A Hot Time at the Fair

I love our county fair.  We have the best fair in the State of Indiana, and it's always a highlight of my summer.  We take in as much of the spectacle, people and food as possible.

Most years.

This year, I worked a few shifts at our church booth and spent a very sweaty hour looking at projects in the 4-H and Family Arts buildings.  That was it.  It was just too hot.  Uncomfortably hot.  Icky hot.

I did take some projects, though.  As I've noted here before, it's always been a quiet little dream of mine to win a big purple rosette.  My mom won a few, as have my kids, but the grand champion has always eluded me.

UNTIL THIS YEAR!

I was very surprised; most years, I carefully plan out what I will enter, and do my very best work on my project.  This year, however, with the wedding, I didn't have much time to think about it, and just rounded up a few things I had made up during the year.  So, I took two of the three Christmas stockings I knit for the boys last fall.   Tommy's blue and green stocking won Grand Champion in the Christmas category, and Paul's orange and black stocking won for Knitted, Other.  (!)

I got a blue on a baby sweater set I finished up as a gift and haven't given yet,

and a red on this scarf (knit from the last of  the Russian/Chinese yarn Clay brought me several years ago!

I entered in this purse I made out of a felted sweater, an old purse strap, a big button (from mom's button tin, of course) and two binder rings in the "Recycled" category, and got a blue.

  The only thing I made up especially for the fair?  This crocheted purse:

The only thing I didn't get a ribbon on?  This crocheted purse!  But I'm not upset at all -- there were many entries in that category, and honestly, I'm not the best crocheter -- I just like doing it.  And I really like my purse, until I go back and look at the purse I based mine on, another great Pinterest find:

Source: craftster.org via Georgiann on Pinterest

 Isn't that beautiful?  Mine is made up of leftover kitchen cotton from many, many dishcloths, in a traditional granny square -- I think I would like to try it again, using wool and colors similar to the original, in the sleeker motif shown here.

Tomorrow, I have a knitting pattern to post!
Peace.