The big day has finally arrived! I’ve been waiting a whole year to go back to Rhinebeck for the Sheep & Wool Festival.
This time, I went with my partner and my friend Dorothée.
There is nothing better than a long car ride to work on endless socks—which I actually thought I had finished, only to realize the second one was 3cm longer than the first. Yay!
My companion, meanwhile, was making progress on her Hooray cardigan with some really cool cables!
Just like last year, we managed to make the US Customs officers laugh (this trip might become a tradition: “the only day of the year you can actually make a customs officer laugh”). They found it very curious that two girls and a guy would drive five hours just to see sheep and wool! It was actually hilarious to spark a knitting conversation between the officers: “I knitted a pair of socks once,” “Oh! I can only knit a scarf!” “Did you knit your sweater? No way!”…
All along the way, we admired the autumn colors; the landscapes were absolutely stunning! Knitting festivals are also the perfect excuse to travel.
Thousands of knitters had made the trip. There weren’t many French speakers, though.
Endless yarn stalls and a crowd of frenzied women… My dream? Well, maybe not quite!
To be honest, this time I focused more on accessories than on yarn, as I was looking for original pieces that I couldn’t find in Montreal. Plus, when I see a massive quantity of the same thing, I feel overwhelmed and lose the urge to buy. On the other hand, small quantities of original, handcrafted products reignite my senses and my creativity!
That’s how I discovered Loop of the Loom, whose colors immediately caught my eye.
After falling in love with the curious yarns from Loop!, I think I’ll end up knitting them, though I’m still wondering what the project should be… I’m actually tempted to buy a skein to wear around my neck.
Stephen Willette was one of my best discoveries of the festival. This artisan-artist creates knitting and spinning accessories. I’d love to place an order with him for Christmas! If anyone is listening…
I also really loved the cross-stitch pendants from Knit Knit Brooklyn.
I love this booth!! With all these funny and sometimes provocative pins to attach to my knitting bag: Zippy Pins.
And then… the cream of the crop: Qiviut! A precious and extremely soft fiber that perhaps one day a (slightly crazy) but (very) charitable soul will gift me? For those wondering, 28g of 100% Qiviut costs $98.
Jennie the Potter creates really cute ceramic stitch markers. Another great gift idea (yes, my mind is completely occupied by Christmas right now!).
Be patriotic, knit American!
A simple handmade sweater is exactly what I should take the time to make right now to prepare for the coming winter.
Rhinebeck isn’t just about the wool; it’s also about all the fluffy animals that let us have some fun!
Looking back at these photos, I dream of having my own little farm with a few animals so I can spin their wool…
As always, lunchtime is also the time for the Ravelry community meetup. It’s always so impressive and fun to see in person the people and patterns that we usually only see in small photos on our computer screens. It makes me feel less alone in my “crazy” passion.
The half-day there flew by. I was happy and exhausted at the same time because this festival is truly enormous. The stalls seem endless; you really have to see it to believe that so many knitters can gather in one place to share their passion. And that’s only a tiny part of the world!
As for me, I left with 4 skeins of super soft alpaca that will be lovely to wear!
I’ll probably make a cozy shawl for working in my home office. The Textured Shawl should do the trick!
In any case, if you have the chance to attend this festival, don’t hesitate—you won’t be disappointed!
If you want to see more photos, click on the thumbnails below. I had a hard time narrowing down my selection because I wanted to tell you everything!
Thumbnails
See also
