Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival -knitter/spinner/fiber artist paradise

On Saturday, a friend and I drove up to Rhinebeck.  At first, I dreaded the long drive (2 hours), but after thinking of the pain I would feel if I really missed the annual Sheep and Wool Festival (www.sheepandwool.com) I decided it was well worth the trip.    Two of my key suppliers for merino fiber would be at this event, so it was important for me to see them in person.

With my backpack, and one extra bag for my goodies we headed out about mid morning and arrived a little before 1 pm.  I had previously visited this fair on a Sunday, and this was my first time attending on a Saturday.   What a big difference in the size of the crowd.

Some of my goodies from this trip

Check out the foliage in the background-such a scenic trip

For those of you who don't know the Sheep and Wool Festival is on the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York and it takes place on the weekend.  I heard the expected attendance could be as high as 40,000  people.  I'm sure Saturday was the bulk of the crowd as we found it harder to move around , as there were lots of people everywhere.  If you were hungry you had to wait on a long line, regardless of which food vendor you wanted to try.  I wanted to taste that apple cider donut, but decided the wait was not worth it.

If you love knitting, spinning, felting or any other fiber art you would love this fair.   There are plenty of vendors selling their fiber and yarn in so many different colors/combinations that you would be hard pressed not to find what you're looking for.   Of course, if you're looking for finished product such as sweaters, hats, gloves, mitts you can also find that here.  They also have knitting and spinning workshops, competitions,  demos, fleece and sheep for sale, and other fun stuff for the kids.

I remember the first year I came to Rhinebeck.   I was in awe at the size of the crowd, and the various vendors and what they had to offer.   I took lots of pictures of  sheeps, llamas and alpacas.  By year three I was more focused on who/what I needed to see, but could not ignore the lovely yarn and fiber shown by most vendors.  I keep going back to those that did well for me the previous years.

If you have never been to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival please make it a point to go next year, or even one in your area of the country.

I took a picture of this little bunny rabbit who had the fluffiest fur