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Dear everybody,

Writing to you from a house filled with knitters. Feeling tender about it all, seeing so many folks all weekend long here in the Hudson Valley, having the chance once again to spend time in a place where everybody is there to feel the same things: love, joy, connection, community.

Favorite sight:

I have probably ten photographs of this exact scene, from year to year, of the teeming crowd of visitors to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival. This vista is always the same—tons of people, vaguely zoned out, blissed out, tuckered out—with that curtain of trees at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds at their peak of glory. This year, rain really socked it to us, but by Sunday, those trees held on to enough color to do their best to set the mood.

Favorite sign:

Favorite taste:

MDK food writer Sarah Ross’s Speckled Slaw at dinner tonight. Sarah has been cooking for us all weekend, one masterful table after another, so much love coming out of this kitchen. We feel so fed, so lucky. Friends spending time together like this is a true gift. We all talked about the family and friends who weren’t with us—it was almost a Thanksgiving, the whole weekend.

The longer Kay and I get the chance to be a part of this world, the more grateful we become. Thank you to everybody who said hello, who showed me their sweater, who shared in a moment staring at a week-old baby goat who seemed so very content to be here.

More to come—we gotta get home, which is tricky when the place you’re leaving feels like home too.

Love,

Ann

27 Comments

  • Best. Postcard. Ever.
    Thank YOU for photos and reflections!

  • Thanks for this! I was sorry to miss Rhinebeck but I had to be elsewhere. Love that feeling of being in a knitting Hogsmeade.

  • How lovely that you feel so home here! It was great to see both of you! At least every morning I get to look forward to receiving the MDK email!
    Until next year….

    • Your comment is awaiting moderation.
      Hi Cindy- this is Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist who cared for Jennifer Millens and trying to connect with her mom Joan. My email is od4@nyu.edu. If you can reach out to me or provide my email to Joan, would love to speak with her. Many thanks, Orrin
  • Thanks for the picture…for those of us unable to be there. Looks like the rain, sadly, dampened the display of Rhinebeck sweaters. I could not see a single one in the foreground. That Sheep to Shawl Thing…relieved to see that the (S)hearing part had already been done. Regardless, only 3 hours, wow. Maybe some day…

  • Hi—I have loved your emails for years!! Every morning I look forward to the beautiful pictures and clever writing of the day. But for the last couple weeks, the email cover photo is the same one, and I have to click to see the new post. Sounds so terrible that I’m complaining of having to click, but sometimes I just don’t click. Maybe I’m not sure if the title interests me or maybe I’m too exhausted. Either way, it’s a change in how I’ve seen your emails and I’m changing with it.

    • Hi, Charmaine – yeah, we’ve hit a glitch with our email template. The mysterious People Who Know How to Do Things are working on it. In the meantime, you do have to click once to get to the post — but it’ll be worked out and back to the normal way shortly, we hope.

      • I will be patient! And root for those mysterious people.
        Thank you!

      • That was kind of you to answer

  • Such a delight to meet you both in the flesh and to experience my first Rhinebeck. You both are just swell and so authentic. And the rain only dampened the ground, but not my spirits! I hope (expect!) this is the first of many more Rhinebeck experiences for me.

  • Thank you for the peek into your weekend!

  • I was so glad to bump into you both at Wool and Folk despite the rain and mud–you were lucky to be outside–at least folks could get to you. My feet gave out (foot surgeries this year not fully up to a full Festival day)–but my first trip to Rhinebeck and W&F was wonderful. I will definitely return to Rhinebeck (tho not W&F at least as it is currently). LOVED being able to **feel** Atlas–now I can confidently order online! Best of luck with your TN 2024 festival!

  • It was my first time after all these years but so enjoyable and tiring! Glad I got to say hi to you both, Kay and Ann, and although I missed it, some of my housemates from our Knitting Circle said your live podcast was great.
    Sadly W and F was a bust but RB didn’t disappoint. How about that sheep dog herding demo and knitting with chopsticks contest?! And I loved the plethora of specific breed yarns and getting to touch them all.
    Looking forward to hearing more about NashFest!

  • We need more to live vicariously through you …

  • I thought everybody was there to feel wool! They were feeling all that other stuff too?

  • Where’s the pic of the week old baby goat?

  • That rabbit demo! Sign me up!

  • Sounds wonderful. One of these days….

  • Thank you for sharing this event. Color me green— with envy. It’s difficult for me to attend these events in person so it is wonderful that I can enjoy them vicariously through you. Anxious to hear more when you get back.

  • Thank you MDK. Love your posts every day and you are such an inspiration.

  • Love this. Thanks for sharing.

  • Thank-you. A friend and I are thinking of going next year. It sounds likealot of fun!

  • DREAMY!

  • This is why I have to start my day by reading MDK!

  • I just love Rhinebeck, but was unable to make it this year. Thanks for sharing…. I could practically feel and taste being there!

  • Thank you for sharing this insight and reflection.

  • Reading this I could feel the warm glow, the love and the baby goat

  • jntpYPKyYyinAbiJ

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