I have a lot of tote bags, but this is the one I decided to take as my main Rhinebeck bag this year.

I came across that bag a couple of weeks ago while looking for something else online, and I HAD to have it. At the time I wasn't yet sure whether I was going to to go Rhinebeck, but I knew that if I did go, it would have to come along with me. And let me tell you, that bag was absolutely the best icebreaker ever. Conservatively, I would guess at least 75 people stopped to comment on it and/or to ask me where I got it. I could have bought multiples and sold them at a profit. ;-) And if you're one of those who saw me and was wondering where it came from, I found it on Cafepress, here. I wish I'd thought of handing out one of my Moo cards (with my blog address) to the people who asked me about it!
Anyway. Rhinebeck! In a word, it was great. For starters, it was an absolutely glorious day. I didn't do a full-fledged photography excursion on my way as I'd intended -- I decided to sleep in a little after staying up too late on Friday night -- but I did stop at a beautiful overlook on US44, near Amenia, NY. I always mean to stop there if I go that way, but never have actually done it before. It's a lovely scene, with rolling hills and farmland.


The drive was just gorgeous -- between the foliage, the scenery, the bright sun, and the cloudless sky, it was one of those days that just made me feel glad to be alive.
I finally got to the fairgrounds around noon, just in time for the Ravelry meetup. I snapped this picture of the group picture they were taking, grabbed a button, mingled for a few minutes, but then went on my way. Shopping beckoned. ;-)

It was REALLY crowded, there's no denying that. So navigating some of the buildings was difficult, and there were some booths I didn't even bother with because it was just impossible to get into them, but by and large I wasn't too bothered. It helped, actually, that I was by myself -- I didn't have to worry about losing my companions in the crowd. And there wasn't anything I really WANTED to see that the crowds prevented me from doing. I ate a small lunch in the car along the way, and had a couple of snacks and a bottle of water in my bag, so I didn't even have to stand in any food lines. (Though late in the afternoon -- around 5pm -- I did decide to try the famous Rhinebeck artichokes. They didn't disappoint, plus the line wasn't all that long -- and besides, I happened to be in line behind some online friends who I'd never met before, so it was fun to meet them briefly!)

I'm not going to even list the people I ran into because I don't want to leave someone out and hurt feelings, but it was great to meet up with some old friends, meet people who I've "known" online but had never seen in person before, and meet people who were totally new to me too!
Speaking of meeting new friends, Susan organized a meetup for Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm shareholders. We all enjoyed cookies in the sun while we heard all about MVFF's new venture -- the Hudson Valley Fiber Farm!!! -- and got to know each other a little.

I also hung out with Susan, Patrick, and some of my fellow shareholders at the Ravelry party on Saturday night, before venturing out into the cold to try to find other friends who I knew were there somewhere. The Rav party was a TON of fun, though I have no pictures to prove it -- I didn't bother with the camera because it was so dark. I was there early enough to snag one of the coveted goodie bags, and had a great time, as before, catching up with people and meeting new friends. The only thing that could have made it better is if I'd won one of the door prizes. We can't have everything, though. ;-)
So what did I fill my Obaaaaama bag with?

All in all, I was pretty restrained, no? No real impulse buys, even....I didn't have a shopping list, per se, but I did have an idea of the sorts of things I wanted to get. The two rovings on the left are from Creatively Dyed (all of her stuff was SO incredibly gorgeous), and one is wool/bamboo and the other is wool/seacell. The big bag in the middle is a kit from Decadent Fibers for a needle felted pumpkin -- every year I look at those kits and decide against them for some reason, but I decided that this was the year, finally. In front are two skeins of green wool from Green Mountain Spinnery, to go with the collection of worsted wool that I've been amassing for a colorwork sweater. The gray skein is a yak/bamboo blend which was luxurious and unusual enough that I had to have it. The giant blue ball is actually a deep eggplant purple, and it's a pound of merino roving. And tucked in there are a niddy-noddy to match my wheel, and a WPI measuring tool.
And now begins the yarn diet. ;-) I have a ton of yarn to knit and roving to spin, and a lot of projects I'm really excited about. I can't guarantee I won't fall off the wagon, but I am trying very VERY hard to not buy any more yarn until the knitting retreat next March!!