10 reasons I don't have FOMO about skipping Rhinebeck this year
If you need me, I'll be here...
In my pajamas and my sweater, thankyouverymuch.
I’ve been to Rhinebeck twice – the last two years. And yes - I had fun! But also, I was exhausted and overwhelmed.
I made the decision to stay home this year, expecting that when the air crisped up, I'd start to feel some FOMO. But actually, no, I feel profound gratitude that I'm not beginning to pack and plan.
Here are the top 10 reasons I don't have a stitch of fear of missing Rhinebeck
My sweaters go great with "leaving the house clothes" but listen, they really shine with pajamas.
Plusses (part of the Body of Work collection) is my favorite knit to wear over jams.
☕No Airbnb beds, coffee machines, or trips to an unfamiliar grocery store when I'm supposed to be on "vacation."
I can't knit and drive, and 🧶 > 🚗.
💸Travel, lodging, festival food, tickets. Listen, who has the budget for all that?
Instead, I'm saving up for materials to make king-sized rails for