Every October, as surely as Winter follows Autumn, as night follows day, as the little lamb followed Mary to school one day, the knitters, crocheters, weavers, sheep and shepherds head toward Rhinebeck, New York for the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. Alpacas, angoras and goats, too.
Above, alpacas on parade. Below, angora rabbits ($300 each, if you want one)
This year, the trekkers included me, although I fit none of the categories. But I am married to an avid knitter and wool collector (all serious knitters become collectors whether they mean to or not), and went along for the weekend, together with several other members of her knitting circle.
The festival takes place each year at the Duchess County Fairgrounds, and attracts thousands; it’s one of the country’s largest sheep and wool festivals. The whole weekend is full of activities: sales tents, workshops, demonstrations, livestock auctions, sheep-shearing contests, children’s games, and more.
Sheep-shearing and the auction, above; below a young farmer’s daughter holds the lamb while her mother takes to the microphone.
And there are food trucks and stands—some with a serious emphasis on lamb, and some offering all the specialties of a county or state fair, along with New York State apples that are just coming to market then, including my favorite New York Golden Delicious. (Sorry, Washington, it’s not anywhere the same).
No fancy joints here, but rows of benches near the food area were busy all day
As a non-knitter, I was free to enjoy the sights and the colors, without worrying about how many skeins I would need or what needles. So I wandered and noted that while knitters seem to pick each other in crowds, buses, trains, all the places we go, here it seemed everyone was showing off their home-mades, whether knitted, crocheted or woven, in gorgeous colors.
Knitters seem to like jokes, such as these two. And there was no shortage of cutely-printed tote bags to carry projects in; my favorite is my wife’s that says “Wool is an essential part of any high-fiber diet.”
In addition to all the wool and tools on sale, there were also plentiful offerings of readymade hats, socks and more.
But I seem to be focusing heavily on the yarn and knitting—time to have a look at some of the real producers: the sheep! They came in a variety of sizes and colors, and none of them seemed in any way as excited as the humans.
The blankets aren’t for warmth; once the sheep have been washed down before shearing, no one wants them rolling in the hay and mud…
Meanwhile, in these show buildings, the people are crammed wall to wall, or table to table, admiring wool of all kinds, often displayed with sweaters or other projects it could be knit or crocheted into. I passed through and admired, but I couldn’t stay for long—the crowd kind of moved me along!
Not all yarn and sweaters: a few tables showed other crafts, such as this pottery, and others showed equipment for handling yarn or turning fiber into yarn. And, of course, some were selling tote bags to take it all home in.
I’m drawn to colors and combinations; my background in the printing trades and my interest in art have something to do with that, I suppose. I’m not likely ever to be a knitter, although I’ve tried—but even as a non-knitter I found the festival truly enjoyable, if at moments a bit baffling.
And, if you’d like to make a weekend of it, the Rhinebeck area has a number of other attractions to fill your time, including the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome with its collection of flying antiques and the Hudson River Maritime Museum just across the river in Kingston.
