| New York State Sheep and Wool Festival | |
|---|---|
 Keyed fiddle at the 2006 festival | |
| Begins | Third weekend in October |
| Ends | Sunday |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Rhinebeck, New York |
| Inaugurated | 1980 |
| Participants | Knitters, sheep breeders, wool spinners |
The New York State Sheep and Wool Festival is an annual gathering of fiber-arts enthusiasts in the United States that draws approximately 30,000 visitors and more than 300 vendors. [1] It is held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York.
The festival was first held in 1980. [2] It is attended by knitters, crocheters, handspinners, and growers of natural-fiber-producing livestock. The livestock includes sheep, goats, angora rabbits, llamas, musk oxen, and alpacas. [2] It also includes vendors of the materials and tools associated with each. It is held in October of each year at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York. [3] In addition to the myriad vendors and demonstrations of fiber arts activities, the festival features several livestock competitions, sheepdog trials and a sheep to shawl contest.
In 2007 for the 35th festival about 12,000 people attended. 375 vendors applied for the 275 spaces. [2]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no live in-person festival in 2020. Officials instead moved events online to a virtual platform. The festival returned to in-person festivities in 2021, though there was a decrease in attendance. [4] YouTuber KristyGlassKnits has a popular annual podcast called "Show Me Your Rhinebeck Sweater".[ citation needed ]
The New York Times notes that there is a trending interest in knitting among younger generations. [5]
Knitting is a method for production of textile fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine.
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
The Aran jumper, also called a fisherman's jumper, is a style of jumper that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. A traditional Aran Jumper usually is off-white in colour, with cable patterns on the body and sleeves. Originally the jumpers were knitted using unscoured wool that retained its natural oils (lanolin) which made the garments water-resistant and meant they remained wearable even when wet.
Knitting is the process of using two or more needles to pull and loop yarn into a series of interconnected loops in order to create a finished garment or some other type of fabric. The word is derived from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten, which is similar to the Old English cnyttan, "to knot". Its origins lie in the basic human need for clothing for protection against the elements. More recently, hand knitting has become less a necessary skill and more of a hobby.
Elizabeth Zimmermann was a British-born hand knitting teacher and designer. She revolutionized the modern practice of knitting through her books and instructional series on American public television.
The "sweater curse" or "curse of the love sweater" is a term used by knitters and crocheters to describe the belief that if a knitter or crocheter gives a hand-knit sweater to a significant other, it will lead to the recipient breaking up with the knitter. In an alternative formulation, the relationship will end before the sweater is even completed. The belief is widely discussed in knitting publications, and some knitters claim to have experienced it. In a 2005 poll, 15% of active knitters said that they had experienced the sweater curse firsthand, and 41% considered it a possibility that should be taken seriously.
Mary Walker Phillips, was an American textile artist, author and educator. She revolutionized the craft of hand knitting by exploring knitting as an independent art form. Her hand-knit tapestries and other creative pieces are exhibited in museums in the U.S. and Europe. She was honored as a fellow by the American Craft Council (ACC) in 1978.
The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival an event featuring domestic sheep and wool. It is held at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland.
Fiber festivals bring together producers and vendors of mostly animal fibers, such as wool, qiviut, camelid, mohair, and angora. Other fibers include silk, linen, and some synthetic fibers. The festival caters to knitters, spinners, felters, crocheters, and dyers in the United States. Attendees learn and see different materials, techniques, and patterns. Fiber festivals also provide a meeting place for people who otherwise know one another only from Internet lists and blogs.
The Dutchess County Fair is held annually in Rhinebeck, New York, usually during the last full week in August. Currently, the fair hosts approximately half a million people per year, and is the second largest county Fair in New York State.
Alpaca fleece is the natural fiber harvested from an alpaca. There are two different types of alpaca fleece. The most common fleece type comes from a Huacaya. Huacaya fiber grows and looks similar to sheep wool in that the animal looks "fluffy". The second type of alpaca is Suri and makes up less than 10% of the South American alpaca population. Suri fiber is more similar to natural silk and hangs off the body in locks that have a dreadlock appearance. While both fibers can be used in the worsted milling process using light weight yarn or thread, Huacaya fiber can also be used in a woolen process and spun into various weight yarns. It is a soft, durable, luxurious and silky natural fiber.
Hand knitting is a form of knitting, in which the knitted fabric is produced by hand using needles.
Minnesota's Shepherd's Harvest Festival is the largest sheep and wool festival in Minnesota.
I Knit London is a knitting organisation based in London, England, UK, comprising a knitting group, knitting shop and knitting events. I Knit London was formed in December 2005, and is run, by Gerard Allt and Craig Carruthers.
Salish are skilled weavers and knitters of the Pacific Northwest. They are most noted for their beautiful twill blankets many of which are very old. The adoption of new fabrics, dyes, and weaving techniques allow us to study a wide variety of Salish weavings today.
Cowichan knitting is a form of knitting characteristic of the Cowichan people of southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The distinctively patterned, heavy-knit Cowichan sweaters, popular among British Columbians and tourists, are produced using this method. Cowichan knitting is an acculturated art form, a combination of European textile techniques and Salish spinning and weaving methods. From this union, new tools, techniques and designs developed over the years.
The Dutchess County Fairgrounds is the home of the annual Dutchess County Fair. Open for over 160 years, the fairgrounds are open year-round and host a number of events.
Sam Barsky is an American artist and internet celebrity. He knits sweaters of landmarks, then takes selfies in front of the landmarks while wearing them. He also knits sweaters of Jewish and other holidays.
Abigail M. Franquemont is an American textile crafts writer, lecturer and educator, based in Cusco, Peru. She spent her early childhood among the Quechua people of Chinchero, Peru, where "women spun to eat and pay for the home they lived in." As a revivalist of the ancient art of hand spinning with the spindle, she published her book, Respect the Spindle, in 2009.
Clara Parkes is an American author, yarn critic, and wool expert. Parkes has been described as "quite possibly the only writer you will ever read who can make a discussion of micron counts absolutely riveting."