Featured Discussions - The Steampunk Empire

RIP Richard Nagy AKA Datamancer

2013-11-25T23:41:31.892Z

The very sad news is breaking that Richard Nagy died suddenly late last week. There seem to be few details at present, but for those unfamiliar with his work (which judging by the chat I've just had is an alarming amount of you). Might I respectfully suggest you take a moment to acquaint yourselves with one of the first and greatest Steampunk artists out there.

RIP Datamancer.

http://www.datamancer.net/

Who Is Attending DragonCon 2013?

2013-08-01T14:57:33.928Z

I was just curious if anyone was planning on attending DragonCon in Atlanta GA this Labor Day weekend. I would be pleased to meet up with any of my fellow Imperialists.

Are corsets as outerwear permissible?

2013-02-20T19:38:06.647Z

I purchased this corset: http://www.corset-story.com/cd-557-green-and-black-brocade-pattern-underbust-with-buckles.html with the intent of wearing it similarly to this: http://www.steampunkemporium.com/store/steam_ladies_09.php

Since having purchased it a few months ago, I've found a few posts here about corsets as outerwear being overdone in steampunk, or about how they were never a good idea in the first place (as they are properly a Victorian undergarment). Should I abandon the thought of using it as outerwear? I should have asked questions like this *before* purchasing it, but I didn't think of it. If you don't think it should be used for outerwear, can any of you think of an alternate use for it? I think the buckles on the front would make it too bulky to wear underneath clothing, but perhaps I'm wrong. In any case, thank you for reading this and for any advice offered!

The Steampunk Empire Guidlines

2012-12-02T16:48:24.763Z

Hello everyone!

First of all, I would like to thank you all to be a great member of the Empire!

We have published a set of guidelines for the Empire. Please take a moment to read it and familiarize yourself with them.

THE STEAMPUNK EMPIRE GUIDELINES

The Steampunk Empire is built for people who love steampunk. These guidelines, in conjunction with our Terms of Service, provide advice that we hope make the Empire an interesting, safe, and productive place to have conversations about the genre we came to love so much.

CIVILITY RULES
If we want respect and civility to be the hallmarks of The Steampunk Empire, we all have to strive to keep the feedback constructive.

STAY ON TARGET
Off-topic, out-of-context, drive-by, cross-posted comments make it hard to follow a conversation. We sometimes remove them to keep the conversation structured and meaningful.

WE TIDY UP
We move Forum discussions that look like they belong in a different category. We close duplicate discussions and point people to ongoing discussions about the same topic. We don’t intend to censor anyone, but we may remove a discussion or replies in a discussion if they’re causing confusion, are mean-spirited, or are otherwise inappropriate (e.g., language). In general, we do our best to tidy up and make things easier to find.

ATTACKERS WILL NOT BE DEFENDED
It doesn’t happen very often, but we will remove people who harass other people. Personal attacks, insults, and unrelenting negativity won’t be tolerated on The Steampunk Empire.

NOBODY LIKES SPAM (EXCEPT SPAMMERS)
What is spam? Spam is a noun: unsolicited ads for products and services. Spam is a verb: posting the same message again and again to as many people as possible. Spam is a bad word. Don’t spam.

Making this a safe, constructive place to exchange information is our top priority, and violating any of these guidelines may result in a suspension from the Empire. It rarely comes to that, though. The most important thing we ask of you, our fellow denizens of the Empire: Get involved! Tons of people here are helpful and kind to each other. Be one of them.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send me a message.

Thanks and happy holidays!

Tea: Preferences and Preperation Techniques of 21st Century Victorian-era Temporal Expats.

2012-09-12T06:27:24.781Z

Abhorring thread duplication, I checked first to see if the community had delved into the oft-spirited discussion regarding the consumption of our favourite concoction of the Camellia Sinensis plant. It had been done already; yet I also notised that the discussion had not been touched since 2010. I had a question to ask; yet, as I am given to avoid 'Thread Necromancy', here it is:

Tea is a passion of mine. I brew 'empire teas', from India and Sri Lanka, Traditional Chinese and Japanese teas, Taiwanese, Hawaiian, African, South American... if it came from the Camellia Sinensis plant and any varietal, or is commonly brewed as a tisane by any culture, I (likely) want to try it. I use cast iron, yixing clay, glassware, ceramics, gourds, and guywan for brewing, at any time, temperature, sweetness, or milk strength my mood desires. I work at a tea shop in toledo, and I work with a very broad demographic, but very few steampunks venture into my shop. Here, I'd like to build a dialogue within the steampunk community online.

What tea is your preference? Which methods do you use for preparation? What's in your cup right now? Want to get into tea, but don't know where to begin? Kirkaswold, Vithanekande, or Tarajulie estate?

What's your favorite steampunk novel?

2011-04-17T05:45:36.065Z

i'm not sure i have a favorite but i am currently enjoying Boneshaker by Cherie Priest.

My knitted wool top hat

2010-11-26T17:50:15.077Z

I was asked how I made my hat and I figured I should do a write up. It started when I found this site and a pattern for a tricorn hat:

http://knitlikeapirate.com/projects/tricorn.shtml

I recommend thoroughly reading that article site and getting comfortable with the process. I modified the plan itself but the overall procedure is the same for most of it. My directions will make a little more sense if you directly compare to those instruction as they are written slightly better.

So this may not be the best way, but it's how I did it. As well I've only been knitting for about a month and this is my 3^rd hat tried.

Start:

Cast on 108 placing stitch markers after 10, 10, 14, 10, 10, 10, 10, 14, 10, 10.

