Sunday, October 17, 2010

Back from Rhinebeck! ... and Roadbug

Back from the Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival -- great trip! (Rice flour) pancakes for dinner, since it was the easiest & quickest thing to make. Friday it took us FIVE hours to get from DC to Delaware, due to construction, accidents, construction, tolls, and, oh, construction. Came back on 83 through York, PA and had a much less frustrating, if longer, drive.

I brought less than a pound of fiber, and only one book -- I have more than enough wool already, and didn't see any must-have books aside from the one I meant to buy. The big purchase for this trip was a Roadbug spinning wheel from Merlin Tree. which is absolutely cute. One of the women in my local spinning & weaving guild has a Hitchhiker (the slightly taller version), and can spin with it while riding in the passenger seat of her truck. It will not, unfortunately, fit in the foot well on the passenger side of our 1999 Ford Explorer, since the glove compartment comes down too far. It does, sort-of, fit in the passenger footwell of the Focus, though it's a little cramped and I'm not sure I can spin without having knee problems -- will have to give it a try. Regardless, the Roadbug will be a lot easier to take to demos, knitting night, and road trips. I might actually make a dent in the fiber stash! ... Presuming, of course, that I don't buy any more fleeces.

Brought Kevin a Whoopie Pie (New England dessert), maple sugar candy, and maple cotton candy (!).

The general consensus was that the things Rhinebeck has over the Md Sheep & Wool Festival are: the buildings are better, the weather wasn't as beastly hot as MSW can sometimes be, and there is MUCH better food. I hope that MSW gets better food as the Maryland wine & other local food industries get going. Might drop them a suggestion...

Met some great folks, had a lovely time, very happy to be home. Think I'll go have a long soak in the tub, pet the dogs, & go to bed.