It’s raining, it’s pouring, this craft fair’s super boring.  No customers and wet wool. Oh look! Our booth now has a pool.With unbridled anticipation, I stalked the Weather App on my iPhone last week.  Refresh.  Refresh.  Had it changed?  10% chance rain, 30% chance rain, 60% chance rain…oh crud.  Should I go to the outdoor craft show?  Should I stay home?  I mean, after all I own a tent.  I prepared all week.  Crafted until I could no longer craft.  Oh forget it, I’m going.  I’ve got balls!A lot of Wool Felted Balls.   They are meant to go in the dryer after all…so if they get a bit damp, it’s all good.  Right?

Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, but I have to go.  I adore shows.  Love talking face to face about spinning and dyeing and creating. Oh gosh, I just love, love, love it all!

But rain and wool really don’t mix.  You know what your dog smells like wet.  Well, yeah…my booth wouldn’t be any better! So, I should probably just stay home…and what about my felted soap?Ugh, rain and soap together is like soap in the shower.  Might be a good way to show how they work?  No!  This is crazy talk to even think about doing this outdoor show with 60% chance of rain!!!  BUT, if all the soap really gets wet, it would help up clean up the streets.  I can always promote myself as a vigilante, working hard at keeping the streets clean.

I can even see the front page newspaper title now:

The Twisted Purl uses Handmade Felted Soaps to Clean up the Streets of Little Rock

No, I really shouldn’t go.Then Saturday came and yes of course, I went. There was no talking me out of it.  All signs pointed to no go, but yet, there I was. This was my set up pictured above.  Just a few sprinkles.  I could handle that.  See the wind blowing the tablecloths?  That was right before the skies opened up and buckets of rain dumped right on our day.I was optimistic.  I smiled.  I danced.  The rain let up for 3 minutes and 20 seconds.  Long enough to sell 3 soaps and one ball. Woohoo!  Maybe the day wasn’t going to be a total wash.

Then…more rain.  Again, I stalked the Weather App . Watched the radar.  Oh! We were just in a small pocket of rain, it was quickly passing.  It’s all good!  No more rain until 3:00 pm.  It lied.

The wind picked up, we held on to the tent for dear life, and cursed the Weather App.

I had already put my yarn back in the plastic containers for safe, dry keeping. The wool balls did get pretty damp, but they are made for that.  Even during the side blowing, torrential downpours, I was able to keep the felted soap safe. NO suds in the street…So much for The Twisted Purl Vigilante.

  As if the pool forming in the middle of my booth wasn’t enough of a sign, I waited…hopeful.  Maybe this will pass? The sun will come out? The customers will flood my tent, instead of just seeking dry refuge.

Then I realized my labels were curling and all my business cards were getting damp, ugh, I knew it was time to go.  Even if the sun came out, most of my inventory was wet or damp.  Even if the customers flooded my tent, no one would want to take home wet products.  I tried my best to keep a smile and not say blankety blank (too many times or loud enough for all the non-existent customers to hear).

Next outdoor show I sign up to do and the handy-dandy, sometimes deceitful, weather app says rain, you can bet I learned my lesson.  Oh I’m still going.  But, I’m just going to take a tent and my spinning wheel.  I’ll sit, spin, and sing in the rain and hand out my business cards to anyone interested.  My products are safely protected and dry at home.  Heck I’ll even offer free shipping to those who are brave enough to be out in the storm.The sun may have come out that afternoon (or may not…who knows I hit the road).  My customers may have missed me (sorry, honestly).  But, craft fairs and rain is a blankety blank and wet wool is no fun. For real.  Like the above picture shows, you can always discover more at rain completely washed out and unreadable store name on Etsy.  The product’s all dry now, I promise.