Five Great Reasons to Rhinebeck
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
After a fabulous weekend in upstate New York, it occurred to me that if “to Rhinebeck” was a verb, its definition would be “to immerse yourself in everything that is truly heartwarming about the worldwide fiber community.” That’s exactly how I felt as I drove away from this wonderful part of the world last Sunday having spent three days celebrating all things yarny with fiber friends old and new. Over the past week I have spent hours reminiscing and becoming quite misty eyed whilst gathering my thoughts about what makes this world-renowned weekend so phenomenal. So here they are – my five great reasons “to Rhineback.”
1. It’s Rhinebeck!
It’s one of the biggest, it draws fiber folk from across the globe, and it’s official title is the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. Over the course of two days in October this charming town by the Hudson River welcomes 30,000 visitors and 300 vendors/exhibitors to its Dutchess County Fairground. The shows beginnings can be traced back to 1971 when a ewe sale took place in the town of Rhinebeck – a world away from today’s multinational event.
Whatever your fiber passion, you will find many things to marvel at throughout the show. There are livestock to melt your heart – sheep (of course), angora rabbits, alpaca and sometimes a musk ox or two. There is equipment to suit all projects and skill levels and there are classes to inspire and grow you as a fiber artist. Whether you are a spinner, a weaver, a knitter or crocheter, you will discover new ways to level up your projects. Oh, and of course fleece, fiber and yarn. So much beautiful yarn to fall in love with and have you yearning to cast on immediately.
As with all great festivals there is entertainment and food to enjoy when you need a break from shopping. Watching the working dogs herding sheep or the alpaca parade comes highly recommended, and if you are looking for a bite to eat I have it on good authority that the apple cider doughnuts are a must. Sadly the line was huge this year and I missed out. Oh well, next time…
This truly has to be one of the best fiber days out on the planet especially when there is a crispness to the air and the sun is shining – perfect sweater weather to enjoy with worldwide fiber friends!
2. Four fiber festivals in one glorious weekend!
Yes, that’s right, four! Of course, Rhinebeck is the largest, but there are three fabulous events that take place on the Friday before the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival, each with their own offering and vibe. My friend Blair and I made it our mission to visit all three.
Starting from Rhinebeck, a trip across the breathtaking Rhinecliff Bridge led us to the town of Kingston and a Woolen Affair. Founded by Catherine Clark of Brooklyn General Store in 2023, A Woolen Affair is located in Hutton Brickyards. It’s a stunning location on the wide stretching banks of the Hudson River. A covered event space sits next to disused factory buildings and it’s uniquely atmospheric. The location adds to the exceptional feel of A Woolen Affair – like a private, tucked away carnival for fiber enthusiasts to come together and celebrate all things yarny. Familiar names like La Bien Aimee, Myak, and Farmers Daughter Fibers booths can be found next to unique local producers from the region such as Port Fiber and Wing & A Prayer Farm. A range of food trucks and excellent live music make for a great place to spend the day, but we had two other events to head to.
From Kingston we headed to the town of Saugerties and Cakepalooza. The smallest of the fiber events, but 100% worth a visit, Cakepalooza takes place in a parking lot in the center of Saugerties. This had more of a cozy artisan market feel but was super fun. Cakepalooza is a great opportunity to get up close to some of the finest hand dyes and cute notions designed by crafts people with fiber lovers in mind.
Late in the afternoon we made our way across Saugerties to Indie Untangled. This fiber event is also located in a unique venue – the HIT equestrian center. As you would expect, the clue is in the title and Indie Untangled is a celebration of small, independent fiber producers, dyers and adjacent artisans – over 40 vendors in three covered pavilions. By the end of the day our hearts were full and so were our shopping bags!
3. Connection and Community
We all know that this community of ours is one of the most welcoming, and this openness is on display across all of the fiber events. A sweater, shawl or scarf that you are sporting will open a conversation and a new friendship is made. Inviting an opinion about your yarn options from someone standing next to you at one of the booths will lead to further conversation and could take you in a whole new project direction.
The Rhinebeck weekend provides an opportunity to connect in person with fiber friends you have met via social media and to make connections with people whose stories you follow online. There are familiar faces from near and far – this is the perfect time to say a face to face “Hello!”You will also get to see your fiber heroes at all four shows. Designers, podcasters, influencers and of course, yarn producers head to Rhinebeck to meet their people. It’s always a joy to discover they are as lovely as you hoped they would be in real life. We even heard stories of very unexpected famous faces being spotted – Walton Goggins (of White Lotus), and AOC to name two(!)
4. The Sweater(s)
Andrea Mowry’s Rhinebeck Sweater is perhaps the most well-known, and as soon as the new pattern is published at the end of each July, many of us head to our yarn stash or LYS to make those all-important yarn choices. Versions of this year’s sweater, the Ooey Gooey were on display throughout the weekend and across all of the shows we visited. When everyone congregated at 2pm on the hill at Rhinebeck for a group photo, it was incredible to see everyone’s color choice and interpretation of the pattern – a truly unique and joyful experience!
However, there are so many more Rhinebeck Sweaters to inspire and delight. Think of your Ravelry library crossed with every pattern you have drooled over for the past few years – you can see them all in one celebratory fiber weekend. The parade of beautiful knitwear certainly helped me to make decisions for my next cast on. (Halibut Sweater, here I come).
5. The Journey
Finally, no article about an event in upstate New York would be complete without a shout out for the stunning scenery that surrounds you like a warm glow at this time of year. My drive from Newark Airport improved tenfold as soon as I hit the New York State Thruway that took me through the Catskills to Rhinebeck. All the warm golden shades of fall, so heartachingly stunning they could make you cry – this area embodies the beauty of fall. Sadly, there was no time to stop to explore, but on the bright side, it means I need to return to Rhinebeck and for that I absolutely cannot wait!
