Didn't quite know what to expect beforehand: handmade products or supplies to make them. Turned out, both were abundantly represented, perhaps with a greater emphasis on the latter. It is an impossible task to list all the things on display, the word everything covers it most accurately. Or all from wool and fabric to paper and wood and the rest that falls in between. And beads, and tools, and paints, and...
Plus all those lovely products made of these materials.
Even just walking through the six vast exhibition halls was an accomplishment in itself. Almost certainly visited all of them. Trying to see everything (about 700 stands) and remember where you'd already been usually proved to be a hopeless attempt. As soon as you start admiring a pretty booth, all sense of direction is lost.
There are probably two possible strategies to tackle such events.
One could be a super organised visitor equipped with a layout plan, marking down the aisles gone through and taking notes.
The other, and much easier way, is to just go with the flow. And from about noon onwards on Saturday and Sunday, there wasn't much else to do. No wonder, as altogether 85.000 people visited this Europe's largest creative design fair during five days. It's actually very heartwarming to see more and more people get infected with the craft virus.
In addition to passive looking and active shopping opportunities, many workshops took place where visitors were able to try new and old craft techniques: sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, beading, making bobbin lace, spinning wool, to name only a few.
The catwalk events added excitement and fashion show feeling. Here the Sabrina knitting magazine is presenting the playful designs from their latest issue.
I couldn't possibly exclude yarn, so here is a colourful sock wool picture.
The story will continue in the next post.
