Only slightly delayed, here’s my Rhinebeck recap! Rhinebeck was fun (obviously) but also super, duper busy. It’s different with a kid, and major props to the Fiasco for being there to care for the Hatchling while I was spending extra time at the festival. It wasn’t quite the relaxing family vacation we’d envisioned, but we’ll just have to plan for another one of those to make up for it.
IndieUntangled acquisition.
We arrived on Friday, to an incredible AirBnB apartment in Saugerties. (Seriously, it was lovely, we didn’t ever want to go home.) We went for dinner, visited The Perfect Blend yarn and tea shop (they had a great spread going for knit night), and then arrived for the last half hour of the IndieUntangled Trunk Show and HOLY MOSES was it crowded. The instant claustrophobia kind of crowded, and of course many of the indie maker booths I wanted to see where slammed and inaccessible. However, I did manage to fight my way through to the Spun Right Round booth and acquired a lovely skein of 4-ply SW Merino Classic sock yarn in the neon-and-speckled Caterpillar colorway. (For all pics below, click to embiggen and hover for captions.)
As a super mega epic forever fan, the first thing we did after waiting in line for tickets (where Katy offered an assist in finishing the Hatchling’s sweater in time for Rhinebeck) was rush over to The Fold’s booth to check out the Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarns. There’s nothing like seeing a wall of Tina’s colorways in person! Since I have literally every skein of BMFA yarn that I’ve ever acquired from previous years at Rhinebeck still in stash, I refrained from buying more… somehow.
The rest of Saturday was long and filled to the brim with yarn, sheep, beautiful knit samples (at the Fiber Optic Yarns booth), a ridiculously long donut line for closing time, and a cranky toddler in need of a nap. He and the Fiasco went back to the AirBnB but then Katy and I stuck it out through the end of the festival which was a HUGE MISTAKE because there was so much traffic getting back that we missed getting dinner with the fellas and I got a little cranky.
Sunday morning we resisted the call of the festival to go for a bit of a hike, which was a great idea because it was a gorgeous morning and I don’t get outside nearly as much as I need to. We did a quick and easy trail to the Saugerties lighthouse on the Hudson River. It was delightful, many sweet and silly photos were taken, and the scenery was gorgeous.
I rather surprisingly don’t have many pictures of the second day besides the animal-themed ones above. I managed to meet up with a few Ravelry friends (although I missed most of the official meetups) and I think we were all a little wiped out by that point so we mostly just got lunch and speed-shopped that barns that we hadn’t visited yet. Which brings me to…
Besides the Spun Right Round skein from IndieUntangled, other pretties that came home with me included:
- Six mini skeins from Primrose Yarn Co. to make a Tool Box Cowl (theoretically);
- a skein of Into The Whirled Shokan Singles in The Cat’s Pyjamas;
- a Jenkins Kuchulu Turkish spindle (the tiniest one I own!) in tulipwood;
- an ounce of cashmere fluff; and
- a little wooly sheep coin purse (courtesy of Katy).
I’m happy that I aimed to fill a niche in my stash that is underrepresented: speckles. These were also all new-to-me dyers, and I didn’t have any cashmere in the fiber stash before now. The only purely gratuitous purchase was the spindle, but I couldn’t help myself! Jenkins spindles are really hard to come by and I’ve been curious about their tiny model for some time. And so far, it’s a pleasure to spin short-stapled fluffy cashmere on because it’s so tiny and lightweight.
Do you shop with a purpose at festivals, or just tend to go with your impulses? I held myself back from many impulse purchases but it actually felt pretty good.
Woolen Diversions 
sounds like fun! I am torn about Rhinebeck – ugh the crowds – oooh the yarn! I think you did it right, getting a nice apartment nearby so you have a crash landing pad.
I mix it up at festivals. I go with a definite list of the gaps in wardrobe or stash, but I allow myself an impulse treat or two. Lately I have gone with a clear budget as well, and stuck to it pretty well. That keeps me a bit focused on my list, but still, pretty treats find their way home with me.
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I WISH I HAD GONE! I will make it eventually. It looks like your stash has had the proper amount of enhancement.
I’m running out of space to put yarn, so I tend to have a list. The yarn fumes are strong and I am so weak when I’m in the middle of it all.
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It really depends. I enjoy having a purpose, but sometimes that plan changes when I get there. It looks like you really enjoyed yourself. Someday I will get there myself.
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I went to SAFF this weekend, armed with a list, and got everything on my list! I was pleased to find the things I was looking for and it made my experience much more enjoyable.
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If I were smarter I’d have delayed our move to South Carolina. Glad you enjoyed!
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Yay, sounds like fun, and I loved all the fun pics!
My only plan going into festivals is usually “don’t spend more than X dollars”. I talked myself out of a couple of impulse purchases at VTS&W this year, but I did end up coming home with a needle felting kit that I’ll work on this winter.
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