Renaissance Fair Crochet Cosplay 2019

It’s that time again when I start planning my outfit for the Renaissance Fair here in Southern California. Considering it starts next Friday, I’m a little late (as usual), but I have until mid-May before the fair ends so plenty of time, NOT! I suppose I could just wear one of my other crochet outfits. Afterall, I’ve only worn my dragon cloak once.

Three renaissance fairs ago.

I would still have to come up with something to wear that would look good with the cloak but I’ve been toying with a different idea for years now and I’m going to give that idea a go.

I’ve wanted to make a crochet fairy outfit but could never decide what I wanted. I was staring at one of my crochet fairy dolls I’d made when a stroke of genius (lunacy) struck me. I’m going to replicate her outfit.

I’ve kept this one because she’s one of my favorites.

I’m going to go as a crochet fairy doll and I’m taking the doll with me. We’ll be twinsies. Of course, that assumes the outfit will look good on me. If it doesn’t, I guess I’ll be using that dragon cloak afterall. 🙂

I’m almost done with the top portion.

Just a little more to go!

I’ll work on the skirt next, then the wig and will do the wings last. She has wings but I’m going to make us both something different so I didn’t show them. Can’t wait till it’s done. I hope I like it enough to wear it. Fingers crossed.

Freebie Friday – Crochet Mermaid Crown

So I don’t have an actual pattern for this crown but I’m free-ly sharing my process and ideas for the crown and am still (loosely) considering this a freebie.

Yesterday, I shared some beautiful crowns from the web and my bright idea to make one of my own for Ren Faire. I had plenty of yarn, a bag full of shells and vague ideas waiting to get out.  I was planning to wear my mermaid outfit made out of crocodile stitches. I guess I should have tried on my outfit first, before I started the crown. As usual, I jumped in feet first, got the crochet part of the crown done, and then tired on the outfit. After all, it should fit, right? Why wouldn’t it? Maybe because I put on a little weight? Well, it fit, but I wasn’t so sure I looked good in it anymore. Oh well. I had started the crown and I was still going to finish it. I can wear it even if I don’t wear my mermaid costume, which I haven’t completely ruled out yet.

Strategy

To begin, I needed to make a crochet crown to act as a canvas for my creation. After I did that, I stared at all my shells and looked in my jewelry drawers for sparklies I could use. I pulled out all my beads and buttons and stared at those, too.

Below is my first attempt at adorning my crown. I had small, pearly beads I liked. I added them after and not during the crocheting. I sewed them on, nestled in the picots. I also added a zircon I had. I added the pointy conch-shells by making two rows of single crochet and sewing it onto the back of the picots with little pockets for the shells. They kept falling out but once on my head, they stay put.

It’s getting there.

I like it but it needs more.

Denial: Crochet Mermaid Crown for the Renaissance Faire

It’s Renaissance Faire time! We are going this Sunday and I want a mermaid crown. I’ve been seriously considering my outfit options. I usually sew (I use the term sew loosely) or crochet something new. I start off in denial about how much time I have to make something as I almost always wait till the last second to actually start. But this year, I think I just want to wear something I already own. You see? No one is in denial here. Considering I only have three days before we’re going, I think I’m making a pretty smart decision here.

I decided my mermaid outfit can once again appear at the fair. However, I never really liked the head-dressing I originally made for it. Sooooo, that means I need to make a new crown/headband/tiara thing to complement the outfit. I see all the head shaking already. It’s only three days! But I can do it! Seriously, I’m not in denial.

I moseyed on over to my friend, the internet, and did a little search on crochet mermaid crowns. I’ve been drooling over photos on Etsy for a bit. Mainly, I was looking for inspiration. I was hoping lightning would strike me with some amazing (easy) idea on how to make one. I wasn’t finding anything at first, but then, I found a really pretty one that I thought I could emulate.

This mermaid crown is gorgeous!

Off To The Renaissance Fair At Last

I finally went off to the Renaissance Faire! With my dragon cloak complete, all I had to do was find something to complement my cloak. I furiously tossed clothes out of my closet hunting for something that wouldn’t clash with the colors and would look Renaissancy. I tried on this and that and with the help of my hubby ended up going with a crochet dress I had recently acquired. My mom had made it years ago and it had holes in some places (mostly in the back) but the colors were complementary to my cloak so I went with it. Once duly adorned, we were off!

Lucky for me that this weekend turned out to be one of the cooler ones! Made wearing the cloak bearable 🙂

Renaissance Faire in My Back Yard!

There is a Renaissance Faire that happens in my home city???!!! What???!!! I’ve been trekking all the way to Irwindale (about 40 miles away) to go to the faire and I have one practically in my own back yard! Obviously I have to check it out. It’s called the Koroneburg Old World Renaissance Festival. I already bought tickets for The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, the one I’ve been going to for years. We are still going but if this one is as good, we will be going there from now on.

Freebie Friday -Dragon Scale Bikini Top

In honor of the Renaissance Faire that’s coming to town, I thought my Freebie Friday would be something I could wear to the fair (if only in my dreams). I found this top years ago when I was looking for a stitch that might resemble fish scales. I wanted to make a mermaid costume and this pattern was one of the firsts I found. I loved it so much I have kept it and fondled it all this time (yes, you can fondle a pattern). I never actually made it exactly as it was written but it definitely inspired me to make some of my favorite pieces with that crocodile stitch. I finished my mermaid skirt and made a top go with it. I was a little too shy to make the top as revealing as this one but it was still pretty.

