Modesty's Costume Closet

Andon Bakama were hakama typically worn by women in an academic setting during the 1900s or so. Modern times, they are usually worn for formal occasions such as graduation. It is also the style that just looks nice with a kimono especially for those of us with Western hips the size of Texas.  See examples in Anime/Games: Here Comes Miss Modern, Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, Sakura Wars.  So let's get into how to make one. Tutorial style! Design Elements These are things to consider before you start.  by Chihirohowe Skirt Length Traditionally this is worn just below the ankle if you are wearing flat sandals, geta, or zori. It is worn above the ankle for sneakers, boots, and heels. You can adjust how high on your waist you wear it if you are going to switch between the two.  Colors Normally, these are a solid color, sometimes with embroidered floral patterns near the bottom. Red/Scarlet is uncommon outside of Miko. Patterned fabric is appropriate for this.  Side Openings The length

 My recent failures with creating a silicone mold have prompted me to dig deeper into the processes of creating a mold of an object to cast in a different material. I'm going to start with the basics: What is Casting? A cast is a reproduction of an original item in new material.   Common Materials to cast with:  Resin Plaster Plastic Wax Latex/Rubber/Silicone Food (Ice, Chocolate, Hard Candy, etc) Molten Metal  Common methods for casting are:  Slip Casting - makes a thin layer, commonly used for latex masks 2-part Cast - Make a mold with 2 halves sandwiched together  Pour Mold - put material into a divot  What is a Mold? FYI, this didn't work out. A "mold" is an imprint of an object that we can pour the material into.  Common materials to make a mold with:  Plastic Silicone/Rubber Metal Clay Plaster What is a Buck? A "buck" is what we call the subject of the casting, the original piece, so to speak. Whether you are sculpting something to cast later or have a

I've been experimenting with knitting socks on the loom. I found a tutorial on sandal socks and have adapted it to suit the loom I have. I've been able to knit ONE sock so far and it does fit, so successful test!  Supply List In the Round Loom (suggested below)  Sock Loom CinDwood wedge Loom KB Universal Loom KB Flexee Skinny  Loom Pick Stitch Markers Yarn Needle/Darning Needle Tape Measure Calculator  Technique List Basic Cast-ons, Bind off, Knit stitches, purl stitch, etc Kitchener Cast-on Drawstring Cast-on German Short Row Heels and toes Short Row Heel and Toes Kitchener Stitch Measurements For Tabi, these are the important-to-know measurements so you know how many pegs you'll need to cast on and how many rows you need to get Length.  Circumferences Ball of Foot Big Toe Group of Little toes Lengths Whole Foot Base of Toe to Ankle bone (insole) Length of Big Toe Length of Index Toe Length of Pinky Toe More Detailed Explanations The Best Way to Loom Knit Socks That Fit Co

Because my whole thing lately has been anime related knitting projects, I do a LOT of color work. I guess I did start in an unusual way by learning some of the trickier aspects of knitting. This post will go over how color charts "work", how I use them to make a pattern and how to make your own.  Types of Color Work In knitting there are many names for color work:  Color Change, Striping (horizontal stripes) Marling, Marled (Speckles) Illusion/Shadow Color (It's just cool looking. Knits and purls that hide a pattern unless you look at a certain angle or stretch it.)  Stranding, Fair Isle, Mosaic, Norwegian (Carrying strands of yarn behind the work.) Intarsia, Color Block (Changing color at key points and rejoining old color.) Double Knitting, Reversible Knitting (Knitting two pieces of fabric at the same time.) Duplicate Stitch, Monogram (Stitching on top of current stitches after the work is fully knitted.)  Regardless of how the color work is done, color charts are made

Currently, I have cast on and knitted my first sweater parts. So far only have the back done, but I'm going to share my process so you, too, can knit along or try it yourself.  I will share my supply list, techniques used, calculating the sweater size, and color charts. I think I'll need to make how I do color charts in its own post. Here's a post I made about how I go about making a color chart.  Supplies Flexee Loom Chunky  4 Skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Black 1 Skein Big Twist Natural Blend Winter White Bobbins, Loom Knit Pick, Stitch Markers, and Yarn Needle (not pictured) Color charts Alternative Supplies You do not have to use my supplies exactly to get this sweater result.  You can use any blend of a Super Bulky Weight yarn (#6) in black and white. You can also use a Bulky Weight (#5) or Worsted Weight (#4), but it will change your gauge, the calculations and color charts will differ. (I made color charts for both weights because I was not sure 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 Onto the show. These

 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 crochet around