Renegade Season in Chicago

This past weekend was Chicago's Summer Renegade Craft Fair! As opposed to the winter fair, at which Lucy and I shared a booth, the summer fair is out-doors. And even though the weather here has been beyond gorgeous and fall like all week, Sunday was determined to be the hottest day known to humans. Despite being sweaty messes, we had a blast- and dropped a fair chunk of change. Seriously, though? Between the heat and the hordes of beer drinking customers, Lucy and I didn't really envy the merchants.

I only walked away with one purchase, but I WANTED to walk away with a lot more! Here are some highlights from from the veritable stack of business cards that came home in my pocket:

1. Handbag with amazing front pockets! By Cut Out And Collect

That's right: those front pockets are like skirt pockets- fully lined, baby!

2. Adorable Charm Necklaces by Michelle Hartney.




3. Skull Dip Bowl by No Tengo Miedo Clay.

(For the Murder Credenza, clearly.)

4. Embroidered Cards by Despina Papadeas.

(An excellent sentiment.)

5. Stitched leather wallets by Robbie Moto.


A friend once told me that she would never vote for a political candidate who hadn't personally shaken her hand. At the time, the notion seemed a little impractical. But it stuck with me and I slowly started thinking that way about things other than politics. There is a lot of stuff in the world and we, as consumers, are so often disconnected from the makers and the designers and, really, any part of the process. Being able to meet and talk to so many prolific artists/designers/craftspeople at an event like the Renegade Craft Fair allowed me to feel connected what I was buying. And I like that.

In a lot of ways I am extremely intimidated by the Indie-craft movement and it would have been very possible to be completely knocked-out by Renegade: there is JUST SO MUCH STUFF. (Not to mention that a lot of it looks really similar...) As a craftsperson trying to make it out there in the carnivorous world, how am I supposed to carve out a place for myself? Should I make objects that are just like everyone else's because the imagery will be automatically popular? Or should I gamble on going in a different direction? Finding a balance between the two has been an elusive task over the past few years.

But instead of coming home, drinking straight from the bottle of Kraken and despair... this year I decided to be energized by the crazy hoards and the boatloads of owls and squids and pennant flags. So, in the words of Voldemort from the Harry Potter Musical,

"Look out world, I'm gonna getcha."

Right after I take a 4 day nap.

Magic Ginny Weasley Socks

(I started knitting these socks in, like, November. Bad, Nora, for not finishing them sooner.)

In the interest of transporting as few UFOs (unfinished objects) half way across the country, I manged to find the little bit of time over the weekend that I needed to finish my languishing Magic socks! Why are they magic, you ask? Well I'll tell you. They are magic for oh so many reasons.

Reason 1: Harry Potter Sock Yarn!


The company Opal, who's known for making brightly colored, self-striping sock yarns, put out a line of Harry Potter color ways a couple of years ago. They're kind of pricey ($18/ball!) so I had put off buying one for a long time. But in the end, let's be honest, I'm a sucker for anything knitting AND Harry Potter related. (The line is no longer being manufactured but you- and by you I mean I- might still be able to find some at local yarn stores.) I chose the colorway for Ron Weasley but I'm choosing to think of these socks as Ginny Weasley socks because, hey, she's way hotter than Ron.Reason 2: Self Striping Sock Yarn!

It was my first time knitting with self-striping yarn. The pre-measured and dyed colors allow the pattern to emerge with no effort by the knitter! (Don't think about it too hard- I just trust that the Opal company knows what they're doing. And they do.) Magic!

Reason 3: The Magic loop!
That's right: I knit these socks AT THE SAME TIME on ONE PAIR of circular needles. SOOO COOOL.


It's a little confusing at first, but once you get into the rhythm of it- and learn to mark which sock you started on originally so you're always knitting the same number of rows of each- it's pretty simple. It's great for people who have a tendency to knit one sock and somehow never get around to knitting the second. (Ooops.) Also, it's handy because you're not gotta accidentally use more than half of your yarn on the first sock, run out before finishing your second and not be able to find more. (Ooops, again...)
Reason 4: Toe Grafting!

Yeah, that sounds a little dirty, doesn't it? Anyway, grafting (also known as the Kirchner Stitch) is a method of casting of that creates a new line of knitting which is indistinguishable from the rest of the rows. Hence: magic!


So FINALLY- after months of these socks sitting around my house mocking me for not working on them.. they're done! And awesome! I can't wait to wear them around the house in my first cold cold Chicago winter.

Taking the Long Way Round (And Round And Round...)

So... I know I was crazy to start my first sock project on size 1 dpn, I know.  But... come on!  Harry Potter KNEE SOCK??!  How could I resist!!  And they actually looked pretty simple!  So I bravely cast on.  (Back in September.)

(look at me being all organized and shit.)

And got through the toe and foot before I realized I had no idea what I was doing.

(Me trying to figure out that darn "short row heel" nonsense.  Nonsense, I tell you!)

At which point I took a break to knit the afore-mentioned Amelia Earhart hat in an attempt to learn how to make short rows.  Then!  Back to the task at hand:

(Ok, clearly this photo was taken at the same time as the first but, I swear!  I was still just as confused!)

Anyway, I labored on, trusting the pattern (sort-of) and finally made my way through the heel.  Then came the easy part, the leg.  Only thing was... the easy part was also the deadeningly boring part.  4 knit, 2 purl ribbing for a bajillion and a half rows.  2 months, 18 inches and 5 seasons of Buffy later I was done!  Stripes and all... and then.... TRAGEDY STRUCK.   And that tragedy was my own laziness and stupidity.

And so, I learned something important while making these socks.  Never trust how long socks look on the needles:  TRY THEM ON.  I put on my newly finished sock and... it didn't fit!!!  It came to about 4" below my knee and the bind off was too tight to fit around my calf! (I had been too lazy to use the elasticized bind off suggested in the pattern.)  I HAD TO TAKE OUT 7" (that's about one month's worth of knitting and I was running out of Buffy to take my mind off of the overwhelming depression.)  I was CRUSHED.  So crushed, in fact, that that was over a month ago and it took me until now to be able to speak/write about it without tearing up a bit. 

So here is the sock (still the first one) now.  Le sigh.  I have to admit that, although I knew this project would take a while, I had no idea it would so greatly cut into my christmas present making time!  So... even though I'm so tantalizingly close to finishing the first sock I'm going to do the right thing and put it away until after the holidays.  That way I'll have time to knit some presents and throw together some crafts for the upcoming Punk Rock Flea Market!  (More on that as it gets closer.)  Anyway... alas, my poor Hufflepuff socks...  one day we shall be together...