Celebrating All Things Sheep & Wool in Rhinebeck NY

By Doreen Johnson | Inside+Out | November 1, 2023

The third week of October in the Hudson Valley brings peak Autumn color and a nip in the air, apple picking, crackling fires, hot cider and the onset of hygge. It also ushers in a weekend celebration of all things Sheep and Wool.

As a textile and fiber artist (I weave, knit, spin, felt, dye, quilt and sew) and lover of all things textured, soft and cozy, this time of year is my favorite. On October 21st and 22nd, The Duchess County Sheep and Wool Growers Association opened the fairground gates to the 43rd Annual New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, or “Rhinebeck,” as the global fiber community lovingly refers to it. Rhinebeck is a feast for the senses – all of them, and most especially the tactile. It is an overwhelmingly vibrant and joyful gathering of fiber artists and enthusiasts, teachers, makers, animals and animal lovers. Sheep & Wool is a celebration of the fiber arts, the farmers, the animals, weavers, knitters, crocheters, dyers, basket makers, fiber fashionistas and friendship. Go to Rhinebeck with a budget, or don’t (at your own risk) if you are a lover of yarn and all of the above. Most fiber folks arguably do not need more yarn in their stash, but no matter. Even more than the yarn, it’s the community of people who share this love of craft, and in many cases, an annual reunion of fiber friends made while partaking in some form of fiber art over the years somewhere in the world.

Over 260 vendors from across the country and even across the pond brought spectacular inventories of food and fiber to showcase. What exactly is “fiber?” (Hint: It’s not the stuff you eat for breakfast or add to your smoothie, at least not in this context.) Fiber is the raw material that comes from shearing sheep and alpaca, for example, or from plants (cotton, linen.) Shorn wool fiber is scoured (washed), then spun either by hand or machine into yarn, and used in weaving, knitting, and crocheting to create fabric for clothing and other textiles. Unspun fiber called roving is used in felting, for which there are several techniques to create a warm garment, those fun dryer balls or a cute holiday ornament. The natural wool palette is typically a gorgeous off-white, gray, and brown and can also be dyed in a myriad of colors using a variety of processes and ingredients, including food scraps and plants. Wool is compostable, and no animals are harmed during the skilled shearing process. In fact, sheep and alpacas must be shorn to maintain hygiene and optimal health. Goats (cashmere) and rabbits (angora) are also among the wonderful creatures that are shorn to provide foundation material for beautifully soft, warm garments to keep you warm during our upstate NY winters, and can be cool in the summer.

The NY State Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck draws tens of thousands of visitors, authors, food vendors, makers, and textile enthusiasts from across the country and beyond. It is an event for the entire family. For many vendors, the Sheep & Wool Festival provides the bulk of their annual business income. There are also workshops offered on the Thursday and Friday before the weekend. The planning for the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival is a year in the making. Check the website early (July) for the list of workshops offered.

The Hudson Valley is home to many talented fiber artists, teachers, farmers and shop owners of the various crafts that revolve around Wool. We managed to get some snaps with just a few local fiber artists on Sunday, typically the less crowded of the two-day festival, although the rain did not deter us on either day. The first booth stop was The C Word: Crochet for Today! Sewing and Crochet Artist and teacher Cal Patch and Fiber Artist and teacher Erin von Holdt-Gilbert design collections of modern crochet patterns and kits that you can find on Ravelry or visit their booth at Rhinebeck next October 2024. PS (Ravelry is a website for knitters, crocheters and fiber artists, where one can find thousands of patterns and all the yarn and fiber to make them). Follow The C Word on Instagram.

In addition to The C Word, Cal and Erin are both celebs in the world of crochet, sewing, pattern making and teaching. Cal Patch is a rockstar sewing and crochet teacher, traveling across the country teaching an array of classes, workshops and retreats on how to make your own clothing. Learn more about Cal and her classes at @hodgepodgefarm or visit her Etsy “hodgepodgefarm” shop. Want to learn to sew your own clothes? Buy Cal’s book Design-It-Yourself Clothes Patternmaking Simplified and make your own!

