Sad Face....

    I have one of those on. See, my best knitting buddy and I have decided we aren't going to Rhinebeck this year for the Sheep and Wool Festival. We just have no money with which to splurge on fibery goodness.


    But we have pinky sworn to get a "Rhinebeck Wish Jar" and every time we get even just a little extra money, we promise to put it in the jar. In the course of the next year, we should have saved enough to be able to go.


    It's a shame really, because we only live about 10 miles away from there, so travel money isn't an issue. It'll all be spending money for us.


    I get all excited reading about Clara Parkes and The Yarn Harlot going to Rhinebeck, and it's kind of surreal. It makes me want to go stand out on Rte 9 here in town and watch to see if I can spot them driving by. I'd even get a sign that says "Honk if you're going to Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool!"


    I just hope that they will all be there again next year. The festival is kind of a big deal in the knitting world, so I imagine they will be there.


    On the plus side, I've been knitting on the garter stitch baby blanket today while watching TV. I feel that I should mention again that it was designed by Elizabeth Zimmermann, and is in one of her books.

My Rhinebeck Sheep And Wool Report

   Now that I am safely ensconced at home, in my comfy house clothes, I can look back at my experience at the Sheep and Wool Festival. It was awesome! I took lots of pictures, got to see famous knitters from afar, and saw lots of cute sheep and beautiful yarns.

   I knew The Yarn Harlot was going to be there, signing books, but I didn't know that Clara Parkes would be there too! Both are lovely ladies, even if I didn't get to converse with them myself. The lines were just too long, and I can't stand upright and still for that long.

   There were five of us in our group, Kim H., @AtKnitsEndYarns; Laura, @Betweenthelens; Deb, @ObliviousKnits; her fiance, James, @WetDentist; and myself, Kim S., @BicraftualMe... I think we all had a good time! I know I did!

   It was a great honor to meet a twitter and facebook friend, ObliviousKnits! She was so much fun to hang around with, and it was neat to see familiar things through her eyes. Deb is fearless! She's the one who got our books signed by Ms. Harlot.

   I loved looking at all the walls of color that were the displays of yarns and fibers! It was also interesting to see all the people walking around in hand knitted clothing. I've never seen so many shawls, sweaters, ponchos and hats! There were even a few tunics, and skirts! LOVE IT!

   Soon after we got there, I realized I should have brought my sweater to wear, as it was pretty chilly. I did wear a shawl, my gray pentagram one. I doubted anyone would even notice that it was a pentagram. And I don't think they did! As I walked around the show, I kept repeating, "Go big, or go home!" as my shawl is pretty big.  I am tall, and the shawl was dragging on the ground by the time we left.

   Here are some photos of the walls of color:

   And these two were my favorite sheep! I really loved the dark one with the horns!

   This one, I loved his long curly coat!

   Now I'm stiffening up, and I need to go get into my hot tub. My feet are starting to cramp up! If you got to go, I hope you enjoyed the Sheep and Wool Festival!!

Kim out!