This was my third Rhinebeck experience, the first one being in 2016 and the most recent in 2022, and I must say, it gets better each time. The crisp, fall weather and beautiful colors of the leaves on the trees provided a great backdrop to the mayhem that goes along with most of the knitting world coming together at the massive expanse of the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. While there was a lot of ground to cover, below is a summary of the highlights of my day.
First highlight was at Julia Hilbrant’s booth of beautiful handmade, felted bags (www.juliahilbrandt.com) since I absolutely ADORE the one I have. Check out my favorite things section on thrivewithewe.com for more on that. The other bags from her newer collection are stunning. All of her bags and accessories are felted, top quality with sturdy hardware. She gives options for handle length size. Here are pictures of her traditional knitting bags.
We are hoping to have Julia as a guest on the podcast to find out about how she got started creating these magnificent bags and her process of designing and constructing them.
Second highlight was the Long Island Yarn & Farm (www.liyarnandfarm.com) booth, where I met the owner, Tabbathia Haubold-McGee, who is a professional shearer. She offers an exclusive line of American-raised and spun small batch yarns curated from a mix of alpacas, llamas, and sheep in weights ranging from fingering to bulky. The farm itself is a 17 acre working fiber farm located in Yaphank, NY. The farm’s philosophy is educational in nature and centers on putting a face with the fiber. Visitors can connect directly with the animals that produce their crafting materials.
I was very excited to learn about Tabbethia’s TDOC “Twelve Days of CommunKNITy” which she will be hosting from 12/26/26 to 1/6/27 at 7pm EST. This is a free virtual event via zoom and I am looking forward to being a part of it! We are looking forward to featuring Tabbathia as a guest on the podcast to learn more about the farm, shearing, her magical yarn curations and the inspiration behind TDOC.
Third highlight was the Bare Naked Wool (www.barenakedwool) by Knitspot booth which is always a feast for the eyes. Ann was busy helping people pick out Bare Naked Wool skeins for the beautiful designs featured all over their stunning booth (if you look closely you can see her to the lower left of the picture with her signature black glasses reaching to get a skein of yarn) so I spoke with their Marketing Director Michelle about their Cable TV podcast which I love! We also spoke about having Ann and her team featured as a guest on Behind The Stitches. Stay tuned for more on that!
Fourth highlight was one of my favorites, the Merritt Bookstore booth. It is always a treat for me to see what new books have come out and meet the authors.
I spotted Liza Laird (www.yogaofyarn.com) whose book Yoga of Yarn is one that love and treasure. I met Liza when I attended Rhinebeck in 2022 and she was first launching the book. I recall being in awe since she had a baby papoose with her newly born daughter right in front of her while she was signing books. Talk about multi-tasking! She let me know that she is resuming having her yoga/knitting retreats so check out her website for those. She will be a featured guest on one of the Behind the Stitches podcasts where we’ll find out how she got started with combining Yoga and Knitting and her inspiration for writing Yoga of Yarn as well as diving into all aspects of her restorative retreats.
I also reconnected with the absolutely AMAZING Patty Lyons, who was there to sign and promote her latest book Knitting ER, A Step By Step Guide to Fixing Your Knits Before and After you Bind Off. I had met Patty earlier this year at Nash Yarn Fest where we briefly spoke about her being a guest on the podcast and I was able to pre-order Knitting ER (check out my Tallulah fix video for more on how this book arrived just in time for me to fix a post-bind-off and blocking mistake with ease!). This book is essential for every knitter to have and I will be doing a give away of the three you see in the picture, when Patty is featured as a guest on Behind the Stitches!
Fifth highlight was the Fiber Optic Yarns (www.fiberopticyarns) booth. I was mesmerized by the beautiful shawls they featured above their booth and the stunning colors of the yarns they offer. I am so excited to learn more about their process and inspiration watching the Fiber Optic Yarns podcast ‘The Science and Magic of Color ‘ and am hoping to connect with Kimber Baldwin, dyer and owner, and have her as a featured guest on Behind the Stitches.
Sixth highlight as I was leaving was watching a sheep getting sheered. As you can tell from the video, she is not a happy camper! Can’t blame her. It was chilly and if someone took the wool I was wearing off, I would be cranky too!
My husband Sergio accompanied me and was the Thrive With Ewe camera man :-)
It was a great day and I’m already looking forward to going back next year!