As promised and in the tradition of countless authors fighting to meet (unrealistic) deadlines, my Rhinebeck 2025 recap is coming in hot, right under wire. If you are curious as to why I haven't updated very regularly, I do have some legitimate excuses. 1) I am in the midst of getting divorced. I've been married for nearly a decade. I look forward to sharing all of the gritty details once everything is finalized, but it's still early doors. Hang tight. There's a juicy novel in my future; I promise you. But in the meantime, I've had some very time sensitive paperwork deadlines to meet that are my main priority. That aside, I am looking at 2026 with all of the hope and positivity that a miserably oppressed and about to be free woman possibly can!
2) In early November, I blew out my knee. The day before Thanksgiving, I underwent major knee surgery. My totally disintegrated ACL was reconstructed with part of my patellar tendon and my meniscus, which was folded on top of itself, was "cleaned up" and shaved. I started physical therapy 3.5 weeks ago. I go twice/wk for an hour and I am now at the point where I have at least 2 hours of totally exhausting, home exercises/day.
Prior to my injury, I had fulfilled a fantasy of mine and I had just started training in the bakery at ET. They are still holding my job for me but because I was only working part time (I have 2 other jobs and I have to take care of Xena), I am ineligible to apply for disability. I hate to make this sound like a sob story but the fact of the matter is that in addition to barely being present as a father, my (hopefully soon-to-be-ex) husband has barely been financially supporting Xena and I. I am depending on my Etsy shop as my primary source of income and I need as much financial help as I can get ATM.
It is bittersweet reflecting on the road up to Rhinebeck but that is what crafts are good for. They force you to slow down and think about the good, the bad and the ugly. ANYWAY, I actually ended up knitting 2 different sweaters for Rhinebeck. The first pattern was Pagan Sky designed by Zanete Knits. Amber chose this one. I shopped my own stash for DK from Red Stag and Yarny Mammoth.
I don't normally document every step of casting on a new sweater but this one had a few new techniques that I wanted to remember, and there's no guarantee off the top of my dome at my age.
I am super into folded collars, especially on sweaters meant to be worn in cold weather. I am always cold and having an extra thick collar is clutch in the winter.
This seamless folded hem is very tasteful.
I started this sweater on Sept 1.
And I finished it on Sept 30.
That was only possible with the help of the NFL.
There is not much more that I enjoy in life than knitting with football on in the background. It is one of the most soothing and comforting experience that I have known. The sound of football in the background is one constant that I have had in my life for as long as I can remember.
This traditional Estonian colorwork was very easy to follow. It was the perfect combination of repetition and new bits.
Most modern American colorwork yolk sweaters don't have additional colorwork after you separate for the sleeves.
I love that this one did.
I have to admit that a tubular bind off is rather tedious but it you want a superflat bottom hem, it's definitely the most aesthetic way to go.
I try my sweaters on multiple times as I am knitting them.
Not only do you need to test how well the sleeve placement is, but you also need to check how and where the bottom hem falls.
Sleeves are another area that I am always focused on. Most patterns are graded and written for white women who generally have much larger and longer bodies than I.
I almost always have to modify my sleeves to for a petite Asian woman.
Following in the long tradition of her father, Xena, took these very unflattering photos of my sweater pre-blocked.
You're dumb if you don't peep it from the back before you finish too.
The most fascinating aspect about colorwork is how magically your work transforms after it's been blocked.
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And even after it's freshly blocked, it really doesn't start looking good until you've worn it a few times.
While knitting this sweater, I trapped floats for the first time ever. I never had to do it before, because I didn't have to do colorwork on the sleeves. The left sleeve is sans traps. The right sleeve is trapped. Can you see the obvious difference?
I love this simple colorwork chart so much!
You know it's a good sign when the pattern designer finds you on The Hill at Rhinebeck and wants to take a photo.
Amber is a much better knitter than mine and her sweaters always look better.
It seems like both of us are constantly dealing with some ridic-ass BS but we always prevail, somehow.
