It’s the third weekend of October, and as most every knitter knows, this is the weekend of the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.   If you didn’t know this, the chances are good that you don’t read too many knitting blogs, because Rhinebeck is the pinnacle of the knit bloggers calendar.

Warning!  This knit blogger has not spent the last month frantically knitting away on her “Rhinebeck Sweater”, the sweater which she can wear to the one forum in which thousands of other knitters will admire and appreciate it.  A forum which is also (mainly) outdoors in (hopefully) lovely fall weather; in other words, prime sweater weather. (Alas, dear reader, this knitting blogger has spent the last month suffering from wrist problems and has not knit at all.) The Rhinebeck Sweater must meet certain criteria: it must show off your skill level, and/or show your love of a particular designer, and/or show your love of a particular wool/yarn producer who will be there exhibiting.  Most importantly, it must be finished in the car on the way to Rhinebeck and blocked overnight on the floor of your hotel room.

Warning! This post has no Rhinebeck Sweater photos, taken in bad light at midnight on hotel room floors or otherwise; please proceed reading with extreme caution!  For as we all know, the Rhinebeck Sweater must be photographed, hopefully as you stand next to the designer.  If you are a knit blogger, chances are good that your sweater can star in that most trendy kind of Rhinebeck photo, in which a group of knitters, each wearing the same fabulous new sweater design, magically find each other in the crowd and pose together in their matching sweaters.  (Note, as well, that many knitters spend both days at Rhinebeck, thus necessitating two “Rhinebeck Sweaters” and a fair degree of advance coordination to maximize photo opportunities.)

Warning!  This knit blogger is not in Rhinebeck at all. In fact, this knit blogger is sadly spending the weekend teaching Personal Development to MBA students on the other side of the Atlantic.  Note, crucially, that knitting is NOT part of the MBA Personal Development Curriculum, so this knit blogger cannot even pretend to be in Rhinebeck today.  Since I am not in Rhinebeck today, there will also be no photos of me eating fried artichokes (or at the very least, standing in a long line with the purpose of obtaining fried artichokes which I can then be photographed eating in my lovely Rhinebeck Sweater).   In fact, I have never tasted a fried artichoke in my life.  “What’s that?” I can hear you say.  “She’s never had fried artichokes?  Clearly, she’s never been to Rhinebeck.”   The fact that I know about fried artichokes is, however, clear indication that I read knitting blogs.

Warning!  This knit blogger is not currently spending all of her disposal income for 2016, in advance, by purchasing as much yarn as a human being can carry at one time, plus one set of interchangeable circular knitting needles, two cute knitting bags, a collection of handmade shawl pins, a spinning wheel, and some sheep.  This means as well that my next three blog posts will not be documenting my exponentially increasing stash.

To conclude, dear reader, this post is not about Rhinebeck!  You have been warned!  Does this post gently poke fun at all of you knitters enjoying Rhinebeck this weekend?  Yes, it does!  Am I spending less money this weekend than all of you lovely knitters in Rhinebeck?  Yes, I am!  Would I change places with any of you knitters at Rhinebeck this weekend?  Yes, absolutely!