Attending the NY Sheep & Wool Festival

A couple of weekends ago, I attended the NY Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck NY. To be honest, I had never heard of this annual event and only did so because I recently joined Lion Brand Yarn as a business development executive and one of the owner’s mentioned it to me. I figured it could be fun, so I enticed my husband to accompany me with the promise of a delicious meal at the nearby Culinary Institute of America. (Their Post Road Bew House exceeded our expectations!).

Let me tell you, the festival was a real happening. Well attended, with yarn lovers of every age, parents with their young children checking out the goats, angora rabbits, sheep, goats and llama, it was a perfect fall day to walk around the sprawling fairgrounds. The most unexpected sights were the long lines at the Milk Den, where you could get cow-to-carton milk, the young millennial guys sporting colorful hats and scarves that I assume they made themselves and the animal auction, with a rapid-fire auctioneer whom I could not understand. How do you know how much you are bidding????

Other highlights included the antique museum, book signings, demos, shows and competitions and a variety of activities for kids. For the serious knitters and crocheters, there were plenty of colorful booths with patterns, yarns, tools and accessories, and interesting stories about their farms and products. And for foodies, there were a variety of food vendors selling meals and desserts and there was a location with local food and wine tastings. (Full disclosure, we bought local apple cider and award-winning hot sauce).

If you’ve never been, it’s worth weather-watching and spending a clear fall day (or the whole weekend) there enjoying the scenery, people-watching, and if you are a crafter, picking up some quality materials. There really is something for everyone. So be on the lookout for next year’s event dates to attend what is now affectionately known in our home as “Woolapalooza”.