5 Things I Learned from attending the New York Sheep and Wool Festival for the First Time as an Autistic and Adhd Woman.

I’m an Autistic and Adhd Woman, Crocheter, Knitter, Crochet Pattern Designer, Fiber Enthusiast, and Founder/Moderator for NeuroStitches. NeuroStitches is an online community connecting Neurodivergent folks through fiber arts. In this article I will share the lessons and tips I learned for attending festivals or large events like the annual New York Sheep and Wool Festival.

Woman at fiber festival fairgrounds in autumn with a handmade crochet sweater — My 2024 Rhinebeck Sweater at the New York Sheep and Wool Festival.

Pattern: Franny Granny Square Sweater by Hannah Cross of HanJan Crochet.
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Valentina and Virgo.

What I mean by the “New York Sheep and Wool Festival” and “Rhinebeck”

The annual New York Sheep and Wool Festival is nicknamed, or colloquially referred to as, “Rhinebeck.” People use these two terms interchangeably but to avoid confusion, I will distinguish the two terms:

“New York Sheep and Wool Festival” I will call “The Festival” which refers only to the actual, ticketed event that takes place on Saturday and Sunday each year at the Duchess County Fairgrounds.

“Rhinebeck” I use as an all-encompassing term that refers to both the Festival and the separately-ticketed, “pre-events” (like Indie-Untangled, Cakepalooza, A Woolen Affair, and the now defunct Wool & Folk) and meet-ups that usually occur the Friday before the Festival.

1. Be prepared and take these steps once you arrive.

Before you go:

Look at the list of vendors and exhibitors to know what you want to see and where they are located on the map. You can see all this on the Festival’s website. If you follow or know a yarn dyer that goes to Rhinebeck every year, make sure you check to see if they are on the list of vendors from the Festival website. Many say they’re going to Rhinebeck, but don’t vend at the actual Festival. Instead, they will only vend (make their yarn and products available to purchase) at the pre-events. I learned a few of my favorite dyers were only vending at a pre-event, not at the Festival, when it was too late to purchase tickets and change my reservations. I wish yarn dyers and businesses would be more specific as to whether they will be vending at the Festival or just hosting a meet-up.

Pre-order souvenirs by setting an alarm to remind yourself to pre-order. Even though I signed up on the Festival website to get an email notifying me of when I could place my pre-order for souvenirs, I forgot. By the time I remembered, they closed the pre-ordering. When I arrived early on Saturday to the Festival, there was one tent designated as “the souvenir tent.” The line was longer than any line I’ve ever been in (and I’m from Asheville where I recently had to wait in line for four hours just for a tank of gas) so I skipped the tent and put it off until Sunday. On Sunday, the line was much shorter, but the souvenir tent was pure chaos and I won’t be doing that again in the future. No one knew which line was for checking out and which line was for browsing. The Festival used laptops to check people out that took forever. No one knew whether there were any of the much-coveted tote bags were out of stock. I was told they were sold out when browsing but in the check-out line, the lady in front of me was able to get the last one.

However, I will say I got to meet some pretty awesome ladies from Richmond, Virginia, in the souvenir tent’s check-out line. They were so kind and I had really great conversations with them despite the chaos.

Watch videos and look at photos online to know what to expect. One of the best ways I cope with a new place is to check out videos and photos (especially the street view) on Google Maps. Additionally, I highly recommend KnittyNatty’s Rhinebeck 101 video as she does a great job of telling you what to expect. This is so crucial for neurodivergent people and Natalie’s video did a great job of helping me prep for the Festival.

Take others’ advice with a grain of salt. What works for them may not work for you. I was told to get there early because of the crowds and traffic, but this meant that I’d be there for six hours before an event I wanted to attend started. It left me burnt out and I had to leave early and miss the event. I should’ve went later, or found my shaded spot sooner because I was revived on Sunday after taking an hour in my quiet, shaded spot.

