Rhinebeck: part 3

Sunday morning was bright and crisp, but that didn't stop me from wearing my shorts. Sure enough, by noon it had warmed up, so much so that we needed to take off some of our handknit scarves and shawls. (I did get a lot of strange looks for my shorts, but I was very comfortable, thank you.)

We only had a few hours in the morning before we started our drive back, so I got right down to it and located Melissa. Finally, a chance to stalk her.

Apparently, MMO now has a handler, because look what happened:

Oh, the paparazzi!

We saw more nice people

These lovely patterns available @ Twist Collective; beautiful redhead not included

Barb & Mindy

Just a hunch, but I think she likes bunnies

Face-painter AND spinner: why choose?

and lovely knitted and crocheted objects

and a whack-ass lamb puppet



and we saw a fiberglass cow (that's "fibreglass" for my Canadian/UK friends),


and even ran into a capuchin monkey with his own Cozy Coupe.


I must say that I still missed certain people who didn't come tremendously (Ve-ve, Franklin, Ted, Lars, Bridget Clancy, Anmiryam and many others) but had a fun & relaxing weekend. Only 362 or so days 'til the next one...

Rhinebeck 2010, part deux

When we last left our intrepid heroine, she was petting fuzzeh bunnehs and goats with scary eyes.


All of this livestock-petting and kilt-spotting and cowboy-drooling had taken place before lunchtime. At lunchtime, I missed Kathy and Selma (boo!) but got to sit for a bit with the Men's Knitting Retreat guys (yay!) and there was even a Knitting Curmudgeon sighting.


I felt obliged to excuse myself from the Mens' Knitting Retreat meeting since I own a vagina, and by this point, I was suffering from stalking-Melissa-Morgan-Oakes withdrawal, so I headed over to the author's tent. Alas, MMO was nowhere to be found (probably making her mother carry heavy boxes of wine to the car) but I did get a copy of Mim Felton's new book (which I will review in a separate blog post even though she didn't remember my name although we've been introduced about forty times but that's okay because I don't hold a grudge):

It's Okey-Dokey!

I also got to spend some quality time with Stitchy McYarnpants, shown here with an adoring fan


and shown here with her lovely co-author Caro:


(Y'all need to get me a review copy of your book so I can give it the No-Bull treatment.) This photo is so darn cute, and those two are so photogenic...

There was another Somebunnyslove sighting -- hah! now the world knows you eat fried pickles!


and a Turtlegirl sighting (sigh.... she is so beautiful, an awesome knitter AND has gorgeous tabbycats, plus she really knows how to strike a pose):

and a Baby Eudyptula sighting:


That is one seriously cute bebeh. With an awesome handknitted cap.

Eventually we made our way from the show into one monstrous traffic jam, then convened for our yearly diner dinner with some of my favorites (Jack, Scott, David) -- as well as some new favorites, like Plinio:


(I'm sorry, Plinio and Jack, that my photo doesn't do justice to your handsomeness) and Duffy, shown here with Marilyn.


Look how Marilyn and Mindy continued to bond:



Then it was back to the hotel, for some knitting, recapping, showing off our purchases, (also, Laura showed me her awesome I-phonePod Touch cozy made from BBF sock yarn)



and, of course, blaming Bridget Clancy for the Phillies' loss. (Thanks a lot, B.)


To be continued

Rhinebeck Report: part one

It was a very fun and somewhat mellower-than-years-past trip to Rhinebeck this year. As usual, faithful traveling companions Laura and Jim

Jim at the entrance to the show Saturday

were ready to go midday on Friday. (I have to thank them for planning their work schedules so that they could take Friday off -- it's much easier to do the driving during daylight, especially since I'm a morning person.)

Lovely Laura, shivering Saturday morning

We arrived at our hotel, and they did not raise an eyebrow or make any kinky jokes when Jim checked in with his two attractive sister-wives in tow. No, they merely gave us a room with two double beds, and even had thoughtfully labeled the pillows for us.


(Go on, Joe, I bet you've got something to say about how important firmness is.)

Jim, Laura and I are creatures of tradition, and first stop on Saturday morning was Dorchester Farms, to see Jim's friend Ken.


(I am sure you can understand why, given how handsome Ken is, Laura and I are happy to make his booth our first stop...) After visiting for a bit -- and admiring Ken's weaving and knitting projects -- Laura and I began. We proceeded directly to Mindy, at the Kid Hollow booth:


and Mindy-napped her. All too soon she got a call from Goat Boy, so we followed her to the show ring where she turned into the Goat-Wrangler




and then the Goat-Whisperer:



Meanwhile, Laura and I peppered her friend Melissa with questions about raising goats, showing them, and goat-farming in general. (I won't tell you what they do with rubber bands.)

It would not be a Rhinebeck without looking for men in kilts, and sure enough, here's a specimen with glorious gams:


Why, it's GKIYH Pal, Dr. Mel:


Mel is handsome and charming; his husband David is also handsome and charming; their Red Maple sportswear is teh awesome; and (bestill my heart) I can now assure you that Mel gets his good looks and charming personality from his parents. Yes, I got to meet Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Mel and they were wonderful. (Is it any surprise that Uma Thurman -- yes, UMA effing THURMAN -- purchased multiple pairs of Red Maple socks on Sunday?)

It was a stroke of great luck that I then got hit on the head with a sack of roving (literally) because when I turned around to open me a can of some whup-ass see what was going on, there were crochet goddess Kathy Merrick and silky-voiced Selma of public radio (and grrll band) fame.


Kathy was right near the booth called "Babushka" but I am positive that is just a coincidence. We continued on our merry way, browsing -- although our purchasing was, unfortunately, rather restrained -- and seeing people like Somebunnyslove and her adorable friends:


We scoffed at this sign:


we petted fuzzeh bunnehs



long-lashed alpacas



bebeh goatehs



and couldn't decide which was more adorable, Halo the llama or his cowboy. Please feel free to vote in the poll over at the sidebar on the right if you've got a strong opinion on the matter...



To be continued....

Whew.

What a weekend.



Full report tomorrow.