If you are a textile artist in the USA you probably know of a little event called the SHEEP AND WOOL FESTIVAL in Rhinebeck, NY. This is my second year attending the event and I am happy to say I planned ahead of attending this very busy festival.
First thing's first, I packed loads of work to do on the two hour train ride. As pretty as this ride is it's long and can be a useful time to plan work schedules and answer emails. I also spent plenty of time planning out the day and what business I was going to do once a get to the festival. Let me also state that it is billed as a celebration or festival if you will but it's really a textile expo with exhibitors interested in your company business. I would say they should change the name but if they did it would suck what little fun you still get from the event.
I hit the auction block first because I really needed some equipment but I really should have purchased my fiber for the year first. There was a mix up with the timing of the auction so that's why I went there before anything else. Next year I will know better as I have a better sense of how the auction works now. I did win a lot of awesome stuff that I really needed and at a great price.
As you can see from the above picture this place is packed. If you are going to eat there please let that be the first thing you do before anything else. They actually run out of food and that's if you can tolerate the long lines. You will pretty much die before you get a bite to eat if you are not careful. I will say that the staff is wonderful, polite and very helpful. I really needed that as I didn't bring anyone with me to help handle my business affairs. That is a mistake I will never make again. It's not even next year and I am planning my next trip to the festival and I will hire a staff member to drive and work for the day. It's just too much for one human to do.
If I must give a review of the event I would definitely give the Sheep and Wool Festival 5 stars. If you are a textile artist who wants to buy directly from farmers, this is the place for you. My little baby Chong approves as you can see.