Set alarms to remind you to eat, drink, use the restroom, and before any events or exhibits you want to attend. I live and die by the alarm on my phone. If it doesn’t go on there, it isn’t happening. To me the Festival is a complete hyperfocus, Autistic-joy filled, special interest marathon. In other words, I forgot about basic needs and didn’t eat, drink, or use the restroom until my husband reminded me. I was so absorbed in looking at the brilliant colors and squishing the yarn that I completely missed events I wanted to attend. By the time my husband told me to eat and drink I was already crashing from low blood sugar.

What to pack: If possible, bring a support person. Even though my husband is not a fiber enthusiast and does not knit or crochet, he came along with me. I am so thankful he came with me because I probably would’ve never made it to the Festival and would’ve bailed. Not only can your support person help you navigate the extreme crowds, but they can also help remind you to drink water and take a break.

Pack a backpack with water, snacks, tote bag, layers to change, noise-cancelling headphones, and an umbrella (which even if it doesn’t rain, you can use for shade). I will say that this was a “quieter” festival as in I didn’t find myself having to plug my ears much, but noise-canceling headphones live in my purse. The horn with the alpaca and sheep parades is annoying but I understand why they use it because they need people to move out of the way as they escort the animals. There was some confusion as to whether you can bring a backpack ahead of time, but I brought my backpack/purse and didn’t have a problem getting in with it at all. The security checks your bag before you enter and if you explain your disability, there shouldn’t be an issue. The food was great and had more options than your typical fair food, however, we struggled to find a decent coffee.

When you arrive:

The very first thing you should do upon entering is find a quiet, shaded spot away from the crowds, vendors, and exhibits. This way when it all becomes overwhelming and you want to bolt – you have a place to go to. This also serves as a good meeting spot for any loved ones or friends to find you if you do need to bolt.

I found a wonderful spot just outside of Fosters restaurant that was behind the Workshops Building D. There were shaded benches with a nice breeze and it was quiet. There weren’t any people walking by or vendors around. Unfortunately, I did not find this spot until Sunday because when I got to the Festival on Saturday I was so excited that I just jumped right in, running around letting my dopamine-chasing Adhd brain call the shots. I was in full-on hyperfocus mode and forgot to eat, drink, and use the restroom, leading to me crashing early afternoon and leaving the Festival early.

**Taking a break to knit on the benches outside Fosters at the Fairgrounds.**

My quiet, shaded spot I found to take a break from the crowds.

This caused me to miss out on a few events I really wanted to attend, like Toni Lipsey’s (of TL Yarn Crafts) book signing. Had I found the quiet, shaded spot when I first arrived at the festival on Saturday, I could’ve had a much better, healthier experience, and attended events I had looked forward to for months.

On Sunday I started to get burnt out and I went and sat in my quiet shaded spot for an hour. After which I was totally re-charged and ready to re-join the Festival. It was such a big improvement – this is my number one advice for any Autistic individuals wanting to attend. Although, how awesome would it be if the Festival set up a Sensory Room like they have at airports!?

I was so happy and content knitting on the benches outside of Fosters with a lovely breeze and shade from a nearby tree. It was a perfect, quiet moment that you’d never know thousands of fiber enthusiasts were just on the other side of the buildings. These spaces are so vital to Autistics as we want to be involved and included – sometimes we just need a little break to re-charge.

Everyone talks about “The Hill” but I’m more interested in the quiet, shaded benches outside Fosters at the Fairgrounds.

2. There’s a difference between community and shopping and how you can achieve both.

For community – go to the Festival where you can be outside and engage with fellow fiber enthusiasts. I was so excited I got to meet up with an online Fiber Friend from our NeuroStitches group! However, I found it extremely difficult to shop at the Festival though. The buildings were so overcrowded I had people touching me on all sides a few times and I had to bolt immediately from the buildings and tents. It was too much and I just couldn’t do it. There were many vendors I saw from a distance where I wanted to purchase their yarn and products, but I couldn’t physically get to their booth. If you want to shop at the Festival, I recommend shopping on Sunday since it is a lot less crowded, but the trade-off is a lot of stuff is sold out by Sunday. I saved up and went on a yarn diet in anticipation of making a lot of purchases at Rhinebeck, but I didn’t buy nearly what I thought I would because of this overcrowding issue while shopping the Festival.

