So, while
Renegade's first day was a bit rainy, Sunday was perfectly warm and sunny and we felt like the crowds were even bigger and better because of the gorgeous weather.
This would be crazy marching band #2. (I found out that the band I blogged about in the
last post was the incredible
Mucca Pazza and the band above is
Environmental Encroachment.) Super fantastic.
And I made sure to check out the Renegade store itself; I loved the new paintings on the exterior of the shop.
On day 2, I ventured out a bit more. Here are some of my favorite things I saw along the way.
Rad Vespa silhouette plate by
Le Papier Studio.
And
Vaya messenger bags. I've been drooling over them online for ages. I'm in love with the yellow/blue/green one.
Lots and lots of super cool gig posters and t-shirts, of course.
Check out these pics of some of my completely
adorable shoppers.
Along with lots of blog readers/internet friends who stopped by ...
... like Simone and Sarah and Mandi and Denise and lots of other pals. (Thank you so much for saying hi!)
On my walk down Division, I finally found the amazing yarn shop (called
Nina) that everyone had been telling me about all weekend. They kept saying 'look for the huge knitting needles in the window' and ... yeah, wow. What a shop!
The window display was installed by local artists and the 'yarn' is made of paper receipt tape that has actually been knitted. The huge needles are paper maché.
I instantly befriended the sweet owner and girls working there that day, and everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful. (Well, maybe they liked me because I came back twice in one afternoon, and each time I scooped up a few more skeins.)
They carried lots of my beloved Twinkle soft chunky and every weight and colorway of Malabrigo and Spud & Chloe you could ever wish for. It was too good to be true. (I'll definitely be going back the next time we visit Chicago.)
As a little treat to end the day, I made a quick stop at Star Fruit. Extremely tasty (mangoes and strawberries!) and the perfect way to end a busy weekend.
And before I knew it, the whole thing was
over and it was time to say goodnight to Renegade. I made some illegal maneuvers to score myself a temporary parking spot under a tree in an alley, and Erin and I tore down and smooshed all of my display stuff back into the Prius. (We were confused because yes, all that stuff barely fit the first time, but now with a much lighter load, it barely fit the second time!) We beat the rush and dashed straight out of Chicago as the sun went down. Why the hurry? We were getting ready to drive most of the night and early morning hours to get back home to Iowa, do a quick load of laundry, pack up a second bag, and then hop a plane to Vegas for Erin's wedding.
(More pics of that this week!)
