As you know, this past weekend held the 41st annual Custer’s Last Stand Street Fair here in Evanston. This was my second year as a vendor, and I was mentally fully prepared for my endeavor. Rebecca of The Complete Fool also had a booth, not far from mine. Since she was arriving from Madison, she stayed at our house for the weekend. It was wonderful having her over. The fair seemed to really enjoy having her there, too.
For two days straight, I was outside with a line of little girls and boys waiting (remarkably patiently for the median age being 6) to have their faces painted. My mantra was time is money, and I am in desperate need of funds lately. Not only that, but I did not want to disappoint any of the kids by saying “And that’s it! I can’t paint anymore.” So, with a Gypsy as my minion to fetch water, lemon ginger beer (non-alcoholic and life changing), and manage the shop while I was covered in paint and glitter, we made it work. Everyone had a great time. Once again, I was not able to leave my space, though, so I can not tell you what else was at the fair. I also left my camera at home on Saturday, so you get one days pictures instead of both (which is a shame because there were some really awesome paint jobs on Saturday).
This little girl wanted to be a unicorn. The nose could use a little work, but otherwise I am very proud with how it turned out. This was my first full-face unicorn.
Here is a snow leopard. I am surprised at how many new things I was asked for this year. Mostly, I get the same old story – butterfly, cat, fish, heart, etc. But here we have a unicorn, a snow leopard. I was asked to do a full face raccoon (that little girl made my Saturday, she was awesome), even a zombie!
I must say, however, that a lot of the girls that wanted cats were creative with it. Pink, purple, and blue cats were all the rage.
Overall, I think tiger faces were the most asked for. I’ve gotten really good at them and can work very quickly, so I don’t mind so much.
Sunday night, we all collapsed after showering and when Monday dawned, no one wanted to move. It took all of my effort to roll out of bed and go about getting ready for work. My mind started racing with all of the things I have to do now, and I had to mentally shut off the brain. I do not want to think about laundry, cleaning, or paperwork. I do not want to make anything because I have to, but because I want to. At least for Monday – I have three orders to fill.
Instead, I started crocheting a roily – that is, a doily that is significantly enlarged so as to be a rug.
I’m on a size K hook, using two strands of this nasty acrylic yarn held double. Last night, I finished round 12 of 26. Hopefully, I will be done by the end of the week. I am really hoping the blocking forces it to lie flat. If this works, I am going to get some cotton and make another one.