Erin von Holdt is a talented wool worker, crocheter, artist, teacher and lover of bunnies. Erin creates colorful felted wool home goods – baskets, coasters, trivets, table runners and more, as well as needle-felted pet portraits AND adopts bunnies through a small animal rescue organization called, My Hope’s In You Small Animal Rescue. Find Erin and her work on @erinvonholdt or Etsy “The Modern Dream” shop.

Lora Shelley is a talented local artist whose work includes ceramics, pet portraits, paintings and the famous must-have crochet bear merch. You can find Lora Shelley’s Crochet Bear merch, ceramics and more at CROCHET BEAR MERCH by LORA SHELLEY on Etsy’s “LoraShelleyArt” shop. Or right next to The C Word booth at Rhinebeck in 2024!

While catching up with Cal, Erin and Lora, Jocelyn Songco, founder of Yarn Farm Wine Bar, stopped by the booth. YFK is a fully integrated yarn store and wine bar on the Rondout Waterfront in Kingston. The retail shop is stocked with crafting materials with an array of colorful yarn for your next project. The long wooden bar serves a lovely list of wines along with local beers, ciders and an ever-evolving food menu. YFK also offers classes and a weekly knit night.

We had a delightful visit with Paula Kucera, owner of White Barn Farm in New Paltz, a small fiber farm (with a bunch of chickens) located in the beautiful Hudson Valley. The farm is home to a growing flock of registered Cormo sheep. Cormos are revered for their incredibly soft fleece, perfect for all types of fiber work. If Paula is not tending to her flock, you can find her dying her beautiful yarns and stocking the Yarn Shack. In addition to her role as shepherd, Paula is a gifted fiber and textile artist, fine art painter and teacher with a deep belief in our need to foster sustainable local agriculture. Visit the Yarn Shack onsite at White Barn Farm or shop online.

Katrina Rodabaugh – Author of Make, Thrift Mend and Mending Matters @katrinarodabaugh

The Hudson Valley Textile Project is a local organization that “recognizes, celebrates and supports a sustainable model of regionally sourced, processed, and manufactured fiber products… and a farm-to-fashion fiber chain that supports local growers, processors, artisans, manufacturers, and consumers”.

On October 20th, the day before Rhinebeck, Indie Untangled, an all-day fiber shopping and social event that showcases independent yarn dyers, was hosted at HITS on the Hudson – an equestrian venue in Saugerties, NY. Indie Untangled was created by Lisa Chamoff, a Brooklyn native, who celebrated ten years this year. The ticket entries are timed, which gives fiber folk plenty of room to peruse the many offerings. The event is a comprehensive resource for discovering these special products and learning about the people behind the dye pots, spinning wheels and sewing machines. It also builds a community for those who love yarn and fiber as much as I do.

Indie Untangled has evolved over the years to include in-person and virtual events like the Rhinebeck Trunk Show and Indie Untangled Everywhere, as well as exclusive colors and products developed in partnership with other small businesses. Indie Untangled also connects buyers and sellers of hand-dyed yarn and fiber, handspun yarn, notions and accessories. Sheep & Wool boasts some seriously cool woolen ensembles, and we couldn’t capture all of it, though we managed a few good snaps.

You can’t go to Sheep & Wool and not visit the Sheep and Alpaca and Llamas. There is even a breed talk to help decipher the difference between a Llama and an Alpaca. You’ll have to find out next year. There are Fiber arts demos, Fleece sales, drop spindle contests (spinning fleece into yarn with a small tool that you control with your hands and gravity), the amazing Fleece to Shawl competition where spinners and weavers have just three hours to card, spin, ply and weave a shawl, competing against other teams from guilds across NYC, Ulster and Dutchess counties. You’ll see Sheep Dog herding demos, a Leaping Llama contest, cooking demos, Sheep Breed Meet and Greets, a 4H showcase, book talks and signings.

More than 40 authors and designers are at the festival to chat and sign your favorite fiber book. You’ll see just about all of it. The food trucks never disappoint, either. My favorite is the Pierogi truck.