Yesterday a few friends and I made the trek up north to the DIY Trunk Show, which has been my favorite Chicago crafty event for the last several years running. This year was their first in their new location - the Broadway Armory - and although I suppose it's technically further from Hyde Park it was WAY easier for us to get to, and parking was considerably less annoying than the previous location in Wicker Park. Had we chosen to take public transit that also would have been easier than getting to WP. The space was nice and open - it was nice having everything in one big room (as opposed to the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse, where there were different spaces you would move between) and it was a bright, happy place. Total win on location - and also goods! I didn't buy a ton of stuff, but I did have my mouth gaping open in amazement for most of the time we were there. People were selling NICE things, and for really good prices. And what I love most about the DIY Trunk Show is that the variety of goods being sold is really well balanced; it is clearly very well curated. I'll be honest with you here, I completely gave up on Renegade after one year when I felt like everything I saw was a screen printed t-shirt. Don't get me wrong, I like t-shirts as much as the next grad student, but I also like other kinds of things. And a t-shirt is rarely going to inspire awe of its craftsmanship, if you know what I mean.
So the one purchase I did make - just one! I know! This was partially because I exercised good restraint because we don't have a lot of cash on hand right now, and partially because I didn't really go in having any specific ideas about what I might want to get my family for Christmas - was YARN. Completely necessary, I know. But the yarn is pictured at the top of this post - GORGEOUS, right? It's from Another Crafty Girl. Her yarns had fantastically vibrant colors, and she had a wide variety of bases to choose from, which I always like to see. This is 100% merino sock. My big hot sweaty feet felt the crap out of everything that doesn't contain nylon (even if it's superwash!) so I'm 90% sure this yarn is going to become a Stripe Study, along with this absolutely beautiful Plucky Knitter sock I have hanging around.
Even though I didn't buy anything else, I did pick up quite a few cards. I wouldn't say these were necessarily my favorite vendors at the show, because honestly I loved pretty much everything there - these are just cards I picked up thinking I might buy some of these things in the near future. So all these sites are pretty devoid of content at the moment, understandably so since the sellers just did a big show. But I posted links anyway because I'd like to check back in on them in the future.
-Rogue Empire - really nicely made wallets (the traditional men's style - that's not to say ladies can't use them though). There was a great range of really classy looking wallets made using fabric of old ties and wool suits. The leatherwork was really lovely.
-Romantiques - This seller had a ton of gorgeous stud earrings with images from vintage naturalist publications. The posts were made of surgical steel, so they'd be good for those of us who are speshul sensitive flowers.
-Finally, yarn I would have liked to have bought had I not already bought other yarn (that I didn't really exactly totally need): Fleur de Fiber. And oh look, even though her shop is empty you can still ohh and ahh over her work on ravelry.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, dear readers. I'll be back tomorrow to talk about some future crafting plans I have, I think! In the meantime, enjoy this picture of my smartass cat:
ooooo that yarn is beautylicious.
Unf. Yarn pretty. Whatever it grows up to be, I’m sure it’ll be spectacular.
Mags recently posted..Winter is coming
Thanks for the shout out!