Whirlwind Rhinebeck Weekend

Whew! What a weekend at Rhinebeck! A good time was had by all....

I could have done a better job taking pictures.... if I had time. It was so busy the whole weekend. On Friday, Paul, Jana and I headed down to set up the booth:

I think it looked even better than last year! And thanks to Deirdre who stopped by after her spinning class and helped to stock the shelves.

Saturday (and Sunday) morning we had breakfast at the Eveready Diner:

This was on the FoodNetwork show Diner,Drive-ins, and Dives. It was very yummy (although the service was a little slow...). Before we knew it, we were running late and had to hurry to set up for the first day of the show...

This guy was hard to miss:

...in a kilt, hiking shoes, a backpack and pushing a baby carriage. And VERY tall.


And here is Jana creatively wearing one of her purchases, a gorgeous wet-felted scarf:



Saturday was an EXTREMELY busy and crowded day. A few people commented to me that they had never seen it so crowded on a Saturday.


We were very tired at the end of the day. Jana went home to work at the shop on Sunday and Yvette came down after watching the shop on Saturday (and had to bring reinforcement yarn!). Here we are waiting (and waiting) for Yvette and Joan to be ready for dinner:

I'm supposed to be looking more morose/annoyed, but I was too busy trying to get the picture. (We really didn't have to wait that long.)

Sunday was also busy, but much less so than Saturday. I got a chance to walk around with Paul for a while and eat. I mean, buy yarn. I actually didn't buy too much (some Socks that Rock and some Blue Moon Fiber arts worsted weight in a denim color) because I was a little fried/tired. So, if I saw you at Rhinebeck, remind me of it --- the whole weekend is a blur.

We packed up and Paul and I left the fairgrounds at 7:30pm on Sunday. We had a deal that if the parking spots alongside the shop were open (to accommodate the truck and trailer), we'd stop and unload that night. If there were cars there, we'd just keep going home and unload the next day. We were hoping hoping hoping that there were cars there. There weren't. Wide open space. So, we unloaded and got home around 10pm. We were actually glad that we got it done.
A very tiring weekend, but so much fun!

The Echo Flower Shawl Knit-a-Long is almost over and there are some wonderful results!
Here is Kathy with her shawl:

There is another done by Karyn that is posted in the Ravelry group - gorgeous!

CUSTOMER SHOW AND TELL:

Lisa's toe-up socks!:

Wilna's Baby Jacket and blanket, made with Kids Rock:

Kathy has been busy again!.....

Her pretty Eco Wool vest:

Maine Morning Mitts made with Peace Love Yarns hand-dyed bulky organic merino:

Texting mittens!:

and her Top-Down Baby Jacket made with Encore Chunky and cute buttons:

Lisa's very pretty Undulating Waves Beaded Scarf:

Pat's Mobius Cowl made with Rialto DK (doubled):

Mary Kate's pretty 198 Yards of Heaven shawlette, made with Baby Bamboo:

and her Leaf Hat, made with superwash wool:

Nancy's ribbed hat made with Rialto DK:

Robin in her gorgeous sweater made with Malabrigo Worsted:

Rhinebeck here we come!

Preparations are in full swing for our booth down at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY this weekend (Oct 16 & 17). There is so. much. to. do. BUT, I have a big long list that is keeping me organized. Yarn? check. Patterns? check. Shelving and tables? check. Cash register? working on it. Credit card machine? working on it. So many other things fall under "working on it"!


Lots of great kits are being made up. Here is a preview of one of the patterns in the kits:
Created by Jana, this Easy as Pie baby hat is so adorable. Debuting at Rhinebeck (sorry, not before!) with an additional pattern in the kit (wait til you see that one ---- also very adorable!)



Lots of samples are being knit up:
I knit Deb Anderson's Leaf Hat with the new Royal Alpaca by Aslan Trends:

This yarn is so soft and yummy. I love it! You can make two of these hats out of the generous 220 yard skein...


I'm also knittig a Mini Mochi sock yarn sample sock:

Almost done - hopefully will be finished tonight. Love the colors in this yarn --- and it feels so nice on your feet.



Meanwhile, on Sunday I went to see my mom and my sister to celebrate all of our birthdays. First, I met my mom at The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge for lunch and shopping. Beautiful drive out through the Berkshires!:

Yes, I was driving while taking this. But I was being very careful. (in case my mom reads this)




I was a little early so I worked on my Mini Mochi sock in a rocking chair on the porch of the inn while I waited for my mom:





Then, we traveled on to Connecticut and met my sister for dinner at Da Capo's in Avon...




We had these very yummy Da Capo chips which were very thinly sliced zuchini and eggplant, battered and fried, served with a cucumber-dill yogurt sauce:

Mmmmmmm.




And when I came home today, there was this beautiful view on my street:





Customer Show and Tell:

Karyn's GORGEOUS Lizard Ridge Afghan!:

And her also-gorgeous purse:

And a very cute baby wearing a very cute sweater made by Joan:

It's official....

....it's cool enough outside to have a nice warm fire inside!

Very cozy and great for knitting next to.

I've been doing lots of knitting! I made these felted double cuff mittens:

Jana and I will be teaching this class in October and November. She made some really pretty green ones that I forgot to take a picture of!

And I'm virtually done with the Trellis Stitch Pillow from the new Knitting at Home book:

I have the front and back done. Just need to emroider some circles and sew on some buttons (uh oh!) and then seam and stuff. I LOVE IT! There are so many patterns in this book that I love and want to knit. There is a greally great hooded house coat and some cozy looking bed socks and another pillow (a floor pillow!).

Ooh, and I've finally finished my Periwinkle Sheep Spinning Room colorway socks!

You can't really tell in this picture, but one of the socks has a different pattern than the other, and it will be debuted in a kit at Rhinebeck! It is a very subtle and simple pattern (my first crack at designing a sock), and hence, why you can't see it in the picture, but I think it's kind of nice.

Here is a picture of my Echo Flower Shawl progress:

I know. It doesn't look like much or tell you what it's going to look like. The yarn is very springy, making it scrunch up more than regular lace knitting. And the really pretty browns/greens just don't show up well in this picture. BUT, I'm enjoying how it is coming along and it is a nice pattern.

And my Girasole is also coming along nicely!

Love love love the Pastaza, despite the fact that it sheds while you are knitting it. It's just going to be the warmest blanket ever. (I'm told the shedding subsides after it is washed).


And look at Jana's awesome Twisted Cardigan!!!

So. Cool. It will be coming to Rhinebeck too, as a sample for a one skein Ecological Wool project!

Customer Show and Tell:

Nancy C's very cute car seat blanket made with Encore:

Linda's short row scarf made with Mini Mochi:

You wouldn't believe how soft this scarf is!

Nancy E's adorable baby socks:

Alison's Tappan Zee made in a very pretty shade of green (Silky Wool):

And check out her needle-felted squirrels! (How cute are they?):

Pat's warm and cozy Thermis neckwarmer, made with Debbie Bliss Fez:

Eleanor's Done by Monday Blanket made with Encore Drifting Worsted:

Lois' adorable Kiddie Cadet Cap:

....And her Short Row Scarf made with Noro Kureyon:

Ronnie's adorable baby set, made with Sirdar Kisses:

Janell's beautiful shrug made with Baby Alpaca Grande Hand-Dye:

Patti's Lizard Ridge Afghan Squares!

So pretty! She says she's hooked and can't stop making them!

Cathy's beautiful afghan made with Encore:

Once again, so many great projects! Thank you all for bringing them in to share!