Relevant Acknowledgement

Day 335: Many things have changed at the Washington State Fair since I last visited it pre-covid. I had hoped to find the Sheep-to-Shawl demonstration in its old location (I never did find it), but the spot now contained this acknowledgement of previous injustices inflicted on a targeted population by the United States government. I do not know if the display is new this year, but its relevance in current times sent chills up my spine. I thought it was quite daring of Fair management to create the exhibit, especially since I felt a certain degree of apprehension that ICE might make a raid on the Fairgrounds where I heard almost as much Spanish being spoken as I did English, and where there were numerous vendors of food and goods from Mexico and South America. History is not kind to those who rule by fear and oppression.

Fair Dahlias

Day 331: One of the exhibits on my "must-do" list when I attend the Puyallup Fair is the floral exhibit. It is now housed in the same building as the grange displays. Dahlias occupy a full half of its space, the rest being devoted to roses, bonsai and other types of flowers. I do not know what goes into judging florals or what makes a prize-winning dahlia, but it seems to me that there is an inordinate number of blue ribbons here with an equal number of red second-place ribbons hiding behind them. Surely "first place" should be unique, or in case of a hard-to-make decision, a tie for first...not an entire rank of blue-ribbon blooms. Is this a case of "no child (flower) left behind?" And what must those poor second-placers must feel, to have been beat out by dozens...dozens, mind you...of others? I walked away from this exhibit feeling very, very confused.

Record Non-Attendance, Maybe?

Day 330: Don't get me wrong. I am grateful to Kevin and Kelli for taking me to the Fair so that I could see the "Judges' Craftsmanship" ribbon attached to my tartan shawl and a disappointing third-place on my "Friend Evelyn" overshot yardage, but the Fair just ain't what it used to be, and apparently I'm not the only one who feels that way. In years past, this spot would have been so crammed with people lining up to buy scones that you could hardly elbow your way through them. Scones, of course, were 75 cents in those days, not $3 like today (up from $1.75 five years ago), but very few of the vender stalls had customers in them, whether they were selling motorized recliners or cheap Fair trinkets. One of the first things I noticed (besides the absence of people) was that the displays were smaller, even those in the Home Arts Pavilion. Rock and gem clubs had only a 12' x 12' space and two showcases instead of half a room. International and regional photography exhibits were smaller by half, poorly lighted. Animal barns were closed or had only a few critters...a few pens of pygmy goats, no sheep, no poultry, no exotics. The grange displays are in another poorly lit building, but they were moved there several years ago. Perhaps the most shocking symptom of declining attendance was the fact that there were only a handful of people admiring the piglets in the pig palace. Generally, that's a spot where you need sharp elbows to even get close to the pens. As for Home Arts, I don't want to be accused of sour grapes, but I do think we must have a new round of inexperienced judges. I did not enter anything in the spinning category this year, and was stunned to see a skein of lumpy, poorly twisted two-ply grey wool with a first place award when right next to it was a skein of very fine singles done with an expert hand...and no ribbon. At double the prices of previous years, you could buy bubble guns, local honey, a hot tub, shiny fake jewelry, get a quote for insurance or eat, the last option being the one most people seemed to prefer. I had my usual gyros, which was served on the stalest pita I have ever had the misfortune of trying to bite through.

Pointless Venture

Day 326: Several years ago, the Puyallup Fair (Washington State Fair) announced that it would no longer be open seven days a week through its run. Henceforth, they would not be open on Tuesdays, the day of lowest visitation and, for that reason, the day I usually attended. I was not the only person upset by the decision, but we've learned to live with it. Yesterday being Tuesday, I was anxious for today to arrive so that I could see in person the yellow "Judge's Craftsmanship" award attached to my tartan shawl. A friend had sent me his phone photo, but that's not the same as seeing it for yourself. When this morning dawned, I could hardly wait to get going. I checked the hours of operation and was horrified to see that instead of opening at 9, they wouldn't open until 10:30 on weekdays. I should have read a little further down the page...

Next pictures and story, I parked in the Walmart lot at the top of South Hill, walked the 2 1/4 miles down the steep hill of Meridian, and began noticing that something was amiss just before I got to the freeway underpass. There was no line at the Blue Gate, no cars in the Blue Lot. A couple on the sidewalk seemed as confused as I was, but I walked on to the Gold Gate, only to find an elderly man just leaving in frustration: "They're closed today," he said. I pulled out my phone and called Kevin. "Do me a favour. Go on line and look to see if there's any reason the Fair ought to be closed today." He checked, and yes, there it was: Fair closed on Tuesdays and (rather parenthetically, to my way of thinking) Wednesday, September 3. Back up the steep hill I went, having only paused long enough to spare the breath required for the phone call, and mad as a wet hen.

