What is “Rhinebeck”?
Rhinebeck is actually the name of a town in New York. It is the location where the annual New York Sheep and Wool festival is held. Many knitters, crocheters, and crafters attend to view the sheep on display, yarn and fiber for sale, and to enjoy the autumn colors and weather. If you sign up early enough, there are also workshops to attend and activities for kids.
This year, the Sheep and Wool festival will be held on October 19-20.
Other Events
Because so many crafters travel, a few yarn markets pop up around that weekend as well.
Both events are taking place on Friday, October 18, and you can purchase a ticket for a specific time slot, which helps with the amount of traffic these event attracts.
My Purchasing Plans
I find when attending festivals like this, I get overwhelmed with all of the options and have trouble deciding to buy anything. I could also see myself going the other way, and buying way too much yarn, but have no projects in mind for it, and never end up using what I purchase.
Because of that, I have chosen a few patterns that I would like to make, that I will try to find yarn for while there. Here is what I’m looking for:
Market Henley by Claire Jackson
When this pattern came out, I bought it immediately, knowing it will be the perfect knit for a fall outfit. I love the waffle texture that the pattern creates. I’ll be looking for a solid color for this piece, possibly a dark gray or blue. But I will also be open to a lightly variegated yarn if something catches my yarn. I’ll need to be looking for approximately 1450 yards of a fingering weight for this piece.
Alpinepaca Jumper by ThePetiteKnitter
Last year, I pre-ordered ThePetiteKnitter’s new book called “Arctic Knits”. I haven’t made anything from the book yet, but I’m excited to change that! The first pattern I want to make is this jumper that has llamas and leaves on it among other motifs. I’m excited to have this adorable sweater in my wardrobe to wear every winter! I’ll need to look for 1510 yards for the main color and 186 yards for the contrasting color. I’m planning to use natural-colored yarn. If I can find yarn that is soft enough, I’d love to use natural alpaca
One of my goals for this year has been to only knit pieces that I will actually wear and will add to my wardrobe. I love wearing cozy hoodies, so I wanted to find a pattern for a hoodie, since I knew I would wear it a lot once the weather cools off. This pattern definitely fits the bill! I will be looking for approximately 2214 yards of sport weight yarn.
Fading Diamonds Cardigan by Celine Feyten
After completing my first ever knit cardigan last spring, I am definitely finding myself drawn to making more! They are fun, because they aren’t knit in the round, which makes for a more engaging and interesting project. This cardigan would be perfect for either the fall or spring months I think – airy enough for a slightly warmer day, but an extra layer for slightly cooler days. I would need approximately 1237 yards of worsted weight yarn.
Fouette Cardigan by Celine Feyten
This cardigan looks pretty similar to the one I completed last spring, but that just makes me want to make it more because of how fun that one was to make. I love cables and how they look, and this one is just gorgeous. It calls for a light fingering + lace which adds up to a DK. I would need approximately 1351 yards.
Charles Blouse by Johanna Gehrisch
This is a great classic sweater that will never go out of style. Looking closer at the pattern, it actually calls for 2 different yarns, and it goes back and forth between them which is what helps make this pattern all the more unique. It switches between a mohair and a fingering weight yarn. For me, I would need to get 1365 yards of the fingering weight and 683 yards of the mohair (if I converted from grams to yards correctly!).
My Travel Plans
This year, I have been working at the company I work at for 5 years, so I am able to take a 2-week sabbatical. I decided to use that to go to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival, as well as tour around the New England area. I’ve been wanting to visit the area for a long time now, and am so excited to be able to go and to go during the fall so I can see the beautiful trees as they change colors. I’ll be visiting some light houses, spending a day in Boston, and touring around the Catskills region all week. I’m excited to share my adventures with you all when I return! Until then, find me on Instagram to follow along!
Langford Knits 
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