A very meta Maker Faire moment
Nifer Fahrion is someone who doesn't mess around when she's interested in something.
Rather, she'll put her heart and soul into what she's doing, and she is well known in the San Francisco alternative arts scene for her involvement with one crazy, wonderful activity after another.
Last year, at Maker Faire 2006, Fahrion took a felting class, that is, lessons on how to craft things out of felt.
She fell in love with the medium.
In the succeeding months, Fahrion took to playing with felt on her own, and developed enough of a proficiency with the fabric that she decided to start a small business selling some of her creations.
Nifer Fahrion poses with her felt Flying Spaghetti Monster
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)Now, she is at this year's Maker Faire selling her wares, what she calls NifNaks. Among her whimsical goods are small Flying Spaghetti Monsters, little mushrooms and morels--which I have to say are among the cutest things I've ever seen--and all kinds of other silly items.
But I was just struck by the idea of someone taking an idea from last year's Maker Faire and turning it into a business that she effectively unveiled publicly at this year's event.
But given that it is Maker's Faire, and that this is thousands of people showing off their "maker" cred, I shouldn't be surprised. And in fact, there are no doubt many more such example.
Yay makers!
Daniel Terdiman is a staff writer at CNET News covering games, Net culture, and everything in between. E-mail Daniel. 
whimsy. My fav are her smiling cherries!
whimsy. My favs are her smiling cherries! Okay, I agree it is hard to
resist the rooms!