Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Sheep, and goats, and yarn - Oh my!

IMG_0571.jpg Baaaaaa...
IMG_0525.jpg Maaaaa?
IMG_0619.jpg Mmm... yarn.

Guess what? I haven't fallen off the face of the planet after all! My excuses for not blogging (and for being an exceptionally poor blog reader/commenter) since late September include:

1. Having a cold that seemed to go on and on.
2. A week-long visit from my parents (Hi, Mom and Dad!).
3. Being hog-tied and locked in a cupboard by Bug and Moana for several weeks.


Ok, that last one is a bit of a stretch, but... um... uh...

Look! What's that, over there?

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Why, it's a guy in spandex riding two horses at once... standing up!

NOTE: This is where I distract you with the news that I went to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY, over the weekend. Surely, the title of my post gave you no hint of this : )

It started with a wonderful dinner Friday evening at The Artist's Palate in Poughkeepsie (about half an hour south of Rhinebeck) with Amy and Marlena. It was so nice of them to invite me!

It was the first time I'd met either of them in person, but I recognized them right away from the photos on their blogs. I'm sure it was a surprise for them to finally see my head (I seriously forgot they would have no idea what I looked like... at least I was wearing my Central Park Hoodie, so they knew I was a knitter... or, um... I'd mugged one.)

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From the left: Amy (in her lovely shimmery Tulip), Catherine (a blogfree friend of Amy's), and Marlena (in her wonderfully tweedy Puff-Sleeved Feminine Cardigan. (As always, feel free to click any picture and select "all sizes" for bigger)

Saturday morning I started out a little after 9 am at The Fold booth, as I wanted to check out their Socks That Rock. Many others had the same idea : ) So many gorgeous color combinations... I found Amy and Marlena in the Moving Mud booth, where Amy was perusing the lovely glass buttons to find some that would complement the beautiful gray-blue Tangled Yoke she's working on.

We spent the day visiting the different buildings and tents, checking out vendors of all kinds, photographing sheep (and goats!), and taking breaks to sit and knit or people watch. It was a beautiful day, much warmer than expected for this time of year, so I didn't feel so bad that I hadn't been able to seam up my Minimalist Cardigan before the festival. Instead I wore my Mystery Stole for the first time (and got a few nice comments about it).

(The Minimalist Cardigan is currently blocking. I still need to find some sort of clasp to close the front -- I'll have photos when it's dry.)
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Oh, yes! For lunch, Marlena and I had chicken pot pies. We had seen people wandering around with them, and they looked so good! There was a long line, but it moved quickly. Right after they handed us our pies, the folks at the booth announced that the next batch of pies wouldn't be ready for 15 minutes -- phew, talk about lucky! (and don't worry, they were still nice and warm)

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The crust was buttery, flakey, and tender, and the filling was delicious, too (I loved the red skinned potatoes!). Amy had a very tasty looking lamb sandwich.

Unfortunately, the Ravelry lunchtime meetup completely slipped my pie-addled mind, and I really didn't check out spinning equipment or fiber much at all, but I had a great time anyway!

Alas, nearly all of my Rhinebeck photos are of photogenic sheep and goats (I missed the alpacas and llamas, though I heard they were around somewhere). I'm still not entirely sure which ones were goats (I've attempted to label the ones I think are goats, but feel free to let me know if I'm wrong). How I managed not to photograph any of the colorful yarn and fiber filled vendor booths, I will never know.

At any rate, here's a (rather large) selection of fleecy critters for your enjoyment.

Fuzzy Angora bunny! Not really fleecy, I know, but pretty impressive. Can this little guy see anything? Quick, somebody pluck and spin up some of his/her facial hair!
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Head shots for the new show "America's Next Top Fleece Producer":
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IMG_0517.jpg goat?
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IMG_0509.jpg goat?

More stunning specimens of sheepitude (and goatitude):
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IMG_0560.jpg Some were newly nude...
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IMG_0502.jpg goat?
IMG_0498.jpg Angora goats

There were sheep getting a little trim (before being shown, I assume):
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And sheep being shorn. This poor ewe was clearly not happy about the situation:
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The indignity!

I loved seeing all the different colors and textures:
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What's that? The sheep are great and all, but you're wondering if I got any yarn?

Well, yes, I did, actually. Here's my haul:
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An Alligator scarf kit from Morehouse Merino Farm:
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A Rat Race scarf kit from Morehouse Merino Farm:
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Nine skeins of lace weight yarn (~1100 yards deep orange-red and about 220 yards each of 4 different earthy tones) from Morehouse Merino Farm, on sale for $2 a skein (!) due to breaks (hello, spit splicing!):
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One skein of color grown organic cotton lace weight yarn (1650 yards) from Skaska Designs:
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Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock (Mediumweight) in "Rose Quartz" and "Covellite" (for a Syncopated Cap) from The Fold:
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Two skeins of "Peridot" Sylvan Spirit from the Green Mountain Spinnery:
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Two skeins of Soft Touch DKW in the subtley variegated "Evergreen" colorway from Shelridge Farm:
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One big, blue skein of Solo (400 yards) from Brooks Farm:
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And lastly, two lovely buttons from Moving Mud that I may make into earrings:
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Moana was impressed with the new yarn, but she wondered where the catnip fiber she requested had got to (sorry, Moana - maybe next year).
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35 comments:

The A.D.D. Knitter said...

Fun, fun , fun!!!

Anonymous said...

What a lot of furry animals! It looks like you had a fabulous time & great haul!

Kirsten said...

