Rhinebeck Trip: Final Thoughts

I really only have positive things to say about this trip! Thoughts:

• I really loved the opportunity to see in person some of the vendors that I read a lot about online. I won't hesitate to order online from Miss Babs, Cephalapod Yarns (and by extension, Verdant Gryphon), The Loop, Fiber Optic, or Into the Whirled. 
• I loved getting to see and try some tools out in person. I loved being in the Golding and Bosworth booths! I also now know that a turkish spindle will be going on my Christmas list!
• Lots of handknits, EVERYWHERE = AWESOME!
• I loved seeing some of the luxury yarn and fibers. I almost bought some camel and buffalo to spin, but held off for the moment. I also had to walk away from the qiviut/silk blend before I got carried away.
• I also loved seeing all the of the display knits, particularly in the booth that focused on cobweb yarn. Their lace was unbelievable!
• I was kind of surprised that not one person approached me about being on their Rhinebeck Bingo card (which was really too bad because I had chocolate to give away to them!) I think I was pretty identifiable. However, I only approached 2 people, but crossed off 7 or 8 people that I recognized on my card because I was too shy to approach them. I wish I could have met more people through the game.
• The Holiday Inn was a lot of fun. It's really expensive. If I were planning again, I'd really have to weigh out the pros/cons of that combination.
• I think my preparation in terms of lists and queues really paid off. However, I think my determination to stick to the list may have caused me to miss some of the vendors or not pay attention to things that might have been really interesting.
• I'm a little bummed that I missed the lleapin' llamas and the sheep to shawl competition. I'm not sure how to balance out all of the shopping there is to do versus all of the interesting things to see. My guess is, the more one attends these kind of events, the easier it becomes to balance everything.
• I'm glad that I participated in the Skein and Garment Competition and the drop spinning competition. I wish I had had the energy to stay for the chopstick knitting contest too. I'm definitely going to keep the "Participate in everything I can" attitude for any future events.
• This is definitely not an every year event for me, but only because of the cost (and most of that cost is gas and hotel) and the logistical difficulties of getting away this time of year. If gas and lodging was negligible, I think I would make a lot of effort to go for Saturday and Sunday and try to fit a workshop in. The workshops are a huge draw for me - there were more than a few I would have liked to take!

And finally, here's a close-up of my Golding spindle:

And a closer look at my ribbon wearing hat:

And the Gauge Wizard my mom bought me, that I forgot to add to the pictures of my haul:

(The clear part is a magnifier, making it so much easier to count your stitches!)


And now, I will spend the next months knitting and spinning, remembering the great fun I had in the Hudson Valley!