Baby Loves Disco, but did the whole family?

The past few times that Baby Loves Disco has been to town, we've been busy.  So, this time, I bought tickets a few months early and committed ourselves as best as I know how - I put it on our joint Google calendar.  Star got sick a few days before the event, so there was potential that my plans would be thwarted, but she was healthy by yesterday, so we went.

And, did baby love it?  Yes, she did.  She said that her favorite things were the neon bracelets that she got from the party host on the stage.

Scott said that he'll never go back.  When I tried to get clarity on this, he said that it combined his least favorite aspects of clubbing with his least favorite aspects of parenting.  It was definitely hard to be a child monitor with loud music and dim lights.

My experience was mixed.  When we walked in, I saw a lot of latex balloons.  I panicked a bit about dying, but then I mellowed out.  Star loved playing with the balloons - she's totally a balloon slut when she can be because she knows that her opportunities to snuggle with balloons are very limited. The snacks ranged from the healthy (carrots with hummus) to the unhealthy.  Star decided on a lolipop.  On the plus side, I love dancing to trendy music so that totally worked for me. 

I'd go back.  Maybe as a playdate with friends since I'm pretty sure that my husband will be opting out. 

"Mommy, I want to be a Princess Carrying a Ladybug"

That's what Star said when we started talking about Halloween costumes. 

So, I executed.  In September, while my in-laws were visiting, my mother-in-law and I went to the yarn store.  I knew I was looking for something kind of like ribbon yarn.  I ended up buying 2 yarns, from the sale section, to hold together.  For the bodice, I basically followed a pattern with a ton of modifications.  But, it got me what I wanted.  

Here's a closeup of the dress in progress.  The knitting took a lot of work.  I knitted while commuting to and from work.  The knit stitch is a seed stitch - knit 2, purl 2 - but you can't really see the stitch through the yarn.  But, what the stitch adds to the bodice is a lot of stretchiness which is what I was aiming for.

I added a bunch of yarn overs, relatively evenly spaced, throughout the bottom of the bodice where I knew I wanted to hang my tulle.

While I was knitting the bodice, I had a few fittings with Star where I would hold up the top to make sure I was basically getting the size and shape that I was looking for.

After the knitting was done, I hung the tulle, and then I crocheted around the armholes and neck with the light pink tulle to bring some sort of cohesion to the dress. 

I procured the ladybug from a seller on Etsy.  This ladybug is a totally expertly made stuffed animal.   If I ever have enough time and patience, I'd love to learn how to create stuffed animals this well. 

At school, there was only 1 other student ("friend") wearing a homemade costume.  For some reason, that surprised me, but we all seem to be busy parents and store-bought costumes are easy to find! 

Star was proud to wear her costume.  She told her friends that I made it for her.  And, we put it in a special place in her room so she can wear it again - possibly without the ladybug accessory this time.