Modesty's Costume Closet

 Continuing from my previous post on my adventure with this potential yarn project: Tomioka's Haori. Once I knew how much yarn I'd need, I needed to buy it. However, turns out 15 balls of yarn is expensive! (Who knew!?) So...this started me on a journey of research for the best price! This leads me to consider other yarn brands and yarn weights.  Finding Similar but Cheaper Yarn It will be a roll of the dice whether you're lucky to find a more economical price and have the yarn include all the same features as your original plan or whatever the pattern called for. This is where the internet helps us. Some websites have categories of different yarns that you can search by weight, fiber type, price range, gauge, and more. Ravelry has an extensive yarn database. But I also like to use Yarnsubs.com.  Search engines or AI can help identify alternatives for you as well by typing in "an alternative to brand name yarn".  Or you can go to your preferred yarn shop in person...

 I have no focus lately. 😝 But I have be weirdly distracted by a potential NEW yarn cosplay project...Tomioka's Haori. Went to see the Infinity Castle movie at the theater and remembered that I had made a color chart. So busted that out...saw I did the cube pattern wrong and fixed it. Also re-calculated measurements and adjusted things because I had set it to the gauge for loom knitting...and I'm going to crochet this one.  But that's not the point of this post...just the inspiration. This post is going to be the various ways I tried to estimate how many balls of yarn I'd need for this project. So...here are the facts. This is my own pattern and it is untested! I know the brand and colors I WANT to use but we'll see how much of a budget buster that will be. As well as a yarn stash hog.  Okay, so there are 4 methods I'll suggest. Incremental Pattern Inspiration Weight + Area Measurement Weight + Stitch Count Incremental Purchasing This is a method that takes bas...

Shoemaking is not something I thought I'd really get into but I've been doing my research and making some prototypes. This is in part because my feet are very small so finding thrift shoes in the style I want is difficult. So, I've been learning and remembering different ways of making costumed footwear and I'm making a little series about it. So here we go.  Fabric shoes with EVA soles and toe covers Now a common method that's tried and true in costuming is modifying an old shoe or using a shoe as a base. Shoe/Boot covers are fairly common. However, I'm not going over that method. (I like Simply Spandex's Tutorial on boot covers , so you have a resource.)  This series is going to focus on making a shoe from scratch. And I'm stopping short of leatherworking and actual cobbling. Which is another thing you could do. (Here's a Shoemaking Course List) .  I wanted to focus more on crafty methods for making shoes including:    Yarn-craft shoes (knitting or...

 This may be a bit tangential from my usual topics but it was inspired by some character bounding shawl ideas I had so we can tie it into that. But Ombre or Gradient yarn cakes are really pretty. I have been crocheting with one. However, the challenge comes with finding the right colors in the right sequence. So that go me curious as to how to make my own Ombre yarn. So here's what I've researched as possible ways to get that color change effect along with some of the pros and cons of each.  1. Purchase Skeins of Colors Sticking with the idea of using solid color yarns, you purchase yarns in the colors you want and create the cake. However, color choice is important here. To make the change of color more gradual, you will need yarn colors in the transitional color. So if I'm going for yellow to red, I may get an orange that is a good blend of those colors. The more "steps" of colors you get the more gentle the transition is between colors. Below is a video example...

 I finished crocheting the top. I'm much faster at crochet than any form of knitting but the stretch of knitting is so nice! To make this more secure, I'm going to use elastic in the back corset to keep things tight. I'm also going to make a little cloth bit that goes around the neck band and snaps in the back. Got some snap tape because sewing in individual snaps is kind of a drag. I'll likely sew in some bra cups as well to help it keep the right shape.  This crochet pattern is available for free on Ravelry: Primrose High Neck Halter . Um...yeah that's it. Short post...for once. 😜

 The production of this costume has been as elusive as a unicorn. In part because I've put some kind of extra pressure on myself to have a certain look for my dance. So, hopefully, writing this will help me nail down some of my indecision. (Spoilers: It does!) Source Inspiration The theme of the dance is Night at the Movies, and I picked "The Last Unicorn". I will be dancing a rumba to the opening theme. I knew I was going to be "the unicorn" and my partner will be another character. (I'm hoping the red bull.)  Design Considerations In any costume design there's both a practical and aesthetic consideration.  Dance Costume Considerations Because I will be dancing with a partner, I need to make sure that my garment is out of our feet's way, I can move my arms and legs freely, and I don't have any costume malfunctions. So the major points of consideration are:  - hem length: I want to avoid catching the hem on my heel or have my partner trod upon a ...

So I managed to make a pair of Zori (thong sandals) to test if it would be a viable option for my Nezuko and Rengoku casual cosplay. I managed to make my test pair, and it's pretty comfortable, but I learned a lot and will gladly share.  The pattern I used and adjusted is by  Whistle and Ivy .  Additional Resources Before I jump into what I did for my tiny-ass feet, I wanted to share some resources on how to make Sandal soles for your zori. The videos in this list show how to crochet a sole for multiple sizes of feet. The videos use Medium weight or worsted-weight yarn, which is different from what I use. But it should serve as a good guide. Also, it includes how to make a Rope Sole or convert a foam flip-flop sandal into a base for your crochet shoe project.  You may also want to consider ways to make the bottom of the sandal non-skid or a bit more durable on other terrains. Whistle and Ivy shares 7 methods for making crochet slippers non-slip .  My Supplies O...

 GUYS! I learned a new thing. This may be a "Yeah, duh!" kind of situation, but I never thought to knit or crochet sandals. Seems like a legit thing, especially for ME, who has small feet and a hatred of that round plastic between the toe rod of normal flip-flops.  These techniques can work for other series too that use the zori aka thong sandals. (AKA the bane of my feet's existence.) Method Considerations This is more than likely going to be a crochet project than a knitting one, to be honest. But all in all, there are 3 main methods for making knitted footwear:  90% Yarn  Hole punched Soles Repurposed Flip-Flop/Thong Sandals With mostly yarn, you're going to basically have super floppy, uncomfortable sandals unless you include some sort of stiff material like a stiff felt or EVA foam or an old sandal.  Hole punch soles or insoles let you knit up around the sole instead of knitting the sole itself.  Repurposed sandals provide the base, and you knit or cro...

This shall be my final entry for Demon Slayer Knitting...for now. These are fun little extra dood-dads and accessories worn by the characters. I will note that some of these are crochet patterns and not knitting patterns. Honestly for stuffed animals I prefer crochet. Call the Crows! Crows and Sparrows A common companion for any demon slayer is their kasugai crow...or some other bird. I've collected a few patterns for knitting or crocheting your own crow or sparrow.  Knitted Aviary ($) Songbird Crochet Bird Knit Nature: Blue Tit Tree Sparrow ($) Raven Doll Nevermore! Easy Raven Raven Amigurumi Bald Eagle  (Hear me out. Crows can get very big and in the show they kind of look like this. Just make it all black and grey.) Inosuke's Boar Mask It won't be show/manga accurate but it will still technically work. Create a monster style ski-mask, baclava or beanie.  Hog Beanie ($) Baby Back Hog Hat ($) Oink Piggy Hat Zombie Pig Mask ($) Pirate Piggy Mask Trav's Baclava  <-...