So Rhinebeck! This year for me Rhinebeck wasn't really about the event, but it was one thing I did over my fall break, right there along with line-dancing with mom, museum and apple picking (we hit the macouns in season-woohoo!) with my nephews and sister, and hiking with my parents. It was a busy four days, but just the right amount of new England fall fun to soothe my soul. The worst part of moving far from home is, well, being far from home, I have a wonderful family and I love spending time with them. I miss then terribly when they aren't close. The last two years we didn't make it home too much, and when we did get home it for for specific reasons (like weddings) and not much just chill time. Last year we didn't even make it home for Christmas because plane ticket prices were out of control. No one was able to come visit us either for the same reasons. Being "easier" to get home was one of the deciding factors in the move and I am determined to take advantage of it. This year, Rhinebeck coincided with our fall break so really it was just gravy.
The event itself was fun. It was great to spend time with my family and friends. I love walking outside in the fall weather, even it if was a bit chilly for a southern gal. I did find, however, that there were many more people then when we had gone three years ago. Last time, Ravelry was brand new and no one really knew what it was and now, if you knit, you know. If you knit and you don't know you live under a rock and probably wouldn't ever go to Rhinebeck anyways. So it was much more crowded and for me that makes it less fun. Some booths I didn't even see because they were so packed and it just isn't worth squishing in. After all it's just yarn it's not worth getting stepped on or something, which is generally what happens to me in crowds. (I also have an awful fear of large crowds. There was an incident at DisneyLand when I was a child. I get flashbacks. It isn't pretty.) This meant no Socks that Rock or Sanguine Gryphon for me. Aside from the crowds, I feel like alot of the stuff was more mainstream than it was last time. It's good and bad. Good=more options, bad=less intimate/local feel. Another aspect of Rhinebeck is getting to see people you are "friends" with online but don't know in person. That just messes with my shy side, so I don't do it unless it's prearranged somehow, which I didn't do. But I had a cute baby to play with most of the time so I was cool.
I did buy yarn and I'm back to knitting and spinning at a pace I like:
Shetland sport on a cone from Bartlett Yarns. The color is dark jade heather. I've used some of their yarn a long time ago (I bought it at the big E probably in 2004) and it was nice. This is the start of this sweater from Drops, and it is my current obsession. I also bought some roving from them, in color blackberry (8oz for $7.00 seemed like a good deal).
This is some standard wool from Apple Hill Farms (I can't find a link, they are from Hudson, NY). It's destined to become a sweater for me but I can't decided what. I'm debating between a ribby cardi, a roam or a bramble jacket. But I also have some other ideas percolating.
This was a total impulse purchase, but it was just sooooooo soft. Sock dream from the periwinkle sheep shop, color hydrangea.
I also bought a kit from Gia Maria (also linkless) to make a scarf for my MIL. This was really more about the awesome shawl pin then than yarn.
Next year, the festival and fall break don't happen at the same time, so I likely won't go again, but I will likely take my fall trip home, yarn or not it's a great time to visit :)
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