The Road to Rhinebeck and Beyond

For a good long while, Astrig, of Fiber College, and I, plotted and schemed for a Rhinebeck Adventure! And as these things go, every little plan seemed to change. Adaptable women that we are, we went anyway. And what an adventure it was! Brilliant sun shone on our trip southeast, where we spent the evening in the Berkshires with Astrig’s in laws, gracious hosts who are both incredible artists and curatorial collectors – see their toy nook above, just a hint of the visual treasures displayed in their home. We watched a Twyla Tharp/Baryshnikov video from the 80’s one I had actually seen in real life, such fun. It brought back a flood of memories I’d almost forgotten, painting silk for costumes Oscar de la Renta designed for a Jerome Robbins/Twyla Tharp collaboration.

The next day, almost to Rhinebeck, Astrig and I happened upon Another Fork In The Road, a roadside surprise that serves locally grown food, with clean creative preparation. We had a yummish meal which included exceptional french fries. At last, we made it, Rhinebeck!  Astrig took the class, Spinning Leicester Longwool, while I lamented the lack of wi-fi.. which forced me (not) to settle down and knit already.

We drove through snow to spend Thursday evening with Alice Seeger, weaver, spinner and hostess supreme! She an her husband, a musician, have housed Rhinebeckers every year since the get-go, generous folks the Seegers. We relaxed with homemade soup, lovely wine and interesting conversation, and they showed us one of the more unusual and unexplained birthday gifts we’d ever encountered – a Cheeze-its box full of colorful coiled rope. But honestly, when you think about it, what a great gift.

The next day Astrig and I took Cablemania, with Annie Modesitt. You know how I love taking classes, almost as much as teaching, well Annie’s got a great class narrated with funny stories that helped us remember the techniques she teaches. Well worth taking, even though we did get in trouble for talking amongst ourselves.  Sorry Annie, but mainly thanks Annie!

Reunited! Yay! Patti, my college roommate and I! We went to Pratt Institute in Fort Green, Brooklyn back in the days when the neighborhood was pretty sketchy. It was like no time had passed, only instead of the wilds of Brooklyn, now we both live in country wilderness, I’m in the wilds of Maine, and Patti, lives in an even more remote area on a steep hillside in the Catskills with an incredible breathtaking view. I met her sweet sweetheart who was prepared to rescue us should we get up to some of our old tricks. We had a grand time in her colorful art-filled home, over dinner with her cats, and her funny dog who likes to be pulled on his back through the long grass. I didn’t get to meet Red Cat, the elusive neighbor who lives in a picturesque, abandoned out building…next time. And Patti, if you read this, Greg and Marla insist on an Alibi Club rendezvous sometime in December, let’s go!

Saturday Patti and I hit the festival where we hooked up with the fabulous women of Twist Collective, hanging out in the artichoke line. We also caught up with lovely Gudrun and met her beautiful friend Julie. I think for all of us the most fun was seeing our garments “in the wild” and show and telling our “Rhinebeck Sweaters” (see us here, on the Twist Collective Blog).

Sadly, I received some tragic news from a beloved friend, and so decided to leave unexpectedly early. Though I would have liked to stay and explore the grounds and attend the Ravelry party….I have no regrets, I’m just thankful for an organized train system that allowed me to  be with my friend when she needed me most.

Before I left, I said my good byes to Astrig, who introduced Patti and I to Kathryn Alexander. She is GREAT! I can’t wait to take one of her classes. Patti and I had total Astrig-envy, one of the lucky ones who took Kathryn’s sold out class “Using Fresh Twist Energy to Create New Knit Surface”.  Time to spin, someday soon, maybe Madrona, yes please.