Now that you know all about Swatchy's trip to Rhinebeck, let me tell you a bit about it from my perspective.
Every year, I think "Wow, Rhinebeck cannot possibly be better this year than it was last year because I had such a great time last year," and I try to temper my expectations so I won't be even a teeny bit disappointed. This year, my expectations were even more measured; all of the weather
guessers forecasters were calling for cold weather, rain -- lots of it -- and even snow. I had visions of sodden blue jeans, cold toes and stringy wet hair, punctuated by the smell of lanolin and wet llama poop.
And yet? I had an amazing time, I met some wonderful new people and got to see some wonderful people I already knew, I made a few most excellent purchases (three fleeces to be processed for BBF and an incredible bag full of silk/border leicester/mohair that is in the dyepots right now.....), and it hardly rained at all. In fact, there was not a drop of precipitation at Saturday's show, and only drizzly rain on Sunday. My theory is that wherever VeVe goes, the sun shines -- a kind of polar opposite to
Schleprock.
As always, I attended with my faithful traveling companions Jim and Laura. Here is Jim, wearing the scarf I designed for him (I am hoping to make the pattern available soon)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDt0d7HdvWJf5IKKBnPGovpNaVqXl2i_y658Y_JFYg5Bruebgn3zdYQZKF3-EMSF2mS74Co2u6gFhyh0wu3dIC1UP-CzHobgo_R4geSBITkrLah8JXq6YgHCnb4MCdPg11u2J/s320/jimscarf.jpg)
and here is Laura, modeling the gorgeous stranded sweater she designed for the current issue of Vogue Knitting (I am sorry for the mirror glare; I tried to crop it out):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIm1CUG84cq_YhijqFyeLj9I0fIQ6nIlPlxc5Bq13QMasSX5o7T_tlz9sUmCr2yyEwBV6FNRlB6Q17djLT1QiKIgzJJBDRRedWY2TgOf29ONo_wdU13ofRQptnXcvyb0HRj7O7/s320/laurasweater.jpg)
Saturday morning, we were up early and ready to go. One of the first things I did was to scout out the fleece options. I found three beauties and dropped them off for processing, thinking I'd try to beat the rain. Well, lucky for us, it never rained, and after I got my fleeces out of the way (I'm always thinking about you, Fiber Clubs...) I had time to socialize.
So many of my favorite fiber people were there, including
Hyphenated Carol (posing with
Mindy, Laura and Thea):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5ZTBTbCfJTgWbYGbLGIRuImEH66Lcz0oz-1383RPwnv9LHVSq6AXvyuqDWObgBjp-S2nNG3d8ZfE-srVju1I7jNBTyb12juxJZ_KORb1rPqHqqVK5tFQBudaxVPNop7OGzMu/s320/hyphenatedcarolgang.jpg)
friend of my oldest kid,
Somebunnyslove:
Kristen Rengren, who was signing her fabulous book Vintage Baby Knits at the author's tent:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlQrvkn70SMFc1Cr1eRGBl0eI3ZOmYsr1AUznBo3Y1Bc49RGJSbo3G0BsLSj92AHf2dcMuXz7zGWEXVzWQG1Qb5cbA1OXr2swfY1sJJlGwImmSb-EXOm9RbB9tunI-nO-wdCO/s320/kristenbook.jpg)
and of course my love,
QueerJoe:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbmuGJmadwIN10pJKiFbTC7d9AvDHiaAV_pezAjhxEUazejMUN6LIs6lVscsZL41rMV-Avu1Eqh_pgh9XONvRlY7GfmFh64rCYSJvWsUnaXeAAFMg02Z_lpSsQHPy7F2dr_ov/s320/menjoe.jpg)
One of the best new friends I made was the inimitable
Ali P, who I now dearly love and want to visit all the time:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIZVWO2NaRG0mOPVfulqwnAX-O6y-kPUA60LEk8To7O4XLFGes594StAiSOFxI_ZjmLaoNroFQjnzwXKSfROipxkt20oxu2NvpMtCUEkN1rh_KzqYFtzrs6mLDc8qMhCDz9iF/s320/alip.jpg)
and of course there was Rav-stalking (here is Jess):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1Ht8aRBpMs6QB6WIv6SlzaKfgIu3QJ7IJbsLK7Qt9yMEZ97NJ3egl8e7WEqpal2YqK1bPZLyF7ffLUAmKIHvzjRC5lvxYbO9g7JhMPzXJJX2ADA16cuJGzfQ8b3jTXffJfvt/s320/ravgals.jpg)
But one of my most important tasks was to help hand out the cutest little mini-skeins of
Nordique, VeVe's fabulous new yarn, to passers-by, like this crew from Philly:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t4_Bs1aoDP0824FkoTpeV6lEhoGSxmSXK9pNAmWOi3e0Gn_iy2xo0F-Ruz7M2qkT7EOp-EexHbnmRfU1v18pOvFwFqKCoGaH66ZvsaCMae4_A08C46IEflHWIPLYzXNeC7t2/s320/skeinedladies.jpg)
(hi, Lisa! hi, Purlewe! hi, Purlewe's auntie!).