Ooooo, what a great haul! I was there on Sunday. I'm sorry I missed meeting you.

anphoe said...

You are back!!

I am so jealous. Because I had a mid-term exam this Monday, so I had to study and couldn't go Rhinebeck. Looks like you had lots of fun. I am sure you will have more fun with those yarn you bought.

Looking forward to see your finished Minimalist Cardigan.

Marlena said...

You got the best sheep pictures! I also neglected to take many fiber-y photos, but I blame shell shock. :)

Also, how did I miss that brown laceweight cotton? Clearly I need to get a better night's sleep before the festival next year!

Tammy said...

I am so jealous! Someday... someday, I'm going to make the cross country trek just to see all that wool in one place! Glad you had a good time!

Oiyi said...

Wow, you got lots of great photos. I was so overwhelmed and only remembered to pull out my camera towards the end. You got lots of good stuff.

The pot pies looks good! I got food from the other side (the crappy concession stands). I will be better prepared next year if I go.

Sarah said...

Quite a haul! And I love all the fibery beast pictures (that bunny is hilarious -- it almost doesn't look real).

Disentangled said...

So much fun! And such great stuff! I can't wait to go one of these years!

Kari said...

I was resigned to not feel too dissapointed, as I was on vacation... but with all those yummy yarns, and the fun animals it comes off of... dammit, now I'm totally bummed I missed it! LOL

Great pics, thanks for sharing!

wildtomato said...

Those fiber producers look FIERCE! (Yes, I'm ashamed to admit that I dig ANTM.)

How fun! You're so lucky you got to go to the big R. It's a coast away from me, but maybe someday I'll make it over to mecca.

Bryony Ramsden said...

Ooooo, you had a goooood day...

Rosina said...

Thanks for all the fun pictures :) It's nice to get to see the sheep and goats even though I didn't get to go. Looks like you got quite a haul there. Enjoy ;)

Amy said...

Hee, sheep! It was so nice to meet you, finally, and spend Saturday palling around. Looking forward to next year, for sure.

(And that's a nice tidy haul you wound up with!)

The Kelly Green Rogue said...

that's quite a haul! I have yarn envy!

Laiane said...

Glad you're back to blogging (I was beginning to worry). I completely believe that Bug and Moana are capable of locking you in a cupboard. I've seen those "Cats Wearing Knit-Wear" photos...

Rhinebeck looks grand, as does that yarn.

Cindy said...

I'm so jealous! Looks like you had a lot of fun and made a lot of great purchases. Would have loved a shot of you wearing the mystery stole!

Unknown said...

Welcome Back! Holy Moley, Rhinebeck looks overwhelming, but in such a good way. I feel so jipped being here in CA.

Beautiful fiber-critter photos. I love them all. And of course, the yarn! I haven't seen the Rat scarf pattern before....adorable!

soknitpicky said...

Sorry about your cold. As for Rhinebeck--wow! And get a load of that haul! It's gonna be fun watching you work your magic on these :-)

Anonymous said...

Glad you are back! Enjoyed all of your pictures and the beautiful yarn.

Anonymous said...

Looks like you had some serious fun. And you are right, I was very distracted by the spandex two-horse standing guy.

YarnSnob said...

what a fun post..goats...more goats..and more goats lol and nice haul of yummy yarns, lucky you

Kasia said...

I love your haul! Crock and rat kits are sooo funny, I looked at those the other day and they got stuck in my mind! Can't wait to see those knitted by you!
I am happy that earring reached you and that you like them.
Cheers!

Knittymuggins said...

Love love love that angora bunny (I want a bunny so bad)! The photos were fantastic and I'm glad you had such an amazing time :) I've been eyeing that alligator scarf pattern for a while too from Morehouse - can't wait to see it when you make it! Thanks for sharing....

knittymuggins

Anonymous said...

Great photos! I laughed when I read that you weren't sure which animals were goats, but when I saw the pictures I wasn't absolutely sure, either. Sneaky critters, those sheepgoats. Nice haul, too! I'm making a BSJ from some STR now -- your skeins, different colors but similar, look almost familiar.

Jane said...

Looks like you had a great weekend! And what great loot. Love those scarf kits too...

Anonymous said...

Oh my lord what a haul. And so many fabulous pictures! Ah! I'm very jealous.

LizKnits said...

Looks like you had an absolutely wonderful time! Thanks for sharing your pics and telling us about it. It helps to live vicariously!!

Beth said...

What gorgeous pictures!

I wish I had an experienced knitting guru to teach me to do beautiful things like yours.

Amanda said...

Looks like you had a lot of fun at Rhinebeck! Lucky girl! Looking forward to seeing your cardigan.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful post...complete with sheep & wool AND pot pie pics and evidence of a truly impressive haul. Glad you had such a great time!

Anonymous said...

Ohmy. Sheep and goats and goats and sheep and the occasional bunny and potpie (yum) and yarn and more yarn and good grief, woman, looks like a heckuva good time! What a bunch of wonderful pix! I especially loved the collection of textures; those were really fun to look at in closeup. Talk about a great primer on different fleeces! Aren't fiber festivals the best? Glad you got to go, and thanks for sharing the fun!

schrodinger said...

What a fantastic haul, and great photos too!!

Madge said...

Sorry I'm so late to comment...but I love your sheep photos. And the bunny. And your yarn scores. And your pot pie. Mmm pot pie.

Looks like Rhinebeck was great fun!

Kathleen said...

I'm a yarn addict, so those pictures had me wanting to buy yarn - even though I have a ton at home right now.