Easton Mountain and Rhinebeck 08

I hadn't been thinking of going to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, but then my friend Ted http://knitterguy.typepad.com/my_weblog/ suggested I might like to drive down with him. After some toing and froing I was able to arrange it, and I am so very glad I did. So Ted arrived at my place on the Thursday night, stayed over and we got an early start on Friday morning.

After Coffee and something to eat we started out on the long drive to Easton Mountain.

We arrived at Easton and it was just as beautiful as I remembered from the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat there last May. Although this time there was the added bonus of the fall colours.

Frosty morning, crisp air, peace, quiet, lovely.

Early Saturday morning we set out for Rhinebeck. Dave and Scott, from Easton, Ted and I. It was a lovely drive, about two hours or so, through the Hudson River Valley. Great scenery and colours.

We arrived early at Rhinebeck. As the day went on the crowds grew. But it was amazing. I have never seen so much fibre and fibre related stuff. Sheep and alpacas and llamas, border collies and wheels and yarns and rovings and...and.....and. It was rather overwhelming, but wonderful.

Gotta love those Jacob sheep!

And the Leicester Longwools.

But the best thing of all was meeting friends past and new. I meet a few people from the OHS spinning certificate course I had attended in August. Including Johanna, Danny, Alanna and Edy.

Alanna, Edy and some guy.

As always, we had a good silly laugh, until Alanna got a sliver in her butt from the bench. Actually, come to think of it, that was pretty funny too, watching the crowd watching her squirming around with her hand down her pants.

Ted seems to know half the world, and so I was able to ride on his coat tails and meet some wonderful, funny, clever fibreholics of all sorts. As well as hooking up with a bunch of guys from the spring knitting retreat. Knitting retreaters Joe, Steven, Thad, and Sean.

I was also pleased to meet and get to know a bit, some people I had heard about from Ted, but never had a chance to meet. A big group of us, I think about twenty, congregated at a diner in nearby Kingston, for dinner that evening after the show was over for the day. It included guys from the kntting retreat, and other friends from Ted's circle.

Here is Lars, a new friend although I had chatted a bit online with him before, and Van and Paul from the retreat. It was an hilarious dinner, including our waitress who did a brilliant job doing her work and keeping a bunch of rowdies happy and fed. Sort of like a young Flo from 'Alice'.

Dave and Franklin Habit. My first meeting with Franklin although I had read his blog and his column in Knitting Daily with great enjoyment.

Veronik Avery was part of the gang as well. My first meeting with her although I had admired her designs on Knitty and elsewhere. She was just as elegant and chic (and fun) as her designs.

Another reason I enjoyed meeting Veronik is that I am currently working on her 'Lace Ribbon Scarf' from Knitty. Here is a picture of the work in progress.

I can't get over how big food portions are in American restaurants. I mean, Canadians are pigs, but we pale in comparison. Franklin just wanted a simple, small chef's salad. Here is what he ended up with. It was hilarious. Never eat anything bigger than your head, Franklin. That is Lars watching in bemusement.

Marilyn , the Knitting Curmudgeon just had to get out from her seat, and easier to go under than over.

After dinner the 4 of us headed back to Easton, and then Sunday went back to Rhinebeck for a few hours.

Leland (who lives at Easton) and Ted.

Then Monday morning Ted and I left for home. Ted was going to stay overnight again at my place, but decided to have a short break and head off to home to Owen Sound instead since he had to do some work Tuesday.

I had a bit of a shock when we arrived at my place. John was out but all the books and fibre that was in our office was piled through the living room. Apparently the wall of bookshelves suddenly collapsed and toppled, just failing to land on John by seconds. Glad I didn't come home and find him dead under a pile of rubble. That would be an even worse mess to clean up. :-) However, he is fine. So I have spend this morning trying to figure out how to do this blog rather than begin the real task of re-organising and culling books and stuff.

My deepest thanks to the community at Easton, to friends old and new, and to Ted for a wonderful weekend.