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Monday, October 28, 2013

Rhinebeck 2013 ~ I think it was the wool fumes talking.


Rhinebeck was the most crowded we've experienced in 5 years.  There were a record 47,000 people over the weekend. The weather was perfect; just cold enough to wear your knits. The foliage was perfect.

Just a heads up, the timeline in this post jumps about between Saturday and Sunday, just go with it.


We got to our hotel Friday evening.  The lobby was completely full of knitters, crocheters, and spinners (complete with spinning wheels). I was approached by several knitters who admired my Knit, Swirl Plum Perfect Coat. We had a lovely chat where I explained how it is knit up.


We were strategic in our approach this time.  We targeted Cephalopod Yarns first.  I was happy to see Sarah's booth crowded with people with a line to buy out the building. It did make it a challenge though!


Ever one to persevere, I did find two skeins of Traveller.  While on line, we spotted these two sweaters. The sweater on the left is Leaving, and the sweater on the right is Chance of Showers.


There were a lot of fascinating knits to see.  This woman was wearing a Unicorn hat; enough said.


There was a man attired in purple Medieval (?) garb.  Note the shoes.

A granny square skirt, yup.


Nancy was amused to see a Nun wearing sneakers.  Why?  I don't know. Here she is stalking her to get a picture.  Of course, I'm trailing Nancy to get a picture.


The crowds were insane and this picture is from the second day.  This is the line for Miss Babs.  On Saturday, the line to buy was literally out the building and you could not physically fit into the booth.  It was that thick with people.  We didn't even attempt it.

There were many people who walked by and asked why it was so special.  First of all, her colors are fabulous. The main reason (in my opinion), it's because her yarns are only available online or in a few select stores.  I've asked her every year if she'll sell to Westport Yarns.  She just isn't taking on more customers; she said it's hard enough to keep up with the demand she has now. 


We saw several Knit, Swirl coats. Isn't it cool how Nancy wrote the name of the design on the photo?  Apparently, there is an app for that.


We got our French Artichoke fix at the end of the day when the line was merely 20 minutes long.  By this time it was FREEZING! The weather shifted during the day and we had put our jackets in the car.  BRRRRr.  I was attempting to wear what I was knitting to keep warm.  I was wearing my Destinations Top Down sweater. Until the proverbial north wind blew in, it was the perfect sweater for the day.


Nancy is wearing Catkin with buttons she made herself. Here is a link to her Facebook page, for more information.


Now on the first day we made it into the fairgrounds by 9:30. We were pleased with ourselves.  However, after experiencing the lines at the vendors we were most interested in, we decided to get there an hour early on Sunday.

Armed with coffee, we were the second on line!


Under the banner of completely random, while on line, we ran into a family friend, Jamie, who we've known literally our whole lives.  It was such a gift to see each other like this and catch up.


On Sunday, Nancy and I split up.  She went back to Cephalopod and I went to Miss Babs. I did find a few things ;)  Without Nancy there, I had to make new BFF's (best friends forever) for color consults.  People took color questions in stride as if it was completely normal for a stranger to ask "does this color look good on me?". But then again, for a knitter it is completely normal to have that kind of dialogue.

You also hear a variety of "yarn pick up lines" like "I would knit that" and "You're pretty, you're leaving with me." I think it was the wool fumes talking.


We saw Andra, our Berroco Rep for Westport Yarns.  I also met Norah Gaughan, that was  treat! Andra and I were both taking notes of our observations.  I look forward to catching up with her and sharing our notes!


Here is a woman wearing Bigger on the Inside,  a shawl with Tardis on it from Dr. Who.


 She was wearing great t-shirt.


 If Saturday was beautiful, Sunday was over the top.  I'm wearing my Simple Elegance poncho knit with Nuna (Sport: 40% Silk, 40% Wool, 20% Bamboo, 191 yards).  Nancy is wearing Summit Shawl knit with Berroco Seduce (Worsted: 47% Rayon, 25% Linen, 17% Silk, 11% Nylon,  100 yards) and adorned with a True Colors Glassworks pin.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks SO much for sharing. I can feel how exciting the weekend was. Missed it so much. Your posts gave me a little feeling of being there. xoxo