Rhinebeck (mostly in pictures) October 17, 2016 – Posted in: Miscellaneous

Lisa and I have been trying to visit the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck for years but, with one thing and another, we’ve never managed to make the trek.  Happily, the stars aligned for me this year – my son had no scheduled soccer games, we had no weekend guests, and my lovely friend Nikki was keen to join me. As I now live in the NYC area, the festival is less than 2 hours away – truly, a hop, skip, and jump. Saturday dawned breathtakingly beautiful, sunny and crisp and full of promise. As a festival newbie, I was excited to see what this fair was all about – could it really live up to the rave reviews? All I can say is that from the moment we arrived, until festival close that afternoon, every single aspect of the day was magical. To see knitters, spinners, weavers, designers, farmers, hand-dyers, podcasters, and Ravelers all come together in joyful and supportive community was a thing to see. The smiles and exuberance and positive energy were entirely contagious. And then there were the animals. At the risk of sounding sentimental, to see the sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, vicuna, rabbits, etc. up close and personal, inspired a gratitude and appreciation for these creatures not usually top of mind when selecting a finished product off a shelf in a shop.  If you’ve never been to Rhinebeck, this girl can wholeheartedly confirm, the hype is justified and the afterglow will stay with you long after you make your way home…

The only thing that would have made the day better was to have had Lisa along for the ride. Next year, or bust, friend!  🙂

Photos below to give you a taste of the day…

–  Melissa

 – Melissa