Rhinebeck.
Yikes.
Last weekend was my first-ever experience of the madness that is Rhinebeck, also known as the New York
Sheep and Wool Festival. Two dear friends, Rarely and Iso, decided that I "needed" to go with them for the event,
so they abducted me Friday morning and we headed out. Much of what happened is of the "you had to be there" variety,
and so won't be outlined here. Suffice it to say that the three of us entered "teenage slumber party" mindset very soon
after hitting the road. Incredible amounts of giggling resulted; my sides are still sore from the laughing.
The festival wasn't anywhere near as crowded as I had expected, though it was more crowded than is really
comfortable for me. Still, there was fiber to be purchased, online acquaintances to meet, jokes to share,
yarn to fondle, angora bunnies to stroke, alpacas to pet, and some really amazing Aztec Cocoa to warm the tummy.
My accomplices and I definitely reduced the stocks of yarn and fiber available; Rarely bought
mostly rovings, while I resisted the siren song of the spinning wheel and drop spindle, contenting myself with lots of gorgeous
yarns, a new basket for Ren Faire, and some sheep's milk cheese. Photos will appear if / when the Daughter of Infernal
DigiCam consents to cooperate.
During the weekend, I saw lots of knitted items that have firmly lodged themselves into my "I Wanna
Knit That" list, and met some delightful folks. Both nights at the hotel, we took possession of the hotel's internal
patio, accumulating more and more knitters and spinners in our impromptu party. Great fun.
Rhinebeck is definitely an event that produces sensory overload, not to mention fiber overload.
If you have a chance to get there, do... it's worth fighting the crowds to see all the wonderful yarns and patterns to be
found there.
Yikes, it's been ages since I last posted here, mostly because I retired in January
and lost decent internet access. It's taken me this long to replace the antiquated doorstop that was my home computer
and get something modern enough to run the blog update software.
Many ups and downs over the year, too many to go into details.
Looking forward - some friends have decided that I need to visit Rhinebeck this weekend, so if
you should see a cranky ol' biddy wearing the Celtic Icon sweater shown on my 2008 projects page, tooling around
Rhinebeck in a wheelchair, do say hello.
