Rhineback Recap
Unless you've been hiding under a rock or abducted by aliens, you are probably aware that last weekend was the New York Sheep and Wool Festival- or as friends of fiber like to call it- Rhinebeck!!!
This was my very first trip to Rhinebeck, and I was completely overwhelmed by how much amazing wooly goodness there was to see. It truly is a knitter's (and crocheter's, and spinner's, and weaver's...) dream come true! Not only was there TONS (seriously, like massive amounts) of fleece, fiber, yarn, and all the adjacent tools of the trade, but there were so many cute animals to hang out with- including goats, llamas, alpacas, angora bunnies, dogs, and (of course) SHEEP! I didn't get nearly as many pictures as I would have liked (mostly because I was totally distracted by the incredible yarn), but check out these cuties!
I drove down to New York with my buddy Rafael, and Atticus. We all had some super cute hand knits to wear around the fairgrounds.
I'm wearing my Spring Beret and my Summertide Shawl. Rafael is wearing a cowl he knitted in moss stitch. It's a good thing we had them, too- the weather was pretty brisk, but lovely.
I even whipped up a little Pumpkin Hat for Atticus the night before our drive down- I couldn't very well have him go to Rhinebeck without any handknits- what kind of knitting mom would I be?! It's pretty stinking cute, if you ask me- even if he refuses to keep it on longer than absolutely necessary (barely long enough to snap a decent picture, sadly).
It goes without saying that there was some stash enhancement. But all things considered I think I showed tremendous restraint! I was smart and read the advice in the Rhinebeck Ravelry Group for newbies. I set a budget for myself and brought cash for purchases, and decided to only bring home what I couldn't easily get from my local yarn shops. I'm still super impressed with how disciplined I was- maple cotton candy purchase not withstanding.
Now for the moment you've all been waiting for... My Rhinebeck haul in all its glory!
The first thing I got was something I'd been wanting for a while now- theYarnit! After my yarn bowl broke (all praise be to Krazy Glue), I've been a little reluctant to use it. That, and the fact that my son seems to have more arms than an octopus, made this unbreakable little dome a no-brainer. I really like how the yarn pulls so easily (no tangles!!!), and there are no stray dog hairs that can sneak into my project (at least not until I'm finished), and the bottom holds all my spare stitch markers, snips, and needles- plus, since it's rubber, it stays in place exactly where I want it! I am so happy with it- I can't recommend this enough.
After my initial purchase everything seemed to blur together. There were so many vendors, and I wanted to spend my time as efficiently as possible, but without going into maniac mode. I started going up and down aisles, through buildings, stopping only when I saw something I couldn't get at my LYS (and that I could work into my budget- alas, no paco vicuña or buffalo silk blends for me). Here are the winners!
I got this skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight for a few reasons:
1. I can't get it anywhere near me
2. I've never actually knit with it before, despite it being around for ages
3. The colorway is SOCKtober!!! How could I resist?! I couldn't!
It's actually more of a chartreuse than the yellow that's showing up in the picture- much more Halloween-y, but harder to capture.
Next stop was the notorious Miss Babs booth. Talk about crowded- this booth was akin to riding the subway in New York at rush hour... But I was strong and persevered- and I'm so happy I got to take these lovelies home with me!
I picked up this beauty because the colors were so gorgeous, but not really in my comfort zone. It's Miss Babs Keira- a new 100% merino heavy fingering weight base that's so squishably soft and scrummy! I love that it's called Mad Hatter- and at 560 yards, this will make an absolutely stunning shawl!
Another souvenir from Miss Babs' booth was this Yowza- Whatta Skein! I love the concept of Susan B. Anderson's Yowza Weigh It Shawls (no counting, yes!), and wanted to pick up some yarn to make one- and once I saw that this colorway was not only beautiful, but called BatS!!T Crazy I HAD to have it!
I couldn't very well leave without grabbing at least one skein of orange yarn- my favorite color! This Rustic Fingering from Neighborhood Fiber Co. is so vibrant it's almost electric!
All of the colors in this booth were magnificent, and it was really hard to choose just one. Ah, well- there's always the internet if I find myself in need of more.
Another stunning booth was Into the Whirled. While I had heard that their fiber was beautifully dyed (it's a favorite among the spinning community)- I had never seen their yarn. I was totally blown away! I couldn't resist and brought home two beautiful skeins of Pakokku Sock yarn from this booth.
This is the Cat's Pyjamas- an absolutely breathtaking blue green blend that will make the most amazing socks ever!
This is Hijinks, and as soon as I laid eyes on it I knew it would be coming home with me. These colors are so saturated and beautifully blended that I am almost afraid to knit it up- I just want to gaze lovingly at it forever!
As I walked by Dragonfly Fibers this pretty pink yarn was just calling to me! I had no choice in the matter. It chose me.
