After a few request to show off my crocheted Ariel bounding outfit, today was the day. The weather finally cooled off enough that I could actually put it on (in the morning). I probably won’t be wearing the two pieces together because, you know, crochet overload, but they do make a happy couple visually, if not in practicality.
It was morning but it was already getting to warm to keep on!
I’m thinking of making some new Ariel ears. Not sure I still like these.
Squeee! I finally got to attend the Koroneburg Renaissance Festival that happens in my hometown. A few years ago, I wrote about discovering its existence and wanting to go. But then it was canceled, and in spite of signing up for updates, never got one. I forgot about it and continued going to the one in Irwindale.
Then I saw someone post about the near one on Facebook, and I got excited all over again. Not only did it look like it was actually happening, it had already happened for years! What?! How did I miss it and for years? It didn’t seem that long ago that I was researching it. Turns out it was 2016. Oh well, I know about it now. We went and I loved it.
Both fairs are super fun and hopefully I’ll continue to visit both. The most obvious difference is that the Corona fair happens on its own site and has permanent structures. I really enjoyed the look and feel of the place. Continue reading
Sometimes, what you’re working on doesn’t turn out how you hoped. I have no one to blame but myself. I wanted to wear my dragon cloak on a return visit to the Renaissance Faire, but I wasn’t sure what to pair it with. I had some leftover yarn from the fringe of the cloak and thought I could work with that on an outfit. The idea being that the outfit would match the cloak. I had a vague idea of how the outfit would look but nothing concrete.
That leftover yarn didn’t last long (it looked so much bigger when I started). I used it on the skirt portion and soon ran out. I honestly didn’t want to hunt for more on an experiment I wasn’t sure was even going to work. Plus, I bought that yarn ages ago, on sale, and so it might have been discontinued. But honestly, I didn’t look.
However, I had plenty of that same yarn but in a different color (it was a good sale).
So… I kept the experiment going but had to think about the best way to mix the colors. I decided to continue the skirt in the new color and make the top with the new color.
Hmmm…will this work?
This was kinda pretty.
I mixed in some thin yarn I found in one of my bins. It was a pretty cream color and it had belonged to my mom. I definitely wouldn’t be able to get more of that! I had to think real hard on how to use it without running out (I failed miserably on that score).
Having doubts again.
So when I ran out of the cream colored-yarn, some more thinking and scheming was warranted. I found the perfect ball of yarn that matched the lighter part of the skirt, again one that belonged to my mom (and I couldn’t get more,) and used that.
This project from start to finish was very freeform and very experimental. And when I was done?
This might work.
We had a great time as usual at the Renaissance Faire. We go every year and this time around, I wore my crochet fairy doll costume. Let me tell you, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to pull it off but it was a big success. Faire goers responded really well to it, especially the wig and the wings. Ironically, most people didn’t even notice the doll or that we matched, until I pointed it out, and then they loved her.
Here I was right before we left the house.
Once there, we let the revelry begin!
By the end we were exhausted but happy. 🙂
If you’re curious about past years, here they are!
2012-2015 This link shows pics from those years since I didn’t individually post about those visits.
I couldn’t find a post about 2018 and was wondering why not. Could it be possible I didn’t post anything? Then I found two pictures in my photo archives on my computer and I was wearing an outfit that had no crochet in it, like at all! Still, I wonder why I didn’t post about it? It’s not the greatest pic but at least it’s proof I went! I was starting to doubt. 🙂
I was with my sisters and don’t have permission to post their pic but I loved going with them.
As usual, I like working under a time crunch. I had a full week to finish my crochet doll fairy outfit for the Renaissance Faire. We go every year and we picked a weekend that was going to be relatively cool since I was representing in full-out crochet. I wasted no time and planned what would be done on what day.
The corset/bustier whatchamacallit and arm cuffs
This actually took me longer than I expected but it was relatively easy. It was time consuming but easy. The top is just rows of single crochet, alternating between two rows of purple and black. The black skirt was double crochet with an increase round and back post stitches thrown in. The black skirt took the longest because the yarn was so darn thin and took forever to work up, but patience won out and I got it done. I also worked on the frame for the wings.
I was bouncing back and forth between the wings and the dress.
The frame for the wings were two wire hangers that I joined. I destroyed many wire hangers trying to get a good look. And what did I go with in the end? I took two hangers and just twisted the hook parts around each other and stretched the bottom of the hangers out. Sometimes simple is best, especially when you’re in a time crunch. I single crocheted around the whole thing. I set it aside for later.
The skirt (goes under the black skirt)
The skirt did actually take me just one day, a day of non-stop crochet, but just one day. 🙂 This was similar to the black skirt in that it was mostly double crochet. The waist got some single crochet but that was it. Oh, and the bottom edging was done in picots.
I couldn’t decide how I wanted the wings to look. I had all sorts of notions but went with something simple and fast. Honestly, I felt like I was just slapping things together but it ended up looking pretty. The flowers were last minute touches that I think made the wings look complete.
My daughter said it looked like eyes so I added the flowers so it wouldn’t!
Aaahhh, the hair. I left the hair for last because I had a clear picture of what I wanted and how I was going to achieve the look. I had planned on making a thin headband. I knew it would get hot so I didn’t want a full beanie with yarn all around. A ponytail could be achieved with strands around the border. My first attempt was a fail. Not enough coverage! I had to add more rounds to the head band and a second layer of strands, but that did the trick. Last but not least were the ringlets. I didn’t even secure them well because it was close to midnight and I wanted to sleep! I secured them just well enough so they wouldn’t fall out during the day. I reasoned I would permanently attach them after the fair.
I ended up loving it!
Overall, I was thrilled with how everything turned out and I made it in time for the fair!
I’ll write about our adventure in my next post. Spoiler alert, the wig and wings were a big hit!
yochet 