Today at noon, our office is headed up to Rhinebeck, NY for the the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival at the Duchess County fairgrounds. We aren’t going as vendors – we’ll leave that to the growers, spinners, and craftspersons – but we are going to walk around, eat doughnuts, drink hot apple cider, and dream of having our own sheep one day. We are renting a nearby house with friends to share a relaxing weekend, away from work and family, to knit and regroup.
As knitters, this is our season. There is no better way to celebrate fall than a weekend full of friends, food, and especially wool. Kate will be headed to find the Loop of the Loom booth right away, I’m sure. She’s been talking about their Bengala natural mud dyes since she saw a demo at the festival two years ago. Courtney will surely be headed to the Jacob Sheep Conservancy booth, again, to buy yet another Jacob fleece. Meghan is on the hunt for some undyed, rustic, handspun yarn to make herself an everyday cardigan. We found some wonderful handspun a couple years ago at the Ulster County Handspinners Guild booth.
If you are not headed to the festival this weekend, be sure to take advantage of this perfect fall weekend to visit your local yarn shop, craft store, guild, or local farm and enjoy the company of fellow knitters. Find a little inspiration on their shelves, or in their fields, and connect with your local knitting community. Many local yarn shops across the country are having Rhinebeck weekend sales, classes and other special events – so be sure to stop in at your favorite knitting spot for a little hot apple cider this weekend!
Follow us on Instagram to join us this weekend, see our Rhinebeck sweaters, and to see our favorite festival finds!