Crocheted Klingon Uniform

This crocheted Klingon uniform was almost entirely made without a pattern. It took 3 miles of yarn and ended up weighing 10 pounds! I got stopped for photos about every 5 feet walking the convention!

The only pattern I used was for the ridges, from a pattern by Vintage Queen Timmons. Everything else, from the hair to the boots, was from my own brain.

The hair is made by chaining 60-80 (depending on how long you want it) with an 8mm hook, then half-double crocheting twice in each stitch:

The trickiest aspect was the spine detail in the back. Each vertebrae was two pieces:

To make the boots, I poked holes into flip-flop bottoms after removing the straps, then crocheted a base into those holes:

I’m really pleased with the results, and it gained me a top 20 placing in the Star Trek Las Vegas 2023 convention cosplay contest. The biggest problem with it (other than the heat) was that it stretched as the day went on. The bottom of the skirt went from mid-calf to dragging on the ground, and the hem of the upper part, where it originally sat at my hips, ended up cupping my butt! I’m not sure how to prevent that for the future.

My favorite part to actually crochet was the sash. I used a chainmail stitch and then weaved larger yarn into the spaces. I may make myself a scarf like it.

Star Trek Las Vegas Convention 2023

Though the actor/writer’s strike blocked the actors from discussing past, present and future projects, fun was still had by most who attended. Panels involved actors discussing their charities, personal lives, and other non-work related topics. Some convention goers were disappointed, but we all understood the necessity for the actors to follow the rules of their union. I made the top 20 in the cosplay contest by crocheting a complete Klingon outfit. You can see more of it in my blog post in the craft section.

Klingon Costume

Well, so far I have used 1.3 miles of yarn for my crocheted Klingon outfit for the upcoming Star Trek convention. The only pattern I’ve used was for the forehead ridges. Everything else is straight out of my own noggin. Lots of trial and error. Many pieces still waiting to be made and I can’t wait to put it all together! Yes, that’s a basset hound cookie jar I’m using to hold the headpiece LOL. Lower right is the start of the spine detail.

Sunspot the size of four Earths

The darkest sunspot, the one at the two-o’clock position, is four times the size of the Earth. Sure brings home how truly massive our sun really is!!! I photographed this with my 300mm lens at 1/500 sec, f/16, 100 ISO. Solar filter attached. False color added.

Multiple sunspots are seen during the sun's active phase

Kelvin–Helmholtz Clouds

Kelvin–Helmholtz clouds half an hour ago. I’ve always wanted to capture these clouds, but have yet to get the classic wave shape. These are close, but not the holy grail I’ve been hoping for.