Rhinebeck!

This time last week I was frolicking around Montgomery and Rhinebeck, NY. Even though it was only last week it feels a bit like it was a century ago. I'm still reeling from the fairytale weekend I was able to enjoy. Of course, I don't want to talk about the reality of work that I left behind and the slight emergency I walked into before I even crossed the border going back. Seriously. I don't want to think about it. Now I know there are a thousand and one posts out there about their trip to Rhinebeck and I'm sure everyone's had their fill but this trip was different for me. Don't get me wrong. Was I totally stoked about going to the mecca of yarny goodness? Hell, yeah! Did I buy stuff I didn't need but couldn't keep my hands off? Double hell, yeah! However my main goal was to hang out with a gaggle of ladies that I met through the World Wide Internets. If memory serves me right, the plan was hatched sometime last year. And with determination of people on a mission we made it work, getting giddier and giddier as THE weekend came closer and closer.

The day we were supposed to leave I still couldn't believe we were going and I had no idea we were going to have as much fun as we did. Sophie, Paul and I jumped in a sexy rental (read: old man Buick) on Thursday and Paul drove the 8 hours to Montgomery while Sophie and I knit (me trying to finish Pimlico for Rhinebeck) where Betharoopie and Joe were so kind to open up her home to a slew of strangers. Okay, well maybe we weren't strangers but we had never met face-to-face and we all know that internet personalities can be quite different from real-life personalities (we've all been in THAT situation) however I was never really worried. I mean I didn't come up with blueprints for a back-up plan or code words for a quick exit or anything like that.

Anyhoo, we arrived just as it was getting dark to knittas on the porch and IT WAS SO AWESOME. The laughing never stopped. My gut muscles still hurt thinking about all the silly stuff we laughed about. And I think Joe was slightly relieved that Paul came as there were a total of 7 ladies knittingandtalkinganddrinkingandlaughingandbeinggooffy and none of use wanted to watch baseball. It was like we had all been friends for years and we were just picking up were we left off and the whole entire weekend was like that. (There's one pic that's not so safe for work. Just an fyi.)

What I remember:

-The nicest border guard EVER. Who was stumped by the fleece Sophie brought for Lorena. The conversation went something like this (actual details may have been forgotten):
"Do you have anything else to claim?"
"We have some fleece that I'm giving as a gift... Do you want to see it?"
Guard looks at fleece and has a very puzzled look on his face.
Turns to other border guard. "Do we care about fleece?"
Other border guard: "What? Polar fleece?"
Our border guard: "No. Animal fleece."
"Huh?"
"No. We don't care about animal fleece. Have a nice trip!"
- Searching for the elusive frumkin shake
- More trees than you can shake a fist at
- Betharoopie's porch
- NY looking like fall but feeling like summer
- Ribbing like a maniac
- Montgomery Mills
- boobies at OCC
- Lorena being too cute in sock monkey PJs
- poorly designed rental mini-van parked on a dark highway (*honk*) that thankfully doesn't make one fart or pee or worse
- Google driving directions that lead to a very un-main Main Street
- "Children at Play" on Devil's Lake Road ("Don't go down that way. I've seen this movie before!")
- 9 people coordinating showers each day and able to get out of the house at the agreed time
- Breaking Lorena's beautiful rosewood DPNs and feeling terrible (even though she said I didn't have to) but able to redeem myself by finding equally beautiful walnut needles at the Golding booth
- Dreaming that I was cast for a bit part in the new Indiana Jones movie. Not knowing my lines and not being able to find my scene in the script all day. Panicking at the sound stage where I see Harrison Ford being filmed while being carried around in a plastic bucket by two big, burly dudes. Thankfully, I was told after the bucket scene had wrapped that lines didn't need to be memorized.
- Milo, Otis, Cosmo and Dobby
- Ginger at the Golding booth picking a drop spindle and putting a deposit down on a wheel.
- Sharon's amazement with the loom
- Seeing the regular folks from TO in a different backdrop
- The Yarn Harlot allowing Betharoopie to kinnear her.
- Realizing I'm a food 'ho.
- Arriving at The Fold's booth after 1pm and finding the STR colourway I've had my eye on
- "The end is near."
- Zombie children at play on the side of the highway.
- The awkwardness of meeting new peeps and the awesomeness of being with Your People at the Ravelry party
- Being able to fondle Brooks Farm's yarn
- Blazing Bagels
- Yarn Mountain
- finishing Pimlico on the way BACK to Toronto

Thank you Beth, Lorena, Sharon, Kelly, Ginger and Sophie for being the most incredible women. And know that you are welcome in my house any time. And I promise that our Murphy Bed won't eat you. Urrr... not that that happened while I was gone or anything. :shifts eyes back and forth: Paul, thanks for driving. You were a trooper! And Joe, you totally rock!

I can't wait until next year!

And what did I buy? I got six skeins of Morehouse's 3-Strand Merino for the Cowl Top (although I really needed 8), on skein of Socks That Rock in Lunasea, one skein from Ancient Threads Farm and Fiber Mill dyed with natural ingredients and 2 giganto skeins of Brooks Farms Macero.

And as an extra bonus, I had a package waiting for me from Lorena when I got back. I thought she was just going to be sending me some of her handspun. I was wrong. It's like I won the lottery. This woman knows how to gift. Lorena, you are tops!