have two dresses for cosplays which both need the hems finished (one of which is the yellow number from my last post) before I call them "finished!" I'm really excited about Anime Central! And I LOVE the characters I'm cosplaying! Nerd squees all over the place.

Icarus The Ambitious

Well, having cast off my Swallowtail Shawl, I simply could not wait to start another triangle shawl. This time, I'm working on the Icarus Shawl, which is also an Interweave pattern. So far, the pattern is incredibly simple and I like that about it, but I am a little bit worried that it will begin to bore me after a while. :( I sure hope not, because FOs feel really good!


I also wanted to tell the world another thing I'm pretty exited about. I bought a new book called Sweet Needle Felts. It's only the cutest needle felting book I've ever seen...and it seems like it is really useful. I tried to teach myself needle felting, but never got good at it. I was just sort of doing it "blindly." I think having a few patterns and clear plans with illustrated instructions will be a good way to develop my skills. Before I was just sort of...I don't know...poking fiber with felting needles with no real idea of what I was trying to make.

I'm making steady progress on my Cosplay for Anime Central. Here's a sneaky shot of my progress:


Yeah...it's still a secret! Because it's fun for me! lol ^.^ ((alter ego speaking: if you go to my flickr page, I've already completely spilled the beans...I couldn't help it.)) If I have time after everything is complete, I am going to try to make a themed bag to match and possible a NEEDLE FELTED PLUSHIE!!!! ((that will, of course, depend on whether or not I can master the needle felting arts within the next 31 days! The con is in 30 days! I can't believe it!)) Wish me luck!

I will be reporting back eventually. :p

Oh, and just so everyone knows, Mike Gravel is attempting to win the Libertarian nomination and needs the support of the many like minded individuals out there! Spread the word, buy/read his book, and make a donation! If you can...and if you want to, of course. We are planning to make a nice donation very soon and will also buy a copy of Citizen Power to donate to our local library because even if he doesn't become our President, the National Initiative for Democracy (if you haven't voted online yet, check it out...if you think it's wonderful, cast your VOTE!!!!) is a great piece of legislation that will empower the PEOPLE to make laws. I don't like to get all political often because I can tend to be unflinching in my opinions and I don't really like to push on people. That is why I say, "If you support/like Mike Gravel, check these things out and help if you can!!" I know that many people who read my blog have at least mentioned that they liked Sen. Gravel. So, I figured it was a safe place. :)

That's enough of that, though. This is a personal knitting blog, after all.

PS--My puppy is wonderfully adorable...but bites me to show her affection. Hmmmmm......

It feels like a sin because I don't have a ball winder

But I do sort of enjoy the lackadaisical, thrown together look of a hand wound ball of yarn.


I wound up that wonderful hunk of Fearless Fibers merino into a huge, nearly planetary, ball of wonderful socky goodness. Max:


He thinks he's cool holding a planet in his hands...oh, and he looks kind of creepy too, doesn't he?

I've already finished the cuff and today I will be starting the fun part where the pattern picks up. I will show you again once it comes out.

I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and flipped through the latest issue of Craft. I haven't enjoyed this newbie magazine very much until this issue. It's all about Japanese crafts or other crafts with a cutesy Japanese flair. Of course, such a thing appeals to my sensibilities. Hello, bachelor in Japanese here... It had a lot of great websites and such that I would like to check out. The thing is, Craft is horribly overpriced. I normally can't justify buying it...but maybe this one time I will make an exception.

Anime Central begins on Friday!! I am SUPER excited even though I will not be dressing up. I will be dressing CUTE, but not UP...if you know what I mean. I really wanted to go as her, but wasn't able to pull my shit together in time. Go figure. I also wanted to go as her, but again, that shit...well, it just sort of stayed all spread apart...That's kind of gross...I take things too far sometimes. ^.^ But whatever. It's probably more fun when you're all dressed up because people want to take your picture...I don't think I am really so starved for attention that not being photographed will ruin my time. I was going to create an ACen flickr group for people to post their preparations and photos of the con, but I probably won't now...because I'm not preparing anything myself and why create something that I am not going to be able to fully enjoy? We'll see. I might change my mind...maybe...if there proves to be a desire for such a thing. Hint, hint, wink wink...searching for comments from any lurkers out there...

I will try to take tons of pictures of the ultimate geekiness that is Anime Central 2007 and will post them up here. Keep watching, it may be ridiculously/hilariously awesome.

Ehem...anyway...back to the knitting. I finished the sock I was working on!!!! Of course, I couldn't resist taking a million and a half photos of it!








Child's First Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks. A little tight in the instep, but it has gotten better from wearing it around the house a bit.

Any sock knitters out there? I have a few questions about WTF is up with socks. Is it just me, or are they supposed to be sort of stiff feeling...and not stretch very well? When you take the sock off, does it look all huge...as though you had canckles? Is the instep usually super tight and the heel flaps don't seem long enough? These are just a few things that I've noticed that I'm having issues with and I'm wondering if I am the only one.

Other projects: I haven't worked on anything else very much. I'm going to work on my lace sweater a bit today, but I will probably be focused on Max's sock for a while...until the excitement of working on something new goes away (probably a few days, give or take). I will keep you posted. Until next time!!!!