Other than getting a 4.5 mile pavement walk in today, this was a pointless venture. But that'll teach me to read the whole page, not just the part in big print. Will I try to go back again? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm pretty peeved.

Best Year Yet

Day 348: Forgive me for a moment of vanity, but I think I've earned some bragging rights. The Washington State Fair (also known as the Puyallup Fair) is one of the ten largest fairs in the world. "World," I said, and this year, each of my three entries (two in weaving and one in spinning) took first place. The judges' comments included "Excellent seam join" (that on the overshot which required joining three panels invisibly), "nice even beat" (same piece), "lovely work" (the bamboo fingering weight yarn) and "beautiful selvedges" (for a distance of five yards, I might add!). Each piece scored 97 points out of a possible 100. This has been my best performance in the six years I have been entering the competitions, the first time I have taken first place for every category in which I submitted my work. I have received one or more blue ribbons in weaving, spinning, tatting, hardanger, bobbin lace, knitting and crocheting, as well as several second-place awards. I generally submit two or three pieces each year, and have earned ribbons for every one. I've never entered a quilt!

It's Showtime!

Day 303: It's showtime! Submissions for textiles in the Washington State Fair are to be delivered to the fairgrounds Friday through Sunday of the coming week. I have three entries: handwoven yardage (5 yards), an overshot coverlet, and handspun lace-weight bamboo yarn. I will not be attending the Fair this year due to covid concerns (once is enough, thank you), so if you go, look for them on the upper level of the Pavilion. Please don't spoil the surprise by telling me if any of them took a ribbon. The anticipation of finding out first-hand is almost as good as Christmas when I go to pick them up in late September.

One Off, One On

Day 230: In this household, looms do not stay empty long. I usually have the next warp already measured (I call it the "warp-in-waiting") so that as soon as I cut a project off, I can begin hanging the next one. However, taking a piece off the loom does not mean it's done, not by a long shot! The lavender and black Orange Peel coverlet was woven as two panels which had to be meticulously joined, and even before I wash it to full the fibers, I have to twist the fringes. That said, when I'm taking breaks from the finishing work, I will be working on hanging the new warp which in this case is a crackle-weave called Fantasy VI from the Handweaver's Pattern Book by Marguerite Porter Davison. The crackle will be three identical panels, each changing colour seven times, and will be stitched together to make a spring-hued tablecloth. Meanwhile, the Orange Peel will be an entry in this year's Washington State Fair.

The Results Are In!

Day 348: The results are in! The Washington State Fair is done for another year, and I brought home two first prizes and two seconds. I was suprised that the waffle-weave throw took a first because it wasn't particularly difficult to weave. The judge's comment? "Great colors! Nice hem finish." It earned 97 points of a possible 100, and was obviously the top entry in its class with that score. My spinning entries each scored higher, with the green yarn made on a drop spindle achieving 99 points and a first prize. The judge said, "Very nicely spun!" The maroon skein also received 99 points for a second-place win, with the judge commenting, "Beautiful skein! You did a fantastic job." Lastly, the socks received 98 points, but took a second place because the judge felt I should have reinforced the heel, and I admit I probably should have done so. All in all, I'm feeling pretty smug. It's not every day you bring home two blue ribbons!

Almost Showtime!

Day 296: Two weeks from now, these four items will be delivered to the Washington State Fair (Puyallup Fair). The waffle-weave coverlet is my sole entry in the Weaving Division. The other three will be competing in Spinning in the classes Socks, Blended Fibers (the center skein) and Drop Spindle. The Fair runs from September 1-24, open every day except Tuesdays and Sept. 6. Unfortunately, my reservations with regard to COVID and being in public places will mean that I do not attend, but I'll be using the time wisely, working on pieces for the 2024 season.

Fair Socks

Day 197: The Washington State Fair (aka the Puyallup Fair) isn't until September, but I am hard at work on several entries for the "Textiles-Spinning" division including these socks. Yes, that's handspun, a blend of Merino wool and bamboo fiber: silky-soft and durable, and if you think the colour is too pink for the Crow, you'd be right on the mark. Some lucky person will be receiving these as a gift, and hopefully, they'll be accompanied by certification of prize-winning status. I've never competed in the spinning division before. I will also be submitting a full skein of fingering weight in a different colourway, and possibly even a skein of finer yarn spun on a drop spindle. All three will fall into different classes within the spinning division increasing my chances to bring home a ribbon.

A Fair Showing

Day 349: The results are in. I am pleased to announce that I took a second-place ribbon in "Weaving - Shawl, Stole or Shrug" and a FIRST PLACE in "Lace Openwork - Crochet Garments, Thread" in the Washington State Fair (Puyallup Fair). I had my doubts about the McLeod shawl taking a ribbon, knowing that I had not beaten the weft to be perfectly square in the yellow sections and, in fact, that was where I lost points although I still scored high enough to earn the second place in the category. The first place for the apron was a pleasant surprise, and when I went in to pick it up, two of the Fair officials came up to me to offer their compliments. A comment on the judges' score card said, "This is very eye-catching!" These were my only two submissions this year, and I'd say I put up a pretty Fair showing!

