You’d think that there was no point spending the time and money going to a big craft fair when my crafting mojo is at an ebb, but there was always the chance something would inspire me… though hopefully not another new hobby. I really don’t need another hobby.

So, with a small and slightly vague shopping list, comfortable walking shoes and a little crafty optimism I set off for the fair. I got there a little before 10 am and spent a couple of hours walking up and down the aisles. I wound up buying embroidery needles, a thread cutter pendant, a teeny tiny pair of scissors, some braid, gemstone and jewellery findings to make a necklace, metal pendant bases to set tiny embroideries into, and ten rolls of washi tape.

The washi tape thing was amusing because it was clear some people had never seen it before. There were tubs of tape around the place, ranging from 5 for $10 to 10 for $30, and one seller who specialised in it. I bought a few rolls…

In one large corner was about twenty or so craft guilds. I wandered up to the Embroiderers Guild to take a few brochures then stopped to chat to the Machine Knitters Association ladies and helped out by participating in ‘the human knitting machine’, a fun exercise where a row of people use hands to emulate a machine knitting up a huge ball of a knitted ‘yarn’ strip. It was a lot of fun and pretty impressive. I would have taken a photo, but my hands were tied.

I didn’t find anyone selling metal clay – one of the things on my shopping list – but did find some pendant bases for making embroidery jewellery. No big purchases or new hobbies, nor sudden rushes of inspiration. Afterwards I headed into the CBD for lunch with a friend and a surprisingly successful hunt for a pair of shoes, so all in all it was a nice day out.