The cute:
The fierce:
The battle:
The comings and goings:
Grand total spent: $9.50 + gasoline. Grand total hours spent: Don't ask. We've been spending a lot of time here on Flickr lately. It's so worth it knowing how much their costumes get worn throughout the year(s).
Chainmail: Kayray's Knitted Chainmail Hauberk, with some modifications to make the neckline big enough to fit over their heads, and a slightly wider sizing for R's. 2 balls Lion Brand Cotton Ease bought on clearance for $2.75 each. R's was overdyed with a mix of leftover plant dyebaths in an cast iron pot, the way the vikings would have done it. I normally can't stand loosey-goosey knitting like this done on big needles but these were so worth making. R knit a few rows on his and E even worked the right hand needle for a couple of rows while I worked the left, his very first knitting!
Tunics: completely winged using repurposed flannel, one of which had been a door curtain in our house, the other nightgown when I was pregnant.
Capes: $2 worth of a $4 thrifted off-white felted woolen blanket, dyed with leftover plant dyebath. (Splotches in the dyeing job are due to too much fabric in a small dyepot and insufficient stirring, but that was expected as I didn't put too much care into it as it was just for costumes.) Lining is a $2 piece of thrifted fake fur. They weren't even going to have capes, only it's usually about 5-15 degrees F on Halloween so I figured they'd need them. Of course, it was 50 degrees F this year so they wouldn't have even been necessary.
Helmets, based on this design: leftover leather from the upholstering of one of the latest pieces of Chris' furniture, glued together with contact cement used at the shop for laminate countertops. Lined for warmth with Malden Mills fleece that's been in stash for more than 10 years.
Shields and swords: wood scraps from the shop, designed and painted by the boys, cut out and leather straps pop riveted on by C.
Brooches: $1 worth of Sculpey bakeable clay, made by the boys, and pin backs that I had on hand hot glued onto the backs.
Belts: E's thrifted in Cody, WY last month for $1. R's cowboy belt was a gift with cowboy boots and bolo. His sheath is made from the ever trusty toilet paper tubes and duct tape.
Pics from the year my brothers were vikings with cardboard and tin-can-end shields. I guess it runs in the family.
And, lastly, who's that fisherwomanman?
Grand total $ spent: zero. Grand total hours spent: one or two, yesterday afternoon. Ta da! Pulled off last minute with no time to spare. Idea from here.
Beard: A mix of leftover grey yarns wrapped around my hand and then cut open into small strips, hot-glued onto a felted piece of an old sweater (that I knit but never liked) cut into a beard shape with elastic sewn on.
Fishing pole: a cut-off scrap from the shop with a groove whittled into the end by R to fit a piece of scrap yarn and a couple of paper plate fish cut out by me and colored in by E and I.
Clothing: my favorite, most worn, 10-12 year old cabled J. Crew sweater, a recently knit Johnny Cap, and C's raingear and boots which he usually only wears while grinding concrete countertops outside the shop.
Number of fingers burnt with hot glue: all ten, but nothing will ever beat the one about the year C's mom hot glued his Mister T mohawk onto a swimming cap...while it was on his head. Ouch, but it makes for a good story every Halloween! I guess it runs in both sides of the family. : )