Fair Time

Day 309: After two years' absence due to the pandemic, I will be submitting two pieces to the Puyallup Fair (Washington State Fair) in Home Arts: a crocheted maid's apron made from a 1940s-era pattern and a shawl woven in my family tartan (McLeod of Lewis). That said, I will not be attending the Fair due to risk of covid, so if any of my readers happen to spot my work on display, I hope you'll send me photos.

My husband was always after me to put my crafts in the Fair, and I always resisted, feeling that my skills were not good enough for competition at the State level. It didn't help that the submission process was rather complicated (this was before internet, you see), and I didn't understand terms like "division" and "class" in the show context. Admittedly, when I finally broke down and decided to enter my works the first time, I had to have some guidance in order to classify the pieces I intended to submit. Even now, it can be a little daunting. Is an apron a garment or an accessory? I have also discovered that selecting the best option when a piece fits into one or more categories can help bring home a ribbon. So far, none of the pieces I've submitted over the last seven or eight years has failed to win a prize. I have to think Bruce would be proud.

Fair Duty Done

Day 342: The Washington State Fair doesn't close until Sept. 23, but my tour of duty in the Park's booth concluded today. I made one last sweep of the fairgrounds, spending most of my time with the sheep and goats. To me, livestock, produce and home arts are what a fair is about, whether it's state or county. I am not interested in the plastic gewgaws hawked from dozens of identical booths, nor do I give even a passing glance to hot tubs, vacuum cleaners, mattresses or wood stoves being sold at "fair" (read, "jacked up") prices. In fact, the Fair has become so commercial that the visitor has to wind through a maze of vendors to find the few true exhibitions. Even a few of those ask an additional entrance fee. That said, the best things in life are still free, at least after you've paid your basic admission. You can see piglets less than 24 hours old, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, horses, dogs, flowers, bonsai, vegetables, photography, quilts, needlearts, craft displays, collectibles...oh yes, there's plenty to do if you can find your way between the food stalls and brightly coloured sucker-bait. My eyes are good at ignoring vendors, but my feet get weary following the circuitous paths which lead from one point of interest to the next. After a few hours of junk-avoidance, I feel like Ms. Angora here, just plain tuckered and ready for a nap. G'night, Fair. See you next year!

Results Are In

Day 328: Today was my first day of duty at the Washington State Fair (Puyallup Fair) for 2018, and I was finally able to find out if I'd taken any prizes for the two pieces of weaving and a bobbin-lace edged handkerchief I'd entered. I've never participated in Home Arts before, although I did take "Honorable Mention" in an annual national-level hardanger contest three times. Last year, I noticed that the Fair was chronically short of bobbin lace, so after talking to one of the docents, I resolved to put in an entry. The process was a little confusing, having to select a "division" and a "class" without a clear idea of what those terms meant, but I got it figured out. I delivered the works to the Fair office last month and settled in to wait, not really expecting to receive any awards. The Fair does not post results on line, so today was the first chance I'd had to find out. I located the green overshot weaving first and squealed like a piglet when I saw a "Second Prize" ribbon hanging from it, but I was having trouble finding the other two pieces. A docent came to my rescue, and to my great delight, I found another "Second Prize" ribbon on the second weaving and a "First Prize" on the bobbin lace. I will definitely be entering again next year!

Sheep Show

Day 344: I came into the Fair through the Green Gate as I usually do when I'm working at the Park's booth, and the first sound to greet me was a lengthy and distressed "Baaaaaaaaa!" from the new Agricultural Arena. I quickly diverged from my planned line toward the Piglet Palace and discovered  handful of black sheep being judged. The complex next door was filled with all sorts of bleating voices, making me glad I'd gone in early. Yes! Apparently the main "sheep show" had been saved for the last days of the Fair!

I do miss having sheep, although I'm wise enough not to go down that path again for a variety of reasons. That said, looking at all these fine animals (wool and meat breeds both) made me long for the days when I ran Romney-Suffolk crosses. The cross gave me the best of both worlds. I like mutton stew and "lamb-burger," so I'd raise my flock long enough to get two shearings and a new crop of lambs before turning the older sheep into freezer fare. I wasn't raising them for profit, but one year I ran the numbers and figured out that I was breaking even, the expenses of food and shearing balanced out against what I got in terms of fleeces sold to Pendleton Mills and local weaving shops, and meat for my table.

