Rhinebeck: I think I have a partner in crime!

This weekend was the annual New York Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York. I’ve been going for some time, I bought my spinning wheel there before my daughter was born, and have been going pretty regularly for some time. Long enough that I remember going before it was as big as it is today (bouncy houses, petting zoos and a full fairground of vendors).

This year I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go, I didn’t need any more yarn or fiber, and there’s always plenty to do around the house. However, when I asked E if she had any interest in going, the answer was a resounding YES! So, we climbed into the car, and headed south to Rhinebeck. It’s a beautiful ride down the Taconic, and we listened to Glee songs and the Fame soundtrack. Because when this kid isn’t skiing, dancing or reading she’s dreaming of being in a musical.

It was an absolutely beautiful day.

What was extra fun was that Gale Zucker who takes wonderful photos of sheep, knitting and knitters was there with her white backdrop taking pictures of knitters and their knitting. E thought that was a pretty neat idea, so we headed there first. It was wonderful to meet Gale. Her photos are amazing, and it is obvious how much she loves what she does. We got our pictures taken, and I was able to catch the artist in action:

One of the fun things about going back is finding things we’d seen in years past. We stopped to watch the pumpkin carving:

We visited the book section, and E picked up a few books. One of them was Lily Chin’s Crochet Tips & Tricks. Lily signed it for E, explaining how she had learned to crochet when she was 9 too. E really got a kick out of talking to people about what she was doing and what she wanted to be able to do. Our local yarn store has a book about Amigurumi Crochet that she’s really interested in. I’ve told her she needs to do a little more with double crochet before we get the book, so she’s working toward a goal. She has a project she’s focusing on right now, but she is looking forward to moving to the next step!
It’s always fun to go with an idea of a specific purchase and E wanted to find a wooden crochet hook. We found a nice one, and she tried it out on the way home. She is quite pleased with her purchase.

Once we checked out the vendors, we wanted to see the animals:

Mohair goats make me smile so hard:

I think this little guy is a Cotswald:

There was a photo shoot spot for the animals:

This little Shetland was very friendly:

For everyone who got to go, I hope you had fun! We certainly did!

It was a fun day. I hope you had a good weekend too!