As a special reward for all my hard work, I got to share this kielbasi with Veve at lunch:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QgrS2Wup9nQ8Xgge7ERCj-1V51qAsLiURCyhDoOHplGmQr4CpLRDw8IAhLEQJCaGg8Nr8PPGkg3lxLY13l-rNIRrwvMUdGeolzx9vGxObcs_Yjc45X_6PPK7E9WIVY3ztLLX/s320/weinie.jpg)
While we were noshing, the lovely Sarah came up to show off her cap-sleeve lace sweater, from the fall St-Denis Nordique magazine
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfeq25wdsgSphH1EYTl6CenUH5Drq1hqZph7bk4Y_L3-tD_14T1ZW0GKSAIxfMuHysOO_UyF6bYQs8jIFOG1EZxKz8Fe9HopdBxzSiPhaQ6xjAVu2kognFITWJpPZiTJY47cb/s320/sarahvevesweater.jpg)
(That's my favorite color of Nordique, by the way: Blue Eggshell.)
After lunch, it was more socializing, including some LSGers from Ravelry
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignpypac15uyYjbXup0K_FkmWIKe6NwaVI56Yxu-CYXAha228_7mqb4zfc0C7fwUzMjw6vvzNmz4Dp5jm7qz6n778Dvw0VB55XiwFCCvUvcBPV8bK1hybRlPmOXCMgV9fg52df/s320/lsglaura.jpg)
and a woman with an incredible Norah Gaughan sweater (from a prior Vogue Knitting, I believe):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPUi7gONC0drezFoUq8cBd1AzDEy55uOxD8A1HqizIK42TZwJgup4Xcm1ZsCtY2K1jo8zGsa0oOVea5UlCVR0M4iXRFlOHW0zFUgAIl-6HxbxoSWhT6op2o4NPKMXfByim0AV/s320/voguecoat.jpg)
Either that, or she's flashing the apple crumble booth.
I saw awesome
Knittinkitties (another Laura),
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNG5meyBVxuRn1ZSD0rxLjH8dJa25XCXkLn0ruQk6cuJvMgF6UZCvS_nMo3_hRZeBrpKQZErAvubFBBuR63c4z1j_6dp_MTUuLgMO05NHjsvAnlhYFQuBaLRseV4I3oDCVi_Lb/s320/knittinkitties.jpg)
and then had dinner at the diner with some of the usual suspects, including Mark, John, Ted,
Marilyn & Gerry, Laura, Jim and the guys whose names I am forgetting (I'm sorry; my children ate my brain), including the couple who didn't make it in the photo but were sitting on my right and were delightful dinner companions (NYU artistic guy and banking-guy-whose-cat-licks-his-head).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_ozTysVt_MC9qVOt3jqxKcSs9vEu3CH__jkQbCg0xnTbbmHDFLW60-RzGJk40SH9ZmbQwyqgzdqLZ1KNBo_2JbyTl-jfQUDTrw9ldOZya4K0sWAxHmXU0zDeZAnGlu1yPhe8/s320/dinercrew.jpg)
And all of that was just Day One...