Yesterday was the last day of the <a href="http://www.renegadecraft.com/">Renegade Craft Fair</a> here in Los Angeles.  Last minute I decided to go because I had heard good things and I really wanted to see what it was all about.  So I got in my little peanut of a car and headed over to Chinatown, what an adventure!

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When I got there I was starving, so I met up with friends Hanna, Danielle &amp; Jill and we headed for the line-up of food trucks.  Yesterday was my first time eating from a food-truck.  We went for the truck with the longest line because that meant it was the best truck, right?!  We ate from the <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/crispytruck">Crispy Waffle &amp; Frite Truck</a>.  Here is a photo of Hanna &amp; Danielle waiting in line for some fooooood!

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<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><dl id="attachment_783" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 221px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://graceakhrem.com//2011/12/the-renegade-craft-fair-comes-to-la-part-i-of-ii/dsc_0171/" rel="attachment wp-att-783"><img class="size-medium wp-image-783" title="DSC_0171" src="http://graceakhrem.com/wpdev/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSC_0171-334x500.jpg" alt="" width="211" height="316" /></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">Hanna &amp; Danielle</dd></dl></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">I ended up getting the "Tripple B" - Bacon, Brie &amp; Basil waffle with the medium fires with Lemon &amp; Dill Aioli.  Carbs on carbs on fat on fat.  It was AMAZING!  And there was a surprise, the waffle had maple syrup under all the toppings.  I love food trucks!  Here is a close-up of my breakfast for the day.  Hungry yet???</p>
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<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><dl id="attachment_762" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 316px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://graceakhrem.com//2011/12/the-renegade-craft-fair-comes-to-la-part-i-of-ii/dsc_0172/" rel="attachment wp-att-762"><img class="size-medium wp-image-762" title="DSC_0172" src="http://graceakhrem.com/wpdev/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSC_0172-447x500.jpg" alt="" width="306" height="344" /></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">Frite with Lemon Dill Aioli - yummy!</dd></dl></div>
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Our bellies were full of a good hearty and healthy (lol) breakfast/lunch and we were ready to make our way through the aisles of the <a href="http://www.renegadecraft.com/">Renegade Craft Fair</a>.  We didn't have to walk very far to find some really cool things.  I found the awesome vendor <a href="http://littlebirdsclothing.com">LittleBirds</a>.  She specializes in small bags and pouches.... hmmm.... kinda like knitting or crochet project bags and accessory pouches.  Of course I showed no restraint and bought two pouches.  One mini and one larger, one for my dpns and one for small crap like stitch markers.  You can find more of her lovely pouches and "project bags" on her <a href="http://littlebirdswire.etsy.com">etsy</a> site.

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Next I stumbled upon a local fiber artist, Miryha Runnerstorm of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/blarneyyarn">Blarney Yarn</a>.  She had a wonderful selection of beautiful hand-dyed roving.  My favorite was the Polwarth.  I had never seen Polwarth before, I only read about it in <a href="http://www.knittersreview.com/clarabooks/knitters_book_of_wool.asp">The Book of Wool</a> by Clara Parkes of <a href="http://www.knittersreview.com/">Knitter's Review</a>.  Polwarth reminds me a lot of merino, but it has a bit more of the lanolin feel (which I love) and a little bit of a sheen - not as much as Bluefaced Leicester, but more subtle.  I purchased two bundles of this roving, one in the colorway "Evergreen" and the other in "Autumn II".  I'm not sure when I will have time time to spin this yummy Polwarth into yarn. Maybe when I retire I'll have more time.  To find more products by Blarney Yarn visit her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/blarneyyarn">Etsy</a> site.

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I had made it about half way through the fair when I came across a really fun booth.  The booth belonged to fellow designer/blogger Leah Coccari-Swift of <a href="http://rubysubmarine.blogspot.com/">Ruby Submarine</a>.  Leah had a really great and fun selection of crochet sea creatures, including squid, starfish &amp; octopuses (yes octopuses, I looked it up).  They were bright and colorful and make great gifts.  Here is a photo of Leah in action and some of her pieces for sale.

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Then a couple of booths over was the vendor <a href="http://cookieandthedude.com/">Cookie and the Dude</a>. I think that's a very cute name, I wish I knew the story behind it.  I did not get a chance to meet the owner (I think she was getting lunch- maybe the Waffle truck) but I still got a few of her products.  She had these adorable fabric covered buttons that she turned into little hair pins and earrings.  I got two sets of hair pins and Danielle got a pair of earrings.

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There were a few more vendors that I passed by that are definitely worth mentioning.  Rachel Pepper of <a href="http://www.kingflydesign.com/">Kingfly</a> handbags &amp; accessories.  I really fell in love with her handbags.  You can see their unique design and fun colors on her <a href="http://www.kingflydesign.com/">site</a>.

<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/theBocketStore?ref=pr_shop_more">The Bocket Store</a> was another really great vendor.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the great bowl I bought (maybe on part II I'll show you).  Sarah has a very unique product, she takes discarded wooden objects and rehabilitates them by paining teeny tiny dots on them with a very fine paintbrush. I imagine this takes a tremendous amount of patience and love for the work.  Please make sure you visit Sarah's <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/theBocketStore">Etsy</a> store to see what she is all about.

One of Hanna's favorite vendors was <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/YellowWallpaper">Yellow Wallpaper Handmade</a>.  It is a one woman handbag factory.  Every piece that she makes is made to order. Here is a picture of Hanna with her brand new bag, Nom Nom!

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Another designer &amp; vendor that was definitely worth mentioning, <a href="http://www.jfishdesigns.com">JFish Designs</a>.  Wow!  I love ceramics - I but I was never too good at it, which is why I stick to my needles &amp; yarn.  Jennifer Fisher's pieces have a very modern yet adorable look.  They are very simple but very fun.  I fell in love with these little eggs.... I photographed them with a small safety pin so that you can get an idea of how tiny and adorable these little guys are.

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<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: center;"><dl id="attachment_775" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 410px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://graceakhrem.com//2011/12/the-renegade-craft-fair-comes-to-la-part-i-of-ii/dsc_0206/" rel="attachment wp-att-775"><img class="size-medium wp-image-775" title="DSC_0206" src="http://graceakhrem.com/wpdev/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/DSC_0206-500x334.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="267" /></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">Yellow &amp; grey, my two favorite colors together!</dd></dl></div>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Danielle fell in love with this little tiny potted succulent and I don't blame her.  Now I wish I bought one for myself.  Boohoo! I am thinking about all the places where I can hang a tiny plant.  I think I might need like three of these cute little things.  Please make sure you check out Jennifer Fisher's <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/jfishdesigns?ref=top_trail">Etsy</a> shop she has many really great products with functionality!</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">All in all I am really glad I got my butt out of bed for this event.  I found some really great local vendors and got lots of really great stuff!  Plus I got to eat from a food truck for the first time, woohoo and yum!  I can't wait for this craft fair to come back to LA... maybe I'll go to San Francisco next week so I can experience the fair all over again.  Haha!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">There is still one more vendor that I didn't mention in this blog post.  I love her concept so much that I thought she deserves her own post.  I don't want to mention too much about this vendor (because I want it to be a surprise) but I won't be able to blog about it for a while.  It's kind of like a custom order thing.... but not really.... hard to explain.  You will just have to keep checking in to find out.  Eeek.... I'm so excited!!!</p>