I went with Miss April of the Knitty 2007 calendar and her super-great boyfriend who drove, took photos and learned about spinning yarn. It was her first time to Rhinebeck, my third. Here we are reading the directions but a distracting conversation on Beethoven (?!) caused caused a missed exit.

It’s okay, we had snacks to keep us occupied.

We got there around 1-ish and the parking lot was packed! We found a spot at what seemed to be the end of the grassy field. Once inside, we thought about eating lunch first but the lines for the food were crazy long. So we separated for our own wanderings through the vendor barns and met again after an hour. I staked out a claim on the line for the lamb burgers - one of the best food deals at the festival. Ya can’t beat $2.50 for a burger with optional peppers, onions or cheese. It was tasty and yummy, until half way through I realized they didn’t cook my burger all the way! I thought about going back but not wanting to deal with the whole thing I assuaged my hunger with lamb stew from the 4H booth. I always like going to the 4H booth - the teenagers who man the counters are so polite - a refreshing change from some of the city teens I’ve dealt with.

You can’t help but run into friends while there (and I forgot to take photos of everyone, like Elizabeth and her cutie son, Caroline and her pals) -

Maria scored at the fleece sale! She is such an awesome fiber chick. I caught her in the act of weighing her purchases. I admire her fiber expertise - she knows a lot. Hey M - did you find the nostepinde?

Here’s a group of us flashing our purchases -

That’s Tania standing next to me - also her first time to the R&SW and her friend (sorry I forgot your name!). They were staying for the whole weekend. One of these days I’m going to do that. I know I can’t see it all in one day. I can’t help but think I am possibly missing the most fabulous yarn or fabulous sale or something! The ideal Rhinebeck trip would be go up Friday night, stay at a charming B&B, go to the festival for a couple of hours, spend the rest of the day wandering through the town of Rhinebeck, go back the next day and leisurely check out whatever vendors I didn’t catch the first time.

Next up, obligatory photos of animals - decided to go with the goats this time instead of the ubiquitous sheep.

But wait, what did I buy at the festival? Fibers for spinning -

The photos do not do the colors justice. On the left is a half pound of merino/tussah blend from The Sheep Shed at Mountain View Farm. I was immediately drawn to this colorway. The label has no name but it makes me think of vanilla ice cream with a blueberry stripe. On the right is 4 oz of a merino/wool blend called Autumn Maine Wood from Persimmon Tree Farm. I couldn’t resist the glittery angelica that sparkles amidst the gorgeous coppers and greens.

A practical nostepinde from The Fiber Kingdom -

Love at first sight -

My new Sweetheart Golding Ring Spindle. The whorl is two inches and the weight is 0.9 oz. I bought this size because I want to spin laceweight yarn. There were so many beautiful spindles on display. I had a tough time deciding on the style and the color of wood. I tested it on a wisp of my Sheep Shed fiber - the spindle kept spinning and spinning and spinning - amazing!

I bought this spindle near the end of the day, which coincided nicely with the end of my money. I set a budget for this trip (I’m still recovering from Hawaii!), and I’m very proud of myself of staying within budget. What’s strange was I did not buy any yarn on this trip. I really just want to spin right now, hence only fibers. I had planned on buying hand carders - that will have to wait. I looked at spinning wheels, but that’s just so beyond my budget right now.

Now that Rhinebeck has come and gone, whatever will we do next?

Well, we’re going to buy more yarn! We have to use our coupon at The Point before October ends.