Trendspotting at Rhinebeck with your host Stitchcraft Marketing

Trendspotting at Rhinebeck with your host Stitchcraft Marketing

Rhinebeck Love Wool signThe Stitchcraft Marketing team enjoys the chance to get away from the computers and go squish some fiber. As we are scattered around the country, we have the chance to have our eyes and ears at the major festivals and events that take place throughout the year. Rebecca is our account manager who lives in Connecticut and has been with us for years. Rhinebeck is her favorite place to be in October. Read on for her recap of this year’s event. 

Rebecca (top left) and her local SnB group in Rhinebeck Hats

Rebecca (top left, in her Solitude Dots hat) and her local SnB group in their yearly Rhinebeck Hats

The New York Sheep and Wool festival is one of the largest fiber festivals in the New York and New England region, and it also draws people from all over the country. There are workshops, large and small vendors, local food artisans, spinning and weaving demonstrations. It is also the scene to show off your latest knit, crochet, or woven accomplishment! As you stroll the fairgrounds (or maybe run through them to get a good spot in line at Jennie the Potter or Miss Babs), there is plenty of inspiration and trends to inspire you. In addition to seeing all the sweaters, shawls and hats, the weather this year was cold enough for snow, which only makes you want to cast on a new wooly project that much faster!

RebeccaRhinebeck

The Baable hat was all over Rhinebeck, it was fun to see small “flocks” of two or three people everywhere you looked with this colorwork hat. Colorwork yoke sweaters in emeralds and teals also seemed to be popular. There were ponchos, and lots of highly textured sweater projects, like those on display at Harrisville’s booth. Across all the booths there were lots of project kits for hats, scarves, or shawls, complete with patterns and yarn in the color of your choice. Many vendors also had yarn kits with gradient skeins or mini-skeins, or sets of colorways at the ready to make shawls, perfect if you found shawl inspiration in the many Leftie, Color Affection and Dreambird Shawls walking about. Our recommendations to clients that they position themselves this fall with affordable kits ($35-$60 price point) are spot-on with the projects I saw at the festival, like the Mirror Image Cowl  and Block Island Beanie.
YarnIt Ball Display at RhinebeckRhinebeck is truly an experience: pattern spotting, meeting Ravelry friends and favorite designers in person, enhancing your stash, and squishing breed specific yarns at Solitude Wool.  And the festival is not just sheep and wool! Bijou Basin Ranch brought their unique yak yarns and Paco-Vicuna yarns in exquisite hand-dyed colorways that were so appealing to the eye and to touch! I also love the opportunity to talk with the people behind the brand, like seeing the YarnIt ball in person, now I see why everyone wants one! Kate described how she designed the portable plastic yarn ball to keep your yarn (and small tools) contained, clean, and protected especially for travelling!
I really enjoyed trying out a Louet S10 Concept spinning wheel in person with Dave from Louet. Having only spun on a spindle, I felt really uncoordinated at first, but after a few minutes just letting my feet treadle I felt like I was starting to get the hang of it. There were a variety of Louet wheels and accessories – the Louet Victoria really caught my eye, it was so cute and it folds to take up no space!
 happysheep
When we attend these events we spot the trends, and if you want help turning the latest yarn trends into sales or to consult with you on eye catching booth design and displays, click here to contact us online or call us at 719-539-3110 to help!
2 Comments
  • Gretchen
    Posted at 19:38h, 30 October Reply

    Hi Rebecca,
    It was great to meet you at the booth! And you are so “spottable” in your Solitude dots hat!

    Hope to see you again next year if not before.
    Gretchen

    • Rebecca
      Posted at 15:56h, 25 November Reply

      Great to meet you too, Gretchen! Rhinebeck has a permanent spot on my calendar – I’m already looking forward to next year! – Rebecca

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