24 October 2008

Rhinebeck - NY Sheep & Wool (or, Wind it up!)


So, last weekend Briana, Alayne and I drove out to the lovely Hudson Valley to take in the NY Sheep & Wool festival in Rhinebeck. We met up with Stacie, too. So many sheep, rabbits, goats! I wasn't really sure what to expect in the event, but it really was like a cross between a 4H show and a craft/yarn/wool fair. We arrived just in time for the Ravelry meet up, but I know I didn't really meet too many people.

There was really so much to take in. We took a few spins through the several of the buildings. It was incredibly overwhelming. I'm actually glad that I don't spin because then I would have had even more to take in. I've been so good this year with not buying any yarn. (full disclosure: OK, so I did break down a couple times this year. . .during a visit to Purl Soho and at the Woolcott sale, but honestly that's a huge improvement over my yarn intake of previous years!). I'll have to photograph my newly acquired stash. . . as soon as I borrow Stacie's ballwinder and wind up all the yarn! I got some gorgeous charcoal grey alpaca for the apple-picking capelet which will be my next big project. I've also decided to start taking on some colorwork mittens. These are totally inspiring.

Stacie correctly predicted that I would fall in love with all the bunnies at the show (how did I not take any photos of them?), but Briana made a little friend, too. He was so in love!

We saw lots of FO showing off, which was actually fun. Definitely the pattern of the day was the February Lady Sweater. That one is, of course, on my gigantic Ravelry queue!

Briana and I had an exciting (well, exciting to us anyway) celebrity sighting: Jim Jarmusch. What was he doing there?!?