She is my ride or die knit buddy. As long as there is Rhinebeck, we will be knitting matching sweaters.
My second Rhinebeck sweater was a last minute assist for my local knit buddy, Kate, who was supposed to go to Rhinebeck for her 1st time ever, but sadly had to cancel at the last minute.
I knit the trendy-ass Ooey Gooey Sweater designed by Andrea Mowry.
I shopped my stash again, using sport weight Myak camel and Feederbrook OOAK's.
I just wanted high contrast.
This was one of the easiest colorwork sweaters I've ever knit.
The welts were a new technique but also so basic that I think even a beginner could figure them out.
I love cats eye manicures! The cool thing about their glittery iridescent nature is that they match with more than one outfit.
Sadly, my drive up to Rhinebeck started a little earlier than planned, with the funeral of my dear philatelic colleague, Wade Saadi.
It was held in Bay Ridge, a beloved old Brooklyn neighborhood of mine. My fellow SSC DJ, Lynne, grew up there and I spent a lot of time over the years at her apartment there, when I DJ-ed in the city in the 00s.
I can never resist some good shrubbery art.
This was my first time attending a funeral in an Orthodox church. It felt a lot more welcoming that the ultra conservative First United Methodist church my adopted parents forced me to attend in WNY.
Some of my best philatelic friends were in attendance.
Our mutual sadness was palpable.
This was the most I've ever cried in over a decade. My parents forbade me to cry as a child and it is something I have always struggled with as an adult. It was the definition of catharsis to finally let go.
After the funeral, my buddy, Mark and I went out for soup and dumplings.
Then I headed out to LI for the first time in a long time.
I knit at a park that Rakim only rhymes about.
Then I had one of the most delightful Italian meals with another one of my best stamp buds.
Italian wedding soup.
All of the shellfish...
...with linguine!
Super legit eggplant parm.
It isn't a real Italian meal without Escarole and white beans.
This is the view I woke up to and it was exactly what I needed.
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I made a quick stop at Todd's to pick up the knitting LPs he's been holding for me.
The reason Todd and I never dated is because he is like the Polish-German-Queens version of me, if you can even imagine it. It would be too much.
We shall always be united by old graff crews though.
I picked Amber up in BK and then we headed to my favorite dumpling spot in Bronxville.
This used to be my regular chill spot when I managed the Spink philatelic auction house in Manhattan.
I missed Rhinebeck last year because we were in Copenhagen for a stamp show so it was especially nice to return again after a year off.
Mirbeau, our normal jaunt, was already sold out by the time Amber and I started looking for somewhere to stay this year so we tried a new place in the Catskills, called Hunter Lodge.
It was remote AF but cute.
It was a family friend place. Unfortunately, our room was on the 2nd floor and there was no elevator.
I came prepared with knitwear for any type of weather.
I have to admit that I missed being walking distance from everything in the village of Rhinebeck so hopefully we will return to staying in the village next year.
We revisited some of our favorite chill spots in Saugerties.
It was 100% perfect sweater weather!
We attended a Woolen Affair and posted up on the Hudson with our camper chairs like pros.
I felt like I would never get off sleeve island.
We got to see our buddy, Kacey!
Token Indie Untangled photo.
It was another fabulous fiber festival!
My haul was pretty sweet with lots of complimentary swag too.
Normally we go and visit my very old and dear friend, Aaron, at his pizzeria in Craryville. But this year they were closed for renovations so instead, I went to see his band play in Albany.
DT are still one of my favorite bands.
I also got to see Crush Your Soul play for the first time. They were sick!
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Unfortuanately, I didn't finish my sweater in time to wear it for the meet up on The Hill but I did finish it not too long afterwards.
This has been one of the hardest years of my life. I cannot wait for it to be over.
I have been overwhelmed with anxiety and sadness and uncertainty of the future but I have Xena and my friends, who are like family and I am ready for the future.
I am extremely thankful for all that I have and I do not take it for granted. Happy New Year!
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