"Orange" ya Glad You Went to Rhinebeck?

I just put the Fickleknitter into a cab heading to the airport, thus marking the official end of Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool 2010. What a whirlwind weekend. DH & I were sound asleep when the Fickleknitter slipped into our apartment late Friday night and when we awoke early Saturday morning she had magically appeared on our couch. As we prepared for our trip, meaning choosing which knit items we were going to wear, DH went to get the car and we set off on our journey!

We arrived in time for the last vestiges of the Ravelry noon hour meet & greet, we missed the photo shoot, bummer, but got to talk to some fellow ravelers and eat cupcakes! The rest of the fest & lunch awaited so off we went.

All the usual suspects were there...

long lines...

crowds of excited knitters...

fuzzy angora bunnies...

llamas...

and old farm machinery....

and of course the kids' bouncy castle!

This year as I wandered the fair grounds a theme quickly emerged...not only was it Fall with lots of pumpkins & smiling jack-o-lanterns on display...

...crisp, cool air and tree leaves turning bright colors, but knitters were turning too, everywhere I looked knitters had turned to Orange as the color of choice for their hand knit garments and accessories.

Hand dyers of yarn & roving also showed lots of orange color combos.

And knitwear designers had turned to orange for their samples. So I did what all good bloggers would have done, I decided to document this color phenomenon!

Behold the many glorious shades and hues of orange knit up into as many different garments & accessories imaginable!

At first I was apprehensive to walk up to knitters and ask to photograph them in their orange handiwork, but soon I met so many wonderful knitters who were eager to let me take their picture and proud to show off their creations that it became fun and a game for DH and I to spot people wearing orange. I took so many pics and talked to each person about the pattern and yarn that I lost track of it all, even though I knew I should be jotting it all down, I didn't. So if you recognized yourself or a loved one please give us a heads up about who and what we're admiring.

This woman made the trek all the way from sunny California, she told me the name of this pattern and how she altered the body from a spiral lace to the lace columns going straight down, but now I don't remember the name of this popular design. But I do love the bright color combo & mix of textures of her orange sweater & brown corduroy skirt.

Edited: 10/18 This is none other than Ravelry's Rhubarbear and this pattern is Tree Jacket by Sarah Johnson. It's Rhubarbear's 2nd Tree Jacket, her first she kept the lace pattern spiraling per the pattern. The yarn is Wollmeise Molly in Campari Piccolo. And she was from CA, but now lives some where in NY. Thanks to everyone who set me straight!

And this beautiful hat and shawl set was knit out of a handspun yarn, that our adorable model spun herself! I think the feather & fan shawl pattern she chose worked perfectly to show off the beautiful nuances of her variegated yarn.

No dogs allowed at Rhinebeck?! What?! This isn't a dog, this is a family member and isn't he smashing in his bright orange sweater?

This lovely woman is Jana from Voorheesville, NY and Jana was kind enough to email me the day after Rhinebeck and give me the details about this gorgeous felted scarf she's wearing..."You took a photo of me yesterday for your blog (I was wearing the funky head scarf thing - looked like falling leaves) and I wanted to let you know that I bought the scarf at the festival from Miriam Carter, Felt maker. Her stuff is beautiful - I should have taken the scarf off and shown it to you. If you get this today and have a chance to stop by her booth you'll see what I mean. She's in building 31, booth GG." Thank you Jana!

I love this pixie hat, the bulky yarn, the perfect shade of orange and especially the way it stands up! And though I didn't ask, I imagine our model knit the gorgeous sweater she's wearing too.

As the day wore on into evening the temperatures dropped and it was time for us to leave for dinner and the Ravelry party, it was smart that we had brought an assortment of knits to wear and I was able to change into the Sookie hat, cowl & wrist warmer set to keep warm. I was one of the party sponsors again this year and the party was a lot of fun, very much like last year.

This is the Fickleknitter and I at the Rav party and I'm wearing the Sookie set, its one of the Fickleknitter's original designs.

After some eats, and DH fortified himself with a stiff drink, we met more Ravelers, from all over the US and Canada even, and I continued my quest for Orange. I was fast rewarded with these shots...

This lovely lady knit this cute beret and I really should have gotten a shot from the back too, her cabling (I mean lace, thank you Nancy) was PERFECT! Nice heathered shade of orange too.

Edited: 10/19 This is Nancy out of Long Island, NY, I found her on Rav or rather she found me. She set me straight that this hat is a lace pattern, not cable. She doesn't have it on her Projects Page and I wish she did, but does have a really cute pic of her Chihuahua dog who is just as sweet as pie.

And my last shot of Orange is the crazy knitter & blogger extraordinaire Steven Ambrose of bitchesgetstitches.com! Love the Orange shorts, I do believe they were a free knitty pattern from a season or two ago and I especially love the attitude he's wearing them with! Steven you rock!

The Ravelry Party Raffle was a huge success and I think my gift was well received, a Jordana Paige "Bella Bag" stuffed with Sandrasingh.com exclusive yarns & patterns (shown above). When the raffle ended I realized my coach was about to turn into (an orange) pumpkin and it was time for us to leave for our long drive back home.

Another great year at Rhinebeck has come to an end, my 3rd year at the fest, and another great time was had by all.