Equally Skilled With A Bat’leth And Knitting Needles

Taken by Elanor Finster at BayCon 2012

Costumes are spawned by small ideas, not huge ones.  My award winning Klingon K’ntt’r of House Cr’chet costume is a fine example of that.

As I was leaving the BayCon 2012 Masquerade, I got stopped by a few people.  They were aware that this was my first masquerade, and encouraged me to keep on making costumes.  One person asked me if I had an idea for next year.

I had been so focused on doing the Wonder Woman costume that the thought about doing another one.  No sooner that he had stopped speaking than two words popped in my head – knit bat’leth.  Of course if I make a bat’leth, I need a Klingon costume

That lead me on an adventure of buying all the gray yarn I could lay hands on.  And watching all the episodes I could find featuring Lursa and B’etor.  And much tedious knitting.

I purchased a wooden form of a bat’leth to cover with freeform crochet.  The uniform top is based on a tank top combined with a shrug and custom shoulder guards.  The headpiece is based on a hat I saw and thought “Klingon head ridges.”  It was over six months of knitting and fretting that I would get it right.

I got it right.  This costume won Best Workmanship at BayCon 31 and Best In Master Class at Westercon 66.

For more photos, please look at my Flickr photo album or the photos taken by Jade Falcon during Westercon 67 at Geek Girl Crafts.

In the Bay Area May 23rd through the 26th?  Want to hear about me talk about knitting?  Want to see my latest costume in person?  I will be at BayCon 2014 giving panels on the inspirations and ideas that lead to my Best Workmanship and Best in Show costumes as well as participating in the Variety Show

This week’s Puff update –
Weekly Apiary Puffs Completed: 2
Total Apiary Puffs Completed: 65
Total Leftover Skeins Busted: 15