So this was my first year experiencing the yarn mecca that is Rhinebeck. Needless to say it surpassed all expectations.
When we first got there, we had quite a line ahead of us.
and then even more started to assemble behind us…
As uninitiated, we were a little worried we might be in for a long wait. But once the gates were open we sailed in and past some beautiful New England (or close to it anyway) foliage.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we were sure to wear handknits. Though that probably goes without saying.
The typical country fair staple of judging entries was not to be missed. The fair is so large there are entries from all over. It’s really the cream of the crop here.
Sheep-to-Shawl!
Look at all that fibre fluff.
Speaking of fluff.
Believe it or not, this is not wool roving, it’s actually delicious delicious maple cotton candy.
Though some members of our group felt compelled to taste actual roving…
You have to be one of us fibre freaks to get it.
Speaking of eats, omg apple cider donuts.
I think the look on my face says it all.
Besides food, there were also animals. Super cute fibre-producing animals (the best kind!).
The underbite kills me.
Llamas are actually quite affectionate. Who knew?
SO FLOOFY!
That right there is a cashmere goat.
And here is a paco vicuña:
Not only are they the cutest of camelids, they make delightful, if expensive, fibre. This skein from Victory Farms shares my name! Alas I didn’t have the budget to actually buy one…
A final animal-related thing I have to share:
Voilà my video of the leaping llama show.
On our last night in town we sampled some local food: AKA The Melting Pot fondue restaurant! We don’t have fondue restaurants in Canada, so we got really excited. The fact that we filled up on chocolate alcoholic drinks before we got our food after a long day of walking around Rhinebeck probably didn’t help…
But I digress…
Finally, here is a summary of the goodies I brought home.
Beautiful hand dyed roving from Briar Rose Fibers and a drop spindle from David Reed Smith. I got the Susan model for fine weights. I highly recommend it.
I also got some angora rabbit for only $10. Second quality, but it will be great for spinning in with other fibres. I also picked up a gorgeous shade of blue silk and merino roving from Pucker Brush Farm. I’ll post a photo soon.
Cools news if you live (or work or attend school) in Toronto!
You can download digital copies of the following knitting and crochet magazines for free with your library card (which is also free to get if you don’t have one, by the way):
(other types of mags too, but I figure most of ya want fibre-related ones)
The service is called Zinio eMagazines and is now available on the Toronto Public Library website (direct link here).
Zinio offers unlimited (no time limit, no limit on # of magazines) access to current issues of popular magazines. I’ve started using it on my iPad already. It’s pretty sweet.
You have to create two accounts using the same email address and password – one at tpl.ca/zinio to access and checkout magazines and a zinio.com Reader account (tpl.ca/zinio will guide you to go there after you register and check out your first magazine) to read checked out magazines via streaming online and download offline via the free mobile app (iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry).
*Important note:* to check out a new magazine, you must go back to the Toronto Public Library Zinio eMagazine page. If you try to select a magazine through the Zinio website or the app, you will be prompted to pay for it.
A Getting Started with Zinio eMagazines page also appears on the library website providing updated title and subject lists, a one page Zinio User Guide and a Frequently Asked Questions section.
Cnyttende Textiles 