"Just imagine all the yarn that ISN'T here..."

...said Jenn as we roamed around the yards of yarn vendors at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival yesterday. This was a yarn addicts crack den, a haven of fibers in a prism of colors. Everywhere we turned wool, mohair, alpaca, cotton, angora, tencil, soy, roving, and more confronted our eyes and our reaching hands. I touched everything, and I mean EVERYTHING.

My Stitch 'n' Bitch group rented a van (thanks, Lynette, for organizing it all!) For the most part, I walked the fair with Jenn and Jessica. Jenn was only supposed to buy sock yarn, but she ended up with much more, including 2 Fraggle-like skeins of funky blue-green mohair. Jessica partnered with me in search of the perfect buttery alpaca, and we found love at Delly's Delights Farm. I think mine will become the Yarn Harlot's Poncho. Each hank is over 600 yards, and I plan to double strand it and use something else for the fringe, but I would be much more comfortable if I could have bought 1 more hank. They only had 2 of this color left, though, and I loved it. I almost switched and bought the same color as Jessica, but I was so drawn to the flecks of blue in my color that I decided to risk it.

I also bought a few other bits of yarn, most of which will become gifts for Christmas:

We saw reggae sheep, alpacas, goats, llamas, angora bunnies, Border Collie pups, lots of people and lots and lots of yarn. This was seriously one of the best days I've ever had. I got to touch so much! I had a major yarn buzz, and it was wonderful and deliriously good to be sharing the experience with people who share my obsession with and joy of knitting. I learned a lot from my friends, and got to know them better too. I have so much more to say about this experience, I could go on and on and on. I can't wait until next year!

The only downside to the day was ND's last minute loss to USC -- not only was that a heart-breaker, but it really put Dave in a murky mood, so much so that he was a total BUZZKILL when I got home. I'm glad I didn't miss the festival to watch the game, and am equally glad that Gregor was with Dave to prevent him from doing something drastic after the loss.