I’ve seen similar attire to the dragon top worn at previous Ren Faires and perhaps one day (after working out like crazy and losing a few pounds) I might be bold enough to make it and wear it. I love looking at it though. It is hands down something a dragon slayer would wear under her dragon cloak!

So for those who would dare, you can find this gorgeous Targaryen Dragon Scale Bikini Top here.

And for those of you dying to know what my mermaid skirt and top looked like, here it is being proudly worn to Ren Faire one year. I was supposed to fan the bottom portion out and fill it with stuffing so it would look like a fin but I never got around to it. I just let it hang but most people still recognized it as a mermaid outfit.

This outfit was inspired by the dragon top. I should have found better shoes though!

I am not affiliated with any websites nor do I make any money from these sites. They are simply patterns I like or would like to try myself.

Renaissance Faire

Yikes! Is it almost time for the Renaissance Faire? My hubby and I go every year and I wanted to finish a new costume I wanted to  wear. I thought I had all the time in the world to finish my ‘dragon’ cloak! I vaguely remember putting it down in frustration a while ago and was contemplating ripping it back and chucking the whole project. I was using the crocodile stitch that I absolutely love but this project was so large, it was straining my hands and wrists. I just threw it in a project bag to think about later.

Well, later is here! I was cleaning my office/project room and came across this WIP and kinda set it aside. But as time went by, I started getting more and more emails about Ren Faire. In my mind, it was still an event way off in the future. But I suddenly realized that it was just around the corner. It starts in April and runs through May. If I want to finish my cloak, that’s not much time. This cloak is very time-consuming since I need to take it slow.

The road so far.

I decided to go for it and see if I can finish it in time. First problem, it’s been so long since I last worked on it, I forgot what I was doing. I’m not following a pattern, just a notion in my head so it took me a few minutes to shake out the cobwebs and remember what my original plan was. Since I couldn’t remember, I just started a new plan and started crocheting…very slowly…(didn’t want to strain my wrists again). Luckily, I had left the hook I had been using in the bag. At least I didn’t have to try to remember what size hook I was using! Unluckily, I was using a hook that has two different sized ends on it! I’m pretty sure it was the end with the larger size. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it!

I finished a couple of rows before bed and was feeling hopeful about the cloak’s ultimate completion. Second problem, I was using up a lot of yarn and I was suddenly worried I would run out before I finished. I can’t just run out and get more of this yarn. My sister gave me several skeins many years ago and I’ve had them for many more. I know I wouldn’t be able to buy more. That got me thinking about redesigning the cloak (in my head) in a way that didn’t use up as much yarn. I wanted the cloak to reach down to my feet but I’m flexible. If it falls short and I run out, I’m okay with a shorter cloak. It’s hot when the fair is running so maybe it would be a blessing in disguise to be forced to make a shorter cloak. Always think positive!

Now I am armed with a new plan and the hope that I can finish the project. Then I need to figure out what I’m going to wear underneath it. What does the slayer of a pinkish dragon wear? 😉

Crocodile Stitch Cloak

Now that I am done with making all the dolls that were in my to do list, I was floundering around wondering what to make next, if anything. Instead, I decided to attack all the other little tasks I was supposed to do this summer and actually finished some of them! I can become obsessed with tasks sometimes and I ended up spending days organizing my photo files on my computer. And I do mean days. I was at my desk non stop for days! DAYS! Then I cleaned up my computer files in general. Then I went and organized my physical prints. I cleaned my office and craft room and reorganized that too.

Then I found myself back where I started. What to make :-). Working on the cape for the Anna crochet doll reminded me about the cloak I started and never finished about two years ago. The one I was going to wear to the Renaissance Fair two Renaissance Fairs ago LOL. I had lofty goals back then. I had just learned how to make the crocodile crochet stitch and fell in love with it. I wanted to make a mermaid skirt for Halloween and went searching for the perfect stitch that looked like scales. I made my skirt and then had the bright idea that a hooded cloak would look awesome with that stitch. I imagined a cloak that looked like I had killed a dragon and wore is at a cloak. Very nerdy but I was going to make it happen. I envisioned this shimmery, goldish, greenish cloak that wasn’t too hot (Ren Fair happens in the summer and it can get very hot!). I sadly didn’t have enough yarn in my stash that fit this description so that meant I would have to buy something. This would get pricey! Instead, I figured I should make a prototype before I went and spent all this money on something I didn’t know how to make. I didn’t want to run out of yarn in the middle of the project so I went with something I had a lot of that I didn’t mind using in the experiment. It was a gift from my sister and I’m not sure what kind of yarn it is but it seemed fancy and felt nice.

It’s pinkish in color (I suppose there could be a pink dragon somewhere) and I started the hood. I realized right away that I didn’t make the hood big enough or wide enough so I added a fringe in this Boucle yarn I had (bought with a coupon). It was a variegated white and blue. It reminded me of snow. I thought the two yarns looked good together. I had finished the hood right away back then and only did about two rows of the cape when I set it down.

I’m not sure why my desire to finish it petered out. I think the task ahead seemed daunting and I just kept putting it off.

Well, the time for my cloak is now! I will finish this cloak and it will be ready for Ren Fair next May. It won’t be goldish and greenish and shimmery but it will be pink and snow blueish and whitish and it will be hot but it will be pretty 🙂 I have already finished a few more rows and am looking forward to meeting this new cloak and maybe it will inspire me to go out and find that perfect yarn for the second cloak 🙂