Rhinebeck 2009
October 23rd, 2009
We had an amazing time at New York Sheep and Wool again this year- I can’t believe this is our third Rhinebeck since we started Ravelry. Time flies! Thanks to everyone who participated in our meetups and party- we had so much fun!
This festival had to have been the best showcase of hand crocheted and knit items that I have ever been to- and that is saying something as I have been to a lot of wooly events! It may have been because we were freezing but, man, did we look good. ;)
The Ravelry party on Saturday night was an amazing success! It was super chilly again this year but between the heaters, lots of wooly garments and bigger warm tents, we all had a great time! Our estimation is that around 550 Ravelers and their families joined us at the Elks Lodge but there was plenty of room to see friends. Everyone did great with the shuttle bus to the larger parking lot down the street so thanks to everyone for your flexibility!
Again, we’d like to say a big thank you to our wonderful sponsors:
Quiviut Sponsor: Yarnmarket.com
Cashmere Sponsors: Juniper Moon Fiber Farm, Unicorn Fibre, Namaste, and Loopsknitting.com
Merino Sponsors: Signature Needle Arts, Twist Collective, Bijou Basin Ranch, Lantern Moon, St. Denis, Gardiner Yarn Works, Knit Picks, The Loopy Ewe, Miss Babs, Classic Elite Yarns and Sandra Singh.
We couldn’t have hosted this awesome party without you! (Please visit those links and support our sponsors!)
There were some seriously great door prizes donated from the sponsors- lots of oohing and ahhing from the crowd as we announced the winners!
We also had some fun giveaway project bags printed up, designed by my friend Julie at symposi.com. The sponsors provided some coupons and goodies for inside the bags.
Like last year, the printed cupcakes were a big hit at the party! This year, we chose a cupcake design to complement the project bags and sponsor poster- matchy matchy! Fun!
Bob even made an appearance at the party and meetups this year! This incredible Bob costume was made by Ysolda with help from Laura- thanks so much you guys! I am still laughing every time I see it.
We also had two great meetups during the day on Saturday and Sunday- here are two group shots!
Some Ravelers brought cupcakes and cookies to the meetups again this year- I think it is a rule that much fun is had when knitting and crochet, fun people and baked goods combine. :)
Finally, I would also like to personally thank our friends and family for helping us throughout the weekend- Team Rav worked tirelessly to hand out buttons and sharpies, take photos, run errands (again and again!), set up for the party, put lights in porta potties, hang twinkle lights (and getting stabbed by said twinkle lights), break down the party, welcome everyone and generally helped to keep Casey, Mary-Heather, Sarah and me sane. Thank you so much, Cirilia, Emily, Eric, Nichole, Maryse, Nancy, Ronan, Cheryl, Laura, Ysolda, Kyle and Erica!
If you have photos from Rhinebeck this weekend or any other Ravelry event or meetup, please add it to our Ravelry Events pool on flickr! It is really fun to go through those pictures! There is also the great Rhinebeck group where you can talk about what you bought and who you saw this past weekend!
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Cause I know you are going to ask… pattern links!
- Cirilia is wearing her Hill Country Hat from Clara Parke’s new book, Knitter’s Book of Wool.
- Vivian by Ysolda Teague (on MH in red above and Sarah and myself in sage green)
- Nichole is wearing a raspberry Dollar and a Half Cardigan (in front on team rav photo)
- My aqua hat is my Sideways Grande Cloche
- I am also wearing the original (!!) Vaila by Gudrun Johnston from Twist Collective, Winter 2008
- Sarah’s red hat is Berroco Vintage and the pattern is Ysolda’s Ripley
- My brother Kyle and Casey are wearing their Seamless Hybrids, both in Cascade 220.
- Laura’s pink shawl is her Hibiscus Shawl.
- Colorful Cheryl is wearing her Harlequin Yoke sweater with the very contagious Noro Striped Scarf.
- Erica is rocking Ysolda’s Rose Red.
- Mary-Heather’s magical green hat of joy (above in mosaic and in meetup photo) is Verity by Ysolda
- The Bob head has no pattern and Ysolda has no plans on creating one. She created it on the fly in 5 days, can you believe that? ;)
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:52 pm
We’re so glad your event at Rhinebeck was such a success. Yarnmarket was proud to have been a sponsor! Can’t wait for next year.
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:02 pm
It was so wonderful to get to meet all of you lovely Ravelry folks, and everyone else at the meetups! Thanks for helping to make my first visit to Rhinebeck a really fantastic experience!
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it to Rhinebeck this year, but next year I will definitely go– it looks like great fun, and you had wonderful sponsors.
Love the Bob costume, and can’t believe Ysolda pulled that off in such a short time!
-Perry-
October 23rd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Guys, thank you so much for the party. I was the lucky qivuit winner, and every day since I got home I’ve taken that skein out and just patted it. It’s going to be a Pretty Thing sooner or later but for now I’m just kind of marveling at it all. Please pass on my gratitude to the sponsors and the whole Rav team and next year I will wear my Pretty Thing to the party so everyone can see (and feel!)
Ravelry rocks and all your hard work is what makes it so, and I love you all for it. Thank you.
