Rhinebeck Hangover (A Very Long Post)

I have worn knitwear outfits the past two days, it's true, and I even photographed myself in yesterday's outfit, but I am experiencing a Rhinebeck Hangover and, in addition to the photos being non-straight and cutting off my feet), I look like death warmed over - and not in an amusing way.

Of course, I don't know what I expected from the combination of sleep deprivation, alcohol, and standing outside all day in not enough clothing, but what I was desperately hoping was an attack of allergies, despite the fact I have never suffered from them, is actually, legitimately, a cold. Me + DayQuil + NyQuil + abraded nose from kleenex + pale, wan face that no amount of bronzer can help = you're better off not seeing this. And I assure you, it's only 10% vanity.

Rhinebeck was a [expletive deleted] blast! And not just because I was drunk for a fair part of it. Our previously internet-only friend Megan (who is totes internet famous by the way) is now an in-person friend and even though she is beautiful and talented and delightful in every way, I cannot manage to hate her. It's truly terrible. Instead I might be even more in love with her than I was when she was just some typing and photos on the internet. She's the one who got me drunk. Also she let me wear her hair.



I did not take any photographs at Rhinebeck for a reason that only I think of as a good reason: my capital-C camera is really heavy you guys, my lowercase-c camera is my underwater camera and if I mess with its settings I'll never remember what they were AND it kind of makes a sad noise from time to time and I'd rather not have it die before we go to the Caymans because then I'd have to buy a new camera, and I do not have a phone with a camera. So no photos. Thankfully everyone and her mother took photos. If you've ever been to a fiber festival, you can understand that my first allegiance was to filling my bag to the brim with actual yarn, not camera equipment.



Quick plug: I bought this bag specifically for Rhinebeck weekend and I am so so glad I did. It is amazing and stylish and though I agonized for months over the color, am so glad I ended up with this one! You should totally get yourself one!

The weekend kicked off its wallet-straining gluttony at the brilliant Indie Untangled trunk show. Lisa did an incredible job of bringing dyers and designers together for a no-holds-barred stampede of fabulousness. And yes, I do not regret that Emily and I sprinted to the Astral Bath booth, failing to even say hi to Ridgely before jumping all over the Spectra DK in October so that I could get the skeins that were most perfectly matched! Later in the weekend we saw a woman wearing this excellent store-bought sweater



which I will be using as a jumping off point for a future design using my spectra DK (because I have no creativity when it comes to deviating from colors). I also bought my first ever Skeinny Dipping in the journey worsted base, a gorgeous color called A Barn Raising; I don't know what it will grow up to be, but assume there will be cables. Finally, I picked up a pre-order from the delightful Sandra of Duck Duck Wool (and we really didn't spend nearly enough time together) and then promptly begged her to let me exchange it (which she did because she is magic and sunshine and rainbows) for a color that was assaulting me with its amazingness, September Issue. No idea what it's going to be either, I just knew it was a mandatory addition to my world. So it appears there was an autumnal theme for the evening...

I won't bore you with what 8 women do between the hours of 8pm and 3:30am, suffice it to say that it is not as sexy as one would hope/imagine. But it was a delightful mistake and we were all really really excited to be awake at 7am so we could get to the fairgrounds in time for the moshpit that is Jennie the Potter's booth. Thankfully, all members of our group who wanted dinosaur mugs got dinosaur mugs. I was feeling quite virtuous since an entire hour had gone by without buying anything (note to Dragonfly Fibers: I would have totally totally gotten a sweater quantity of your Super Traveler had there been a sweater quantity; there wasn't anything in any color approaching it, so I was unable to impulse-buy $200 worth of yarn). I have decided that, for my money, Elsa Wool cormo is a far better choice than those offered at Rhinebeck, mostly because it's half the price. Though I did see a beautiful light grey that, were it not identical to the Quince & Co. Lark in Iceland I have knit with, might have been tempting. But all good things must come to an end. While I though I already owned the yarn I am going to make a Sundottir from, a quick swatch told me this was absolutely not the case as the pattern calls for 18sts and I was getting 24. So, after seeing a million and one gorgeous projects out of Shepherd's Wool, I got myself some (ok, fine, on Sunday I got some more after seeing two Shires - Shire 1 and my girlcrush Blair's Shire 2 in the wild and knowing I needed one for myself). And things have just devolved altogether.



The mega Empire skein I wad lusted after, but put on hold while I tried to convince myself I didn't need it, was replaced (sorry, Jill, though I am about to buy more yarn from you because design inspiration hit me in the car this morning) with 4 skeins of Lisa Souza BFL Worsted which looks way prettier in person, and I think the final nail in the coffin was a cone of Bartlett Wool sport in a tweedy brown that will become a super preptastic v-neck to go with a TBB (to be bought) plaid skirt). I bought too much yarn.

Other important things to note: I did not finish my Rhinebeck sweater. Here's a photo of me knitting it on line Saturday morning. You're welcome.



Between design work and no longer having a train commute to work, my knitting time has been eaten up (and also I'm not yet convinced I will wear this sweater when it's done, though I am amending the collar so that it is no longer shawl because that might give me some more options for wearing it - I do ADORE the yarn and will be buying many more sweater quantities of it as soon as I can remotely justify additional sweater quantities. See above. But from behind, you can't tell that I am an abject failure - though I did manage to bindoff the second sleeve as we started taking these photos!



And before you all die of boredom, I think I'm going to stop there. I can't guarantee I'll feel any better or that there will be any less rain tomorrow, but I promise there will be more self-indulgent pics of me to come.