Tag Archive | Marscon

Marscon Day 2

Jan19

image

Guys. I’m sorry. It is 9:28 as I sit down to type and I have just realized that it is Sunday and I should be posting a selfie. Please forgive me. I pretty much have not stopped since last Sunday. I look the same, with 3 more grey hairs and a deeper line between my eyebrows. Also, dark circles under my eyes, because sleep. I need it. We will get back to the SPS next week.

Today was the final day of Marscon. I attended a panel on steampunk and decided that yes, I am a fan. Historical science fiction. What ifs. Elegant clothing. Mechanical toys. What’s not to love? Just the LOOK of it makes me happy. I am already designing my costume for next year. No, I’m not telling you about it yet, but the whole image popped into my head complete, so I know it is going to be good. I will be “thrfting” as much of it as possible, and I am really looking forward to watching it come together. I promise, you will not be surprised when you see what I have done; instead you will nod your head in agreement that it is practically perfect in every way for me.

Now let’s talk about the picture! The last time my oldest child was home, she brought with her an embossed leather journal. It was the most beautiful shade of purple and had a huge butterfly on it. That thing has been on my mind for YEARS. But, when I am journaling, I really journal. I mean to say, I burn through the paper like fire will take a field of dry corn. And those embossed leather journals are spendy. I much prefer the thick books for $6.99 or the thin composition books you can get in August for $.99. Much more cost effective. But. Leather. So pretty. So fragrant. So permanent. So unavailable as a refillable holder for the notebooks I most often use. Right up until my table was set up across from a leather worker at Marscon. I ordered this design today as a folio. I am way excited. The maker is www.finelineleatherdesign.com. (They asked that I give them credit in exchange for using this picture .) Friendly folks, and priced lower than I expected based on the internet research I have done, in which I found plenty of pricey folios in all the wrong sizes. They had several designs, but this is the one that most appealed to me. I’m a classic gal drawn to classic images I guess. Besides, writing really is meditative for me, so what better symbol could there be for my journal? And, it will always look the same. There is an appeal to that for me that I really can’t explain. You will either get it or you won’t.

Okay. Con is over, work is done. I’m going down to spend a few minutes in the hot tub, with my hairy legs and wearing a t-shirt and panties, because I didn’t bring a suit. Don’t fret, the situation has been scoped out for me by my friend. There aren’t any fellas there and the ladies said they wouldn’t mind.

Marscon

Jan18

image

So, this weekend, in addition to visiting briefly with friends, I am working at Marscon here in Williamsburg. This is my first ever con, and although it may seem a little odd to you that I would *work* instead of *attend* my first con, I think it has been a great introduction to the concept for this raging introvert. Since I am in the dealer room, I get to see the people, engage with them briefly, and I don’t have to try to come up with something to talk about, because the con is an easy lead in. Today, I met Ursula the Sea Witch, and I learned a little about the steampunk genre. I think I am quite interested in that, and hope to attend a discussion group on it tomorrow to find out a bit more.

So, the photo is of some of the things I am hoping to sell here, and some socks I have started. These pieces were not made specifically for Marscon, so there’s no theme to them. If I continue to do the con thing from a vendor perspective, that will change a bit.

The socks could do with some talking about. This is my first time doing two socks on one needle, I think. I am sure it is the first time I have tried it toe up. I cast on 28 stitches for these, worked the short row toe, and then picked up 28 stitches from the cast on and continued to knit around from there. I said toe, singular, because I did knit those one at a time.

Now, I want you to look carefully at those sock toes. The ball bands say that these two balls of yarn are the same colorway and dye lot. I’m here to tell you that it ain’t so. One of these yarns is distinctly darker than the other. I knew something was funny when I pulled out about 50 yards of ball two trying to find the place where I had started sock one. I eventually found what I thought was an approximation, but…not quite. It’s becoming more obvious as I knit down the foot that the dye lot is not the same, and I am beginning to have my doubts about the balls being the same colorway. These are not going to be matching socks. The only thing that is going to make them a pair is that they were made on the same needles at the same time and so will be exactly the same stitch wise. I had planned to make one pair of knee socks, and possibly higher by adding in some Opal Tiger, with which the darker ball coordinates. However, I may end up making four shorter socks, just so I don’t have to hide these socks under boots every time I wear them!

You might think I am overly rigid about matching. I have prided myself on being able to turn out matching socks since the first pair I knit. I don’t want to look like a sloppy knitter! A girl has to have standards in certain areas. My towels get folded wonky sometimes, but damnitall, my hand knit socks rock uniformity.