Tuesday, October 21, 2008

My adventures at Rhinebeck Festival

Hi and welcome to my windy October. Gusts of wind are up to 40 miles per hour and its cold! I'm glad that the weather (during the day) held off and were nice and sunny. The festival at Rheinbeck was so much fun. I have lots of photos to share.

This a beautiful wool from a Spinnery in Maine (that I have actually been too!) - It is wind powered and uses plant dyes.  Wonderful colors and really nice people.


These are Romney sheep (I think, if I remember correctly).  People here really love their animals - rightfully so.


This is how one company gets there roving.  Its Merino wool and it was the coolest thing I ever saw - It was at least 100+ pounds worth.


This a painting done in wool - yes I said wool.  Can you tell the size - look at the bottom and see the box.  I think this would stand 5/6 feet tall and did I mention its all wool!


These were the best hats ever.  I love the funk - which isn't too funky like some of them can get.  She wanted $65 for the brown one and I almost bought it... I will have to see if I can do it myself.

I visited with my teachers at Sunbridge - no scratch that - Fiber Craft Studio and managed not to get a photo (sorry).  I did see my great blogger friend Lisa Anne.  So much fun to see you!  I slept in my car in the parking lot (next to all the campers so as not to really be alone) and boy was it cold.  It was down to 30/32 degrees at night and I love my new sleeping bag! 


All this color is just giving me goose bumps!

I really had such a great time walking around and talking with people that had such a close interest and also so creative.  The food was good but expensive and the $2.00 cup of coffee was $1.00 for the hand warmer and $1.00 for the luke warm drink after the first part did its job.  The afternoons warned up quite a bit - in the 50's  so that was nice.  There were several natural dyers and also people that sold the supplies.  Its so nice when you don't have to pay the shipping.   It was however a 4 hour drive - but so worth it.  Below is a photo of a beautiful Cotswold sheep in its harness to get shorn for a judging show.

Baaaa for now - dinner cooking.


3 comments:

Teaching Handwork said...

soooo coool! I wish I was there with you! how fun! it's still in the late 80's out here....it feels so wrong...being from the east coast I REALLLLLLLLY miss the fall season.

Happy to see all those plant dyed colors....beautiful!

Lisa Anne said...

Yes, it was an amazing overload of yarn, beautiful colors and people watching.It was nice seeing you. I was exhausted by the time I saw you and understand that you had to go, we went to visit the cutest sheep ever (think Whoppi Goldberg)and then left- after I ate one more dish of polenta and greens (yes, very $$- I spent more money on food than anything else!).

We are staying put in NE PA (re: not moving)for a while, I think it is a very expensive area around Rhinebeck/Hawthorne Valley. We just need to make peace with where we are.
(I took my blog off-line for a while while I am traveling and doing some inner work, focusing more on the here and now)

Sarah said...

I think I need to figure out how to get to that festival next year.