-Abbie
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Woe is me, living in Australia, so far from all the fun.
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 pm
It looks a great time!!lucky you we dont get much attention here in Australia yet we too are keen Raverly people?lovely if you could have a big day here in NSW you would get a lot that would travel here everyone is really wanting to get here!!And we are very friendly folk.
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I think you would get more than 550 here more like a1500 at least as there are 15000 ravelers I know we would all make the effort to come!!In NSW and ACT there are 1600 and Im pretty sure wed get at least 6 times what you got in USA?try it Pleeeeeese?
October 24th, 2009 at 1:05 am
The Bob head was simply amazing!! it was great to see so many Ravelers at the event (I was there on Saturday for the meet-up on the hill! Worth every mile crossed and connecting flights from Los Angeles to Rhinebeck!!) Thank you, Ravelry, for being the icing on the (cup) cake(s) at the Sheep & Wool festival! Hope to make it back again next year and see all of your friendly faces and wooly wear!!
October 24th, 2009 at 4:41 am
It looks like everyone had a great time. Thank you for the links to the knitted pieces.
October 24th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Is there a place to purchase those goodie bags? They look so fun. Thanks for the pattern links!
October 24th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
It was my first Ravelry and I ended up going by myself because my friend was ill. I am so glad that I did not miss it! It was great to see fellow ‘Ravelers’. I loved seeing what others made. It only helped to inspire me. The yarn available was amazing. The animals were fun to see. I saw more knitting than crocheting, which is what I do, but that’s fine. I hope to go again next year.
October 25th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Hello,
I love the poster, cupcake and project bags designs. Your friend Julie did an awesome job.
Take care,
Maru.
October 26th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Everyone looked like they had such a blast…wish I could have been there but so glad that everything went off without much hassle for you guys!
October 26th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
When will there be anything this neat near me?!! Nothing’s ever in or around Iowa! :O(
Glad everyone had fun!
Amanda
October 26th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I would LOVE to help organize an official Ravelry Party and Meetup at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in September-there are a ton of Ravelers there each year and I’ve heard quite a few of them moaning and groaning about there not being an official gathering…including myself. :)
October 27th, 2009 at 6:20 am
No longer near Rhinebeck now that I’m in the midwest….but there should be a meet-up in Louisville sometime! Everyone would love the Knit Nook :) Also, will those cute bags ever make it to the Ravelry store? I would love one…
October 27th, 2009 at 6:40 am
Maybe I missed something but where did you have those incredible cupcakes done. I’m in the midst of planning a 5 year anniversary for my lys and would love to know.
October 27th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I want a v-neck t-shirt with the poster/project design on it!!
October 27th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Bob the Dawg is a AWESOME!
October 27th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
What a great gathering! Will Ravelry be going to the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene Oregon?
October 28th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I LOVE the Bob costume!!! OHMYGOODNESS!!!! (yes, I’m screaming!!) That’s just way too cute for this Boston-lover to handle. :)
(The yarny goodness is pretty cool too, but really!!)
October 28th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Anyone know what kind of bag that is on the table where the door prizes donated from the sponsors is called?
October 28th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I agree, the Bob costume is incredible!!
This looks like a blast, I hope you come close to Fargo, ND one day! I would love to go!!!!
October 29th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I want to tell you of a wonderful experience I had with Mountain colors, Inc. While traveling I stopped in a yarn shop. They had a vest made and I bought the pattern for it. I also bought 2 skeins of Mountain Colors River Twist. After getting home I discovered the shop had broken up the kits and was selling everything separately. I ran out of the yarn about 3/4 of the way through!! I called M.C. to see if the pattern should call for 3 skeins, to find out the kits contained 2 large Alpaca Blend skeins. I had 100% Merino wool! The ladies at M.C. found a couple of part skeins that had been used for samples. Bless them, they had the yarn in the mail and to me and I can finish my project. This yarn is beautiful - soft - easy to work with. I will be buying more M.C. for more projects. Their service is 100%/ Thanks Bridgemom
October 29th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Swoon! Totally wanted to go - will have to plan in advance for next year. Thanks for sharing the pictures!
October 30th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Wish we could have made it there Sat nite…
That nor’eastr ruined our driving time…the weather report at home said you had sleet, snow and cold rain. We’re really glad you didn’t.
We are more so dissapointed than you are that we didn’t get there to meet up with you to take our own pictures to show back home…
We got there for the rain on Sunday and had a
‘wooly great time at the festival.
Aren’t those Leicester Longwool sheep adorable?
And what a beautiful Rhinebeck sunset to end the day!
We’re so glad to see your pictures, that your weather was fine and that you all had such a great time!
Everyones knitwear is beautiful, your family is awesome, the sponsors are fantastic and ‘Bob’ is adorable!
Those designs on the bags, and cupcakes are so cute too!
Great job!
Looking forward to next year…
Thanks for being there.
Knit-on!
November 5th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
You’re community is so amazing. I’m totally inspired by you all. I’m recruiting my aunt to join. . . & I’m already narrowing down my X-mas wish list based on the patterns & pics in your post. Thanks!