All the ladies in my knitting society have been excitedly chattering about the New York Sheep ๐ & Yarn ๐งถ Festival in Rhinebeck for several weeks now. I find crowds stressful, but I decided as a knitter & crocheter I knew it would behoove me to attend the festival. My friend invited me to join her for this outing. This meant I didn’t have to make the drive, which was another awesome bonus.
The weather was pretty typical for an October day in NYS. It was cool and crisp first thing, and warmed up by midday enough to peel off a layer or so. Fortunately, we also had sun, and I enjoyed the opportunity for aprication. The lines of excited attendees going into the festival were moving at a very reasonable pace. Our entry was well managed so that didn’t take long at all. And then there were the crowds, the only word that comes to me immediately is indescribable. The New York Sheep ๐ & Yarn ๐งถ Festival was bustling with people from all walks of life.
I struggle with large congregations, this was very definitely the part I felt most apprehensive about beforehand. As I approached the first building, there were a myriad of shoppers. I took my time to approach, and surprisingly while it was a tight fit, everyone was respectful, patient and kind. Lots of “excuse me” and “sorry” as people unavoidably bumped each other and tried to navigate the convival crowd at the New York Sheep ๐ & Yarn ๐งถ Festival. I was able to navigate through almost all the buildings, pacing myself and moving to less crowded areas each time I felt overwhelmed. I really came away from the day feeling auspiciously optimistic.
What did I buy????? I am fairly frugal with my yarn budget, but I had made the decision prior that if something really caught my eye, I would get it at the New York Sheep ๐ & Yarn ๐งถ Festival. Within reason of course! First stop was at the booth A thousand Ravens. They had a colorway that was only available at the Rhinebeck event consisting of deep purples and teal. Along with that I purchased the color ways Catherine of Aragon and Oceanus. I also made yarn purchases at Avalon Springs Farm, Dragonfly Fibers, The Foldout Cat, Toil & Trouble, and the Alpaca Yarn Company. I will be talking about each of those purchases and planned projects for them in my next few posts. Lastly, my friend Cindy was able to get me a coveted canvas event bag, which made me feel so lucky!!!
I had several take aways that I think would be helpful for others planning to attend future New York Sheep ๐ & Yarn ๐งถ Festivals. First and foremost, plan to get there early. We calculated for 10, but didn’t take into account for the traffic took and extra 40 minutes to arrive. Also, the lines for food and drinks were running about 60-90 minutes!!!! I do get a little hangry, this galvanized my intent to bring my trusty water bottle and some breakfast bars next time. The people were kind, respectful and friendly. The vendors had so many unique and beautiful things to sell, and each booth was overflowing with a melange of merchandise. So to recapitulate, I can honestly say, I LOVED IT!!!!
Best,
Emma
www.thefibersubscriber.com
Here is the event link, so you can check it out!