The Show Must Go On

Day 340: This is not exactly the post I intended to write about Marco and Heather Landin. I first saw them performing at the Puyallup Fair as green-clad "Florasapiens" several years ago, Naturally, I took photos and posted one of Heather on Flickr with no idea of their real names. I was suprised to get a message from Marco a few weeks later after he just happened to see the photo come up in Flickr's rotation, complimenting me on the rave review I had given them. They are indeed fantastic, and perform a lot more widely than I'd realized. Marco has toured with Cirque du Soleil as a solo fire-performance artist, and the pair frequently appear in Las Vegas (visit dreamcityvegas.com for more information about their acts and characters).

It was during the process of searching for their webpage that I found out that Marco had been badly injured in June of last year when an unidentified man approached him from behind to grab Marco around his stilted legs and lift him off the ground. His center of balance thrown off, Marco pitched forward, thrusting out his arms instinctively to protect himself in the fall. Both his arms were broken and his wrists were shattered. His assailant (who had been harassing other performers during the Electric Daisy Carnival) was never apprehended after his companions forcibly freed him from grounds security people. Police closed the case because they had no leads. Marco underwent a long series of surgeries and was told it would be at least a year before he would be performing again. Consumate artist that he is, Marco Landin is in the air again, bringing his especial magic to all who see him. The show must go on.

Separating The...

Day 339: Several years ago, I was told by a Fair employee that sheep were only brought in at the end of the Fair's run due to the possibility of disease being cross-communicated to cattle. In my years of raising sheep, I had never heard of any such thing, but I figured Fair officials knew what they were talking about. Consequently, I nearly always missed the sheep exhibit. Oddly, this year the restriction seemed not to apply. Sheep were scheduled for mid-month, and to my delight, the show overlapped one of my duty days. Again to my surprise, goats were housed in the same barn concurrently. Apparently the Fair no longer separates the sheep from the goats!

I've often thought about getting a goat. When I moved here thirty years ago, I brought two sheep with me, only to learn a hard lesson when they were attacked by neighbourhood dogs. A sheep is a docile animal, a goat not so much so. Unless taken down while in a small enclosure, a goat can stand its own against a dog or coyote. But sheep are grazers, good for keeping your lawn mowed. Goats are browsers, and will eat almost anything from knee-level up as high as they can reach, standing on their back legs to to do. I don't have a lot of brush, and wouldn't want them devouring my ornamentals. In any event, I feel that staking a goat on a tether is unkind to the critter. A little Angora is tempting, though.

Geology Sandbox Interactive Display

Day 338: Working in the Outdoor Building at the Puyallup Fair, I might have missed this ultra-super-cool interactive display in the Department of Natural Resources exhibit had it not been for someone on the next shift drawing my attention to it. It's basically just a sandbox for grown-ups, but oh, what fun for a map lover! An overhead projector beams colours and contour lines onto the surface, and as you push the sand around or pile it up, you get a feel for how physical topography works. A pit dug over here fills with the blue of water, green forested zones grow or shrink as rocky red ridges and mountains are built up or torn down. The challenge I took was to create a mountain tall enough to maintain a snowcap (not easy with shifting sand!), and here you see the result.

Grange Displays

Day 331: Another feature of the Fair which I always try to see before the crowds arrive is the vegetable displays put on by the various granges in the area. These are housed in the Floral Building, and this year, they had improved the lighting substantially. A lot of work goes into the arrangement and maintenance of the produce during the Fair's three-week run.

To me, agriculture is the soul of any county or state fair. Unfortunately, the Puyallup Fair seems to be shoving it farther and farther into the wings each year, especially since becoming the Washington State Fair. The trend is toward commercialism, and I'm not talking about $5 cones of cotton candy and $4.75 caramel apples. Even the unique vendors (sellers of lavender products and orchard honies) are being pushed out by soulless mega-corporations like Verizon. What few merchants aren't hawking hot tubs and mattresses are pushing the same cheaply made products from three or four booths in different locations around the venue. Once around the Fair was enough for me. I'll visit the critters again, but as far as I'm concerned, they might as well close the doors on the Multiplex.

Piggies!

Day 331: At the end of last year's Washington State Fair (aka the Puyallup Fair), I decided that the driving involved in taking two shifts per week was a bit more than I could handle, so this year, I just signed up for Fridays. Yesterday I had the early shift and as usual, came in through the green gate so I could stop at the Pig Palace before I went to my duty station in the Park's information booth. There were two sets of piglets on display, the little white guys (lower left) only a day old. Later in the day as I walked around the rest of the fair, I found more piggies in another barn.

So what is the univeral appeal which pigs seem to command? I think it's because they always look like they're smiling. A pig in clean straw is a paradigm of contentment, and the proverbial "hog in mud" seems happy enough to have generated a catch phrase. Even when they're squabbling over whose turn it is at the teat, a nestful of squealing, wriggling piglets is a sight to brighten any case of the blues.