Save some money to shop the Festival on Sunday, but put the real dent in your wallet at one of the pre-events. Because this was my first year attending and because I thought some of my favorite dyers would be at the Festival, I did not purchase tickets or attend any of the pre-events. However, after speaking to people who did attend the pre-events, I understand that there are timed-entry tickets which means it will help control the number of people shopping at one time. This is a fantastic idea and makes it much more inclusive so I will definitely purchase tickets and attend the pre-events in the future. Because I didn’t attend any of the pre-events, I can’t give feedback on what they were actually like, but the time-entry tickets alone is enough to convince me to go after battling the crowds at the Festival.

What to buy: To help keep yourself on track and budget, save your purchases for things you can’t get elsewhere, like show-specific colorways. I bought a beautiful show-specific colorway from Miss Babs called Sweater Weather. If you’re like me, you love the beautiful colors of hand-dyed yarn and I can often get decision fatigue. Take advantage of the sets designers put together to help minimize this. There were a lot of awesome sets put together just for the Festival which is also helpful in a crowded, busy shopping environment.

3. Take time to visit the animals and attend the breed talks.

Not to sound too “woo woo” but take some time to thank the animals and their caretakers for their wool. Yarn and the fiber arts mean so much to me. It is how I stim and find joy and peace. Being mindful and expressing gratitude for the wool helps us be more conscious of the supplies and materials for our craft and what it takes to get us that gorgeous skein of yarn.

Learn something new at the breed talks and with the permission of their caretakers, give the animals a good chin-scratch. There’s a lot of studies on the connection between Autistics and animals and seeing all the animals and petting them gave me so much joy. I was so excited to see, and pet, a Valais black-nosed sheep! I wish there were more events that allowed you to interact with the animals more. I know many farms now host walks with alpacas or yoga with goats so it would be amazing if they could do something like that at the Festival too.

4. Be brave and tell people you love their makes.

Initiating conversations can be intimidating for Autistic individuals, even more so if you were raised in the Midwest to never “bother” anyone. I passed by Andrea Mowry (Drea Renee Knits) and Gaye Glasspie (GG Made It) without saying anything even though I really admire them. I didn’t want to bother them in case they just wanted to be left alone and enjoy the festival.

However, when I was reflecting after the festival, I asked myself how would I feel if people came up to me and said those things. I realized I would love it because when people did come up to me and compliment my sweater, I was so excited and found it much easier to interact when they initiated the conversation. I reminded myself most people make the pilgrimage to Rhinebeck to connect with others. I was really disappointed in myself but next time, I will be brave and tell them how much I love their work and admire what they do.

I also did not attend any “meet-ups” on “The Hill.” I realized this could’ve been a much easier way for me to connect with others instead of having to go up to someone on the street, but The Hill is loud, crowded, and gave me flashbacks to cliques in high school where everyone already knows everyone and I’m on the outside looking in. I’m happy that other people find joy and connection in meeting up on The Hill, and that is great for them, but it’s not for me.

5. It was worth it!

I’ve never attended Rhinebeck before and always had serious FOMO. Leading up to Rhinebeck I wondered if it would be a massive disappointment since I built it up so much in my head.

If you’re in the fiber arts industry, I think it’s definitely worth going every year. If it’s just a casual hobby for you and you live far away from New York, I think going once is great, but a lot of people don’t have the time or resources to make a trek across the country for a fiber festival. I’m from Asheville, North Carolina, so it was quite far for us. However, my husband and I planned to go to Rhinebeck as part of a vacation roadtrip. This way it made the long trip more manageable and practical for us.

I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed at all. There are some things I would do differently and yeah, I wish there was a Sensory Room but overall I absolutely loved it. I got to see and experience things I wouldn’t ordinarily – Valais Sheep, touch Qiviut yarn, and make new friends. I would attend again just simply for the community. I’m exhausted, yes, but I loved it. When I go back, I will take my own advice here and I think I will really enjoy it that much more.