It's the Pixie base, a squishy delicious single ply fingering weight. The colorway is Bougainvillea, and it is pink to the tenth degree. I love it! At 475 yards, it has generous yardage, and would work well as a shawl- either alone, or with the Tosh Merino Light I have in my stash.
My non-yarn purchases were few, but I'm quite excited to try the Allure Fiber Wash in the Woodland Mist fragrance that I got at the Bijou Basin Ranch booth. It smells divine! I think that my socks are going to get a good soak in this very soon.
Speaking of socks, I managed to finished my Blueberry Waffles out of the Peepaloo Fields special Halloween kit colorway, Cauldron- and they are wonderful!
This pattern was great- I can see why so many people have knit these socks- simple, satisfying, but not boring. They fit so well- and the colors are spectacular! Did I mention they glow under blacklight?! Now I just need to find a cosmic bowling alley to show these bad boys off!
I've also just cast on Hermione's Everyday Socks in the Socks that Rock SOCKtober colorway I picked up at Rhinebeck. I couldn't help it- I thought it was so appropriate!
They're working up nicely, and I'm kind of liking how psychedelic the pooling is working up. Although I have a way to go on these, I think I'll be able to finish them before the end of the month to add to my SOCKtober count. I'm a sock knitting machine these days!
I still have to work on my Grimes shawl, which has not gotten much love these days, but now I'm not so sure that it will be done by Halloween. Maybe I'll kick into knitting overdrive next week and churn it out in record time. Stranger things have happened. I also need to start planning out my Christmas knitting- I don't want it to sneak up on me like it always does. How do you prepare for Holiday knitting? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I've got lots of other interesting news and acquisitions to share, so stay tuned. Happy knitting!
This was my very first trip to Rhinebeck, and I was completely overwhelmed by how much amazing wooly goodness there was to see. It truly is a knitter's (and crocheter's, and spinner's, and weaver's...) dream come true! Not only was there TONS (seriously, like massive amounts) of fleece, fiber, yarn, and all the adjacent tools of the trade, but there were so many cute animals to hang out with- including goats, llamas, alpacas, angora bunnies, dogs, and (of course) SHEEP! I didn't get nearly as many pictures as I would have liked (mostly because I was totally distracted by the incredible yarn), but check out these cuties!
It goes without saying that there was some stash enhancement. But all things considered I think I showed tremendous restraint! I was smart and read the advice in the Rhinebeck Ravelry Group for newbies. I set a budget for myself and brought cash for purchases, and decided to only bring home what I couldn't easily get from my local yarn shops. I'm still super impressed with how disciplined I was- maple cotton candy purchase not withstanding.
Now for the moment you've all been waiting for... My Rhinebeck haul in all its glory!
After my initial purchase everything seemed to blur together. There were so many vendors, and I wanted to spend my time as efficiently as possible, but without going into maniac mode. I started going up and down aisles, through buildings, stopping only when I saw something I couldn't get at my LYS (and that I could work into my budget- alas, no paco vicuña or buffalo silk blends for me). Here are the winners!
1. I can't get it anywhere near me
2. I've never actually knit with it before, despite it being around for ages
3. The colorway is SOCKtober!!! How could I resist?! I couldn't!
It's actually more of a chartreuse than the yellow that's showing up in the picture- much more Halloween-y, but harder to capture.
Next stop was the notorious Miss Babs booth. Talk about crowded- this booth was akin to riding the subway in New York at rush hour... But I was strong and persevered- and I'm so happy I got to take these lovelies home with me!
I couldn't very well leave without grabbing at least one skein of orange yarn- my favorite color! This Rustic Fingering from Neighborhood Fiber Co. is so vibrant it's almost electric!
Another stunning booth was Into the Whirled. While I had heard that their fiber was beautifully dyed (it's a favorite among the spinning community)- I had never seen their yarn. I was totally blown away! I couldn't resist and brought home two beautiful skeins of Pakokku Sock yarn from this booth.
As I walked by Dragonfly Fibers this pretty pink yarn was just calling to me! I had no choice in the matter. It chose me.
My non-yarn purchases were few, but I'm quite excited to try the Allure Fiber Wash in the Woodland Mist fragrance that I got at the Bijou Basin Ranch booth. It smells divine! I think that my socks are going to get a good soak in this very soon.
Speaking of socks, I managed to finished my Blueberry Waffles out of the Peepaloo Fields special Halloween kit colorway, Cauldron- and they are wonderful!
I've also just cast on Hermione's Everyday Socks in the Socks that Rock SOCKtober colorway I picked up at Rhinebeck. I couldn't help it- I thought it was so appropriate!
I still have to work on my Grimes shawl, which has not gotten much love these days, but now I'm not so sure that it will be done by Halloween. Maybe I'll kick into knitting overdrive next week and churn it out in record time. Stranger things have happened. I also need to start planning out my Christmas knitting- I don't want it to sneak up on me like it always does. How do you prepare for Holiday knitting? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I've got lots of other interesting news and acquisitions to share, so stay tuned. Happy knitting!
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