Saturday

The weather on Saturday could not have been more perfect! The sky was deep blue, the air was still and it was just crisp enough for a woollen sweater and shawl to seem like a good idea. What more could you wish for at a fibre festival?!

As we walked through the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, heading for the book barn, I started to eye up options for lunch, and this BBQ Smokehouse really caught my eye (and nose!).

I spent the morning meeting knitters and signing books, and it was a total joy to meet so many of our YouTube subscribers. I was very lucky to have a stand between MDK and Melanie Falick whose new book, Making A Life is an extraordinary collection of stories of making and makers. It is officially released at the end of the month so be sure to find a copy – it would make an excellent gift for almost anyone given the range of hand-making that she explores.
I dived out of the book barn in search of lunch and then headed to “The Hill”, a small area where meet-ups are arranged.

We need to talk about the Knitwear… and yes, that capital K is purposeful! Oh my word!! I have been to a number of really great yarn show in the UK over the last 10+ years, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING, could really prepare me for the sheer volume of extraordinary handknits at Rhinebeck. There was such an array of incredible colour, texture, construction and just general all-round awesome knitting, it really was breath-taking.

i caught up with a couple of knitters from our Ravelry group (and stupidly didn’t take photos of everyone – so sorry!). This is Nancy (layingcable) and Cheryl (mamafish), wonderfully photographed by Mr mamafish:

Did I mention already that laughter and friendship were the themes of the trip? It has just been SO good to spend time with my internet knitting friends.

After the meet-ups it was time to get down to some serious Rhinebeck business…

Queuing for, and then eating, the famous cider apple donuts. Oh wow! So delicious, and totally worth the hour or so spent standing in line. The queue was a microcosm of Rhinebeck – we watched beautiful knitwear, we chatted to the knitters each side of us in the queue, and then we bought scrumptious snacks. It was a perfect afternoon.

To finish off the perfect day, we had dinner in town with new friends, and then I completed the knitting part of my Antler Cardigan. All that remains is to find some buttons!

To be continued…

I haven’t totally mastered formatting and links from the app, so here are a few links that might be handy:

MDK (Mason-Dixon Knitting): https://www.masondixonknitting.com

Melanie Falick Making a Life: https://melaniefalick.com

Our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/user/Jenacknitwear

Antler Cardigan by Tin Can Knits: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/antler-cardigan