I number my markers 1-10 so that I know when I've made a complete round.

I then knit 14 rounds. The directions have alternating knits and purls for a bit but I found it posed no real difference and I don't like doing purls.

I'll use (M#) to indicate where my markers are

Round 15: k8, k2tog, (M1) k8, k2tog, (M2) k14, (M3) k2tog, k8, (M4) k2tog, k8, (M5) k8, k2tog, (M6) k8, k2tog, (M7) k14, (M8) k2tog, k8, (M9) k2tog, k8 (M10)

Round 16: knit

Hatband:

Round 17: Purl

Round 18: Knit

Crown:

Round 1: k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, (M1) k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, (M2), k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k3, kt2tog, (M3) k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, (M4) k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, (M5) k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, (M6) k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, (M7), k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, k3, kt2tog, (M8) k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, (M9) k3, k2tog, k2, k2tog, (M10)

Round 2: Purl

Round 3-25: Knit (this is the pictured hat, I'm doing another where I'm doing about 60 rounds here to make it a taller hat)

Top decreases:

Take out half your stitch markers, so you have a marker at the beginning of your round and at 14, 18, 14, 18, 14 stitches

If you have double-pointed needles, this might be a good time to switch to them. ( I just used a 16 inch round as my local store didn't have size 13 double endeds.)

Repeat this 2 round pattern 4 times:

Round 1: k2tog, knit to marker, repeat

Round 2: slip-slip-knit, knit to marker, repeat

Round 9: k2tog, k4, (M1) k2tog, k3, k2tog, k3, (M2) k2tog, k4, (M3) k2tog, k3, k2tog, k3, (M4) k2tog, k4 (M5)

Round 10: k2tog, k3, (M1) k2tog, k2, k2tog, k2, (M2) k2tog, k3, (M3) k2tog, k2, k2tog, k2, (M4) k2tog, k3 (M5)

Tippytop:

Now you should have 24 stitches.

Round 11: k2tog, repeat (12 stitches left)

Round 12: k2tog, repeat (6 stitches left)

Break the yarn, leaving a longish tail, and thread the needle. Catch the stitches on the extra yarn and pull it tight.

From here follow the felting procedure:

http://knitlikeapirate.com/techniques/felting.shtml

To shape the hat I found a bowel that was close to the same size as my head and drew the wet felted hat down squarely so that it was even in height. I used rubber bands to hold the hat in place. This ended up being a bad idea as it made ribs in the hat that would not come out after it was dried unless I resoaked and did some hand felting. On the next hat I'm planning on a single rubber band at the top and then maybe a wide over lapping ribbon wrapped around and around and then a rubber band at the bottom. I also did a fairly tight "plain blanket stitch" with a needle and yarn diagonally through the side/top of the hat to help define the shape. As well I shaped out the brim by hand, checking back every few hours to make sure it was still a satisfactory shape.

Stiffening:

I let it dry for a day or 2 until it was thoroughly dry, a fan can help, but not direct heat. I then used a 2:1 ratio of denatured alcohol (2) and shellac (1) in a small spray bottle (all 3 things were purchased at my local hardware store) and soaked down the top “corner” and sides of the brim with this solution. Let it dry until it stopped stinking. I sprayed areas I wanted stiffer a 2^nd time and let dry again. I made sure to try not to spray the hat band area as I wanted it to remain a little flexible for wearing.

I think that covers how I did it. Feel free to ask questions and I'll try to answer best I can.

Curiosities of the Aether Waves (aka Links & Reviews)

2009-06-07T16:50:15.682Z

Ladies & Gentlemen,

May I modestly propose a discussion thread in which we share links to various steampunk (and such) sites that we have discovered in our travels across the Aether Waves of what I hear is commonly referred to the "internet"?

Despite our growing numbers in the Steampunk Empire, these keywords in a Google search will bring up another delight, Sillof's customized action figures displaying the characters of that motion picture sensation "The Empire Strikes Back" re-imagined in steampunk fashion. But that's not all, Sillof have given several other super heroic icons the steampunk treatment and fashioned some very impressive toys. It is my belief that many of these steampunk revisions would make for excellent costumes, and perhaps some already have. So, if you have not already, investigate

www.sillof.com

and admire some of the fine craftsmanship that this workshop has created.

New Citizens of the Empire

2009-06-04T20:46:15.405Z

As steampunks from all over the colonies of the new world and the motherlands of the old world gather on this fabulous crossroads of the Aether, we invite you to share a little about your steampunk self and tell us about your airship, meetup, local steampunk scene, or whatever.

On the waves of the Aether I am known as Aloysius, a dandy who is a little more of the steam and a little less of the punk, heralding from the Queen City (aka Cincinnati, Ohio) although originally I was born and bred in the heart of the British Empire before migrating to the colonies toward the end of the last century. I am a founding member of the League of Cincinnati Steampunks, a band of anachronistic anarchists who meet every couple of weeks to share tales of adventure and find new ones. I have been a steampunk for longer than I realized; I knew the literary genre back in the 90s, wore Victorian and Edwardian fashions, liked goggles, airships, and brass gizmos, but did not piece it all together until these last couple of years . . . and it's been steamy fun ever since!

Steampunk Movies

2009-06-03T01:38:43.005Z

Ladies & Gentlemen,

So what Steampunk Movies to you consider to be decent? Despite having some great moments "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" was an overall disappointment for most folks, but what other films have actually left you satisfied? Some favorites of mine are, "The First Men in the Moon" from the HG Well's novel, and "Steamboy." Next year will see "Larklight" which looks promising, but what are your thoughts?

Yours Faithfully, Aloysius