The Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool festival is a delightful, not to mention HUGE, fiber fest that is held in ::shock! awe!:: Rhinebeck, NY; a small town in the Hudson Valley. It is held in late October, so the weather tends to be hit and miss, but the majority of the vendors and livestock are in covered buildings.
This festival focus on animal based natural fibers in all it's many forms. Not only are there skeins and skeins of various yarns to paw through, there is also a wide variety of roving, washed fleece, raw fleece, and all the fiber critters alive and well!
This is the perfect event for tactile people. You really can touch all. the. things. Except the bunnies. Apparently they bite.
There are something like six large buildings with a variety of sheep, goats, rabbits, and even some alpacas and llamas. It is really a neat thing to not only learn about the different breeds, but also to see first hand how the fibers differ and feel. Any animal that is close enough to the fence is fair game for molesting. That said - I do NOT recommend poking the male goats. Their favorite perfume is their own urine... and it is pretty potent stuff, not to mention revolting.
There are hundreds of vendors selling all things related to fiber. You name it, you can find it! It can be easy to spend a lot of money there, if fiber is your things. There is a huge variety of roving made of various mixes and all the colors, all the yarns, a significant selection of various accoutrements for making your own yarn, felting, weaving, or whatever else you can think of with fiber. Some devices were historical and simple, some were high-tech and fancy looking (I didn't spend any time looking closely at those.)
Again, you can touch all the things! It's a nice change from most other festivals where products are delicate and breakable. At this, you're encouraged to feel the texture of everything! Different textures lend better to different projects and uses!
Iron Noder 2023