Makeup is an art, too!

One of the many ways living in Japan changed me is that it gave me a new appreciation of makeup (other ways were a taste for coffee and yoga). I've been addicted to lipstick since 8th grade and used to wear powder in high school because my skin was wicked oily, but I was opposed to eye makeup of any sort. I would wear foundation and mascara when cosplaying out of photographic necessity, but that was the most done up I ever was.

Somehow, though, I got hooked on eye liner in Mihama, and shortly thereafter I started using powder again. When I moved back to Chicago my roommate at the time introduced me to mineral makeup, and that was the end of me. Now I won't even run errands without a full face of makeup. I think it's an extension of playing dress-up when I was little. I used to rock the Jem look like nobody's business!

The result of this makeup fixation is that when I get bored, I start to play. I found out about Doe Deere's makeup tutorials a long time ago, and now that I've amassed a ridiculous collection of shadows, I actually have enough of an arsenal to try some of them. Last night was one such experiment:


I'm a pirate! ARRRRRR!


I'm a stoned pirate! DUUUUUUUDE! (Ok, not really. I'm just a lousy photographer who's up past her bedtime.)

The look was inspired by the Pirate Girl tutorial.

One of the socks hanging in the background is a Pippi Kneestocking.

Fandom knitting - the Harry Potter edition

I'm a geek. Or a nerd. Or whatever the proper term is these days. I know people tend to argue semantics. At any rate, I make things based on media I enjoy.

While in Japan, I decided I was going to make a Ravenclaw house scarf. Despite being a cosplayer who often bends over backwards for accuracy, I determined that wasn't the point of this scarf. No, I just wanted a gigantic, wooly, geeky scarf. Ravenclaw colors weren't quite as reconizable as Gryffindor either, so it seemed like the type of thing I could get away with wearing on a regular basis.

Given my short attention span for projects, it had to be done in chunky yarn on thick needles if I ever wanted to finish it. The yarn store obliged with Hamanaka Men's Club Master, a 60% wool / 40% acrylic blend, which I worked up on US 10 (6mm) straight needles in a 1x1 rib.



As you can see, it's pretty flippin' big. I finished it during my first winter in Mihama, which was pretty cold, and wore it to class almost every day. Elementary students liked to use it as a leash and drag me around by it ^_^; Also, about 4 of them could share it with me (well, the younger ones anyway).

Of course, the geekiness doesn't end there. Oh no, certainly not. I decided that I would put together a whole Ravenclaw school uniform. Then I came to the conclusion that instead of being "Random Ravenclaw student #156", I'd rather be an actual character. Well, I always liked Ginny Weaseley, so out came the cranberry and gold.


I used the set-in shoulder pullover pattern from The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns, to which I added waist shaping and short-row bust shaping. It was done in Wool-Ease on US 9 (5.5mm) needles. Again, I wasn't aiming for 100% movie accuracy (the color is far to light, for starters). The sweater's finished, but I don't like how the sleeves turned out, too full at the shoulders, so I have to revisit the pattern at some point. Not currently high on the priority list, though.

Lest you think the Potter-palooza stops there, this little guy comes along:


Yes, he is a pygmy puff. He was described as a "psychedelic pygmy puff". His name is Frankie. I was bored one afternoon and had leftover clapotis yarn. The pattern came from yclept djinnj; I think I used the crochet pattern but can't remember hook size or any of that good stuff.

I should be unconscious by now....

I'm sick. Again. It sucks. After almost fainting at my bathroom sink yesterday, I dragged myself to work, only to be taken to the doctor before first period, put on an IV drip, and sent home with a bag of prescription drugs (because the Japanese love prescribing a multitude of pills to treat various symptoms). I stayed home today and slept for hours, which is probably why I'm awake despite the fact it's almost 2am and I have work tomorrow (though depending on how I feel, I might call in again).

Seeing as how I'm stuck in bed (same old "ack, I'm dizzy and going to pass out if I stand up" as last time, when I went on a crocheting binge and made a bunch of hats), I need to find ways to amuse myself. I started looking up Linsner's Dawn images, since although I don't know if I'll ever make it to Dragon*Con (and certainly not this year, since I'll only just have moved back to the States by the time the con rolls around), it's fun to think about what sort of costume I'd want to make for the annual Dawn Lookalike contest. Tonight I came across this outfit, and I was immediately smitten with it, mostly because of an overwhelming desire to make that duster. Knitted or crocheted, not sure yet, probably crocheted given all the openwork on the skulls. It's probably far-fetched and ridiculous and the product of a frustrated, bored, ill mind, but dang, I want to make that work somehow.

WIP it, WIP it good!

"Why don't people understand? I've got a short attention span, short attention spaaaan!!"- Fizzy Bangers, Short Music for Short People (That's the entire song.)

I've been threatening to do so for a while, so at long last, here's a rundown of most of the projects I'm currently working on.

Somehow I've amassed a huge assortment of yarn:


And that's not even counting the 100% acrylic put aside specifically for Warm Up America knitting:


Let's not even talk about all the fabric and buttons and whatnot that have somehow manifested in my sewing room.

So I want to use up as much as possible before moving back to the States at the end of the summer, and these are some of my attempts.



Mikado Ribbon Fingerless Gloves, made not from Mikado Ribbon yarn but a 70% bamboo/30% cotton blend called Eco Summer by Hands Products. I bought it because it was luscious and seafoam green, but there wasn't enough to make a full garment. I had wanted to try this pattern for a while, and the yarn seemed like a good match. It's wonderfully soft and silky but a bit splitty; really, it reminds me of a higher-end Micro-Spun.



Magknit's Matilda Scarf. This has been on the needles since December, I just got a bit sidetracked. The black yarn is Cozy-something-or-other, 100% acrylic but very thick and soft, the multicolored is Applause, 100% polyester chenille, I think it's also by Hands Products.



Paton's Cabled Bag. I decided to do the center panel in a different color, mostly because I didn't have enough yarn to do it all in one color. It's made with Daiso Soft Tweed, a wool/acrylic blend from the 100 yen store.

I have a few other knitted projects that I won't post right now for various reasons, but lest you think I only make things out of yarn, here are some other in-progress pieces.



This is a pin I'm trying to make as part of a present (I'm not posting the rest of it in case the recipient checks this blog, which I'm not sure she does), the pattern comes from the Japanese book Beads Box. Japanese patterns tend to be heavy on diagrams and light on explanations, so I'm not sure if I'm assembling it right and have kind of stalled out on it for now.



This is the first non-costume garment I've made in a long time, using a vintage 60's pattern purchased on Ebay. It's casa satin from Joann Fabrics, the pattern has a matching jacket, and I plan to add some beading when it's done. I feel a bit rusty with my sewing, though, I'm having trouble getting the darts to not pucker.




This is a wig I'm styling for a Setsuka costume I hope to eventually finish, using techniques from Katie Bair. I thought I'd make it while here, but materials have been very hard to come by, so I probably won't finish the costume until I'm back in the States.

Random Thought 5/9 and a WIP (and general geekery)

I would probably be a lot more productive if I didn't stop so frequently (like, say, after every repeat of a cable pattern) to look at my work and say, "dang, that's so cool!" I really only get this way with cables, though. Maybe if I go on a cabling binge I'd get it out of my system.

Speaking of cables, I treated myself to some real, honest-to-goodness cable needles the other day. Up until this point I've just used spare dpns. It makes a world of difference, much less juggling and stitches slipping off; plus they're really smooth, slick plastic which helps keep things moving.

In keeping with my promise of not text-only posts, here's one of many WIPs I'm working on now (there are several, I can't seem to commit to any one project lately):



It's Magknit's Seaside pattern, done in (surprise surprise) leftover Wool-Ease. I had originally intended to use this color for seaming a project I was working up in Lion Suede since I was afraid the Suede would be too bulky, but it actually worked fine. Seeing as the stitch pattern is called "seaweed", it seemed like a good candidate for swampy green yarn.

As an added bit of geek cred (and offering a glimpse of my cosplay tendencies), the manicure was inspired by Drusilla, influenced by my Buffy marathons.