A Day at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival

The weather predictions for this weekend were sounding ominous so I waited until very late Friday night to decide to go to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival. As it turned out the sun was shining nicely early Saturday morning when Ron and I left for my annual romp through the fibers.

By the time this billboard shows up there are about three or four more miles to the festival and that's when my heart started pounding with excitement.
We arrived at 9:15AM and already the line was about half an hour long. The wind was blowing across the fields of the parking lot and it was freezing. Ron decided he didn't need to see the sheep that badly and walked back to the car to wait for me in the sunshine warmed comfort. I was all bundled up in my winter coat and alpaca scarf so I was impervious to the cold. Have I mentioned what a saint he is? His parting words were, "Take your time and enjoy yourself. Don't worry about me. I'll find something to do." It's a good thing he had his cell phone with him. I think he called everyone in his phone list. LOL!

Getting there early works out well for me because I don't like large crowds. At 9:30AM this was about as big as the crowd grew. Can't say it stayed the same though.

The first few buildings house the animals along side the vendors. I got a kick out of this sign.

You can see why they would be! Just look at those big brown eyes. How could anyone resist?

This was the biggest, scariest sheep I have ever seen in my life! At one point he had his head over the rail.

Didja have a hard night, goat? Check out the different angles of his horns.

The llamas are cute too.

When I had my fill of the animals and my nose started itching, I knew it was time to move on to check out the goodies. It's amazing what talent people have! This whole village was made of felted elves and animals. It was darling!

And this is the kind of fiber with which they are made.


I love the pastels of this group. But being the sort of impatient person I am, I don't want to spend any time spinning yarn from this fiber. I want to get right to the knitting.


The colors everywhere were beautiful.


And the weavers outdid themselves this year.

I took this photo for my grandson. Look Moose! It's Marlin and Coral and Nemo!

There were other artisans there too besides spinners, weavers, and knitters. Check out the details on this "Lamb-O-Lantern".

What an artist!

Another artist at work hooking rugs.

And speaking of art... This is a spinning wheel, believe it or not! It was highly polished like a piece of fine furniture. Just gorgeous!!!

This gentleman took time out from spinning to play a few songs on his banjo.

Was the Jolly Green Giant here? Did I miss him?

The traditional and contemporary side by side. Somehow it feels wrong to use an electric spinning wheel.

The hand turned drop spindles were beautiful. I almost bought one just because, but I restrained myself.

It's funny how peaceful spinning can be. It's a real meditative act. I don't think she was aware of all the people and animals that were fussing around her.

The same Andean Band was back again this year. Their music floats through the air so I had to buy one of their CDs. Hey Chicks! You'll hear it this week when we knit.

There was a new addition to the attractions this year but I thought walking would be better exercise.

The colors in the trees were just as pretty as the colors of the fibers.

But I was getting hungry and Ron had waited long enough. So I called it a day
and headed back to the car. And in case you're wondering...no, I didn't buy any yarn. Nothing screamed out at me. But I did purchase two handmade dichroic glass beads to make a shawl pin. It was a fun excursion into the wonderful world of fiber and I look forward to next year's festival.

Feel the Fiber, Smell the Fiber, BE the Fiber...

It was a glorious day at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York. The air was crisp and cold, the sunshine was warm. Elaine, her friend Jill, and I arrived at 8:45AM before the all traffic jams.

We pushed on, head first, into the wonderful world of colors and textures.
Elaine and Jill were absolutely giddy with delight at the prospect of all the selections.
My first purchase was a cute little angular scarf pattern. I was trying to start out with some restraint. HA! That didn't last long!
We saw cuddly soft baby alpacas...
regal llamas....
the sweetest little sheep...
cutest little lambs....
and the most beautiful colors of all were from Mother Nature herself.
We stopped in to say hi to Karin as she worked the Sliver Moon booth. She's on the left advising a customer on some yarn selections.
The rovings were dyed with breathtaking colors. If I were a spinner I could easily be tempted.
Some of the ready made garments were spectacular too.
I was sidetracked watching the spinners working their delicate craft.
And saw a mother/daughter team trying out some modern looking wheels. Start them young!
The live entertainment by a Peruvian Pipe band was a perfect compliment to the excitement in the air.
We stopped for lunch of delicious pot pies and lamb sandwiches. But this wasn't it! LOL! Someone was dyeing wool with all natural ingredients.
The talent overflowed everywhere as can be seen here in these hand felted blossoms.
Handmade baskets were everywhere too. I had a hard time walking away from this booth.
We stopped for a moment to admire the babbling brook, which even at the end of the growing season still looked beautiful and inviting.
And I have no words appropriate to give justice to the beauty of this gossamer lace shawl.
By 12:30PM we had seen all there was to see, touched all the fiber our hands could handle, and admired some of the most beautiful handmade sweaters, shawls and scarves that fellow knitters wore to the celebration. It was time to go home, although the pull was strong to stay a little while longer. There is something special about the art of creating. It brings the best out in people. And the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck is the best!