Not-Quite Steampunk Crocheted Mask

This past week I've been busy working on my online store (on eBay), and  reading "Infernal Devices", ignoring my promise to provide a mask for my sister to wear to the Vampire Ball in Portland this coming weekend. I, as usual, let time get away from me, and realized that "OMG, I've got less than a week to finish the crocheted mask!!" I'm almost finished, then I have a wrist band to make for her. Now that I've made the mask, I might want the band to match it in some vague way. I'm not sure yet but will work on it later tonight and see where I end up.

As an avid DIY'er, I volunteered to make her mask, thinking there would be tons of instructions available online. Wrong! I bought a e-pattern, then realized that while it was not-beyond my skills, it was too bothersome to learn the new technique they used for a basic stitch. That's when I decided to design my own mask.

Here's where I am so far. After I get the "bugs" worked out, I'll write up instructions and share them here. It's not overtly Steampunk but I just now saw a new possibility...  I'll experiment with that later.

Aft

Anno Steampunk Bits & Pieces

My posts have been spotty at best, but I'm still continuing my year of steampunk immersion. I've been reading "Whitechapel Gods" by S. M. Peters, and am having a difficult time getting into it; it being very dense. Or maybe I'm the dense one... no matter. I'll give it a couple more chapters tonight. Perhaps that's my problem... reading it in bed, Maybe being tired and less alert is making the story's setting & situation more obscure to me. I'll bring the book to the breakfast table and see if that makes a difference. If not, I'll return the book to my niece and try it again later.

Confession- I already downloaded the e-book "Infernal Devices" by K. W. Jeeter. I read the sample and am already hooked. Did I mention how much I'm enjoying reading books on my phone? Never thought I'd say that!

Other spare time has been spent exploring my wardrobe possibilities, especially vests. Why vests are considered Steampunk attire for women isn't clear to me; as a rule Victorian ladies didn't wearing them. Maybe I'm wrong and will look at my ladies magazine collection from the era. But I LOVE vests and have a long history (decades, ok?) of making velvet & satin crazy quilt vest fronts with hand-stitched embellishments. I've been collecting silk ties to create a special vest for myself, though I already have more than enough fabric already stashed for my needs. 

Here's a picture of the Victorian skirt and jacket with a Steampunk vibe that I picked up while shopping for inventory for my eBay store, "RetroMonde". The outfit fits my mannequin like a modern size 8. Unfortunately, the silk is disintegrating, or "shattering" which is the proper way to describe the damage. When I'm finished admiring it, I'll sell it in my eBay store as a study piece. It would be great to use for drafting a pattern; I should do that myself. Hmmm.... another project.

"Around The World In 80 Days" - in 4 days

Well, I finished reading the Jules Verne book, "Around The World In 80 Days" today, and LOVED it! Maybe it's not technically a steampunk book, but it's by Verne and set in the Victorian era; that's close enough. I was pleasantly surprised about how good the book was because I was rather lukewarm on Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," which is supposed to be a pillar of the steampunk trope. To each his/her own, I guess.

I'm not going to give a synopsis of the plot here- most people have a general idea what it's about. The plot moved along at a fast clip, just like Fogg en route to San Francisco from Japan. He wrote lots of geographical description but it didn't go over-long or over my head (like Verne's descriptions of the undersea wonders in 20,000 Leagues did). I do wish he'd developed his main characters more, even just a bit. Fogg is a stereotypical Victorian British gentleman but we know nothing about him. Passepartout (his valet) is colorful & fun. Aouda (the lead female) is a blank canvas that wanted developing. But that's typical of reading Victorian novels with a 21st century sensibility.

I read it as an e-book on my iPhone. That's a very convenient way to read books from another era; no need for an annotated copy of the book when the internet is at my fingertips. Now I want to find a copy of the film on DVD or VHS so I can see where Phineas Fogg & company used the hot air balloon they depict in the movie ad; it's the one mode of transportation they didn't use in the book.

Next on my Steampunk reading list? I'm undecided; not sure whether I'm going to stay with 19th century writers or read a modern author. I was thinking about buying "Infernal Devices" as an e-book, but "Morlock Nights" was absolutely rotten with typos... it was a very distracting and distressing read for an amateur editor. I'll have to think about it.

Wells & Verne... Neo-Victorian Bliss

Saturday is my day to wander... usually going to estate & garage sales, etc. in search of product to sell. My sister Leslie is my usual sidekick, which is great. In fact, we've been doing the estate sales route off & on for 30+ years! Good times. So when we finished working we got to play.

We're both infatuated with steampunk... books, films & especially the style. So we were super excited to discover a store in Portland's Sellwood area that sells Steampunk & Gothic clothing & accessories. Named Wells & Verne, we found it at the south end of  SE 13th Avenue, south of Tacoma St. (It's right next door to a crazy antique store replete with taxidermy specimens and the biggest crystal chandelier I've ever seen. Dead animals on the wall are not my cuppa, but whatever.) But back to W & V.

They have a nice selection of clothing that walks the fine line between Goth & Victorian-style... perfect for Steampunk. Hats, jewelry- lots of things I'd love to own, all priced very reasonably. But what I really wanted was one of the sidearms... glorious faux weapons made of repurposed bits & pieces. Once I put together a wardrobe maybe I'll indulge.

I didn't leave empty handed and neither did Les. She picked up her ticket to the Vampire Ball since they were selling them. And I bought myself a pair of earrings- a large gear with a propeller that twirls. I'm really looking forward to going back, and highly recommend the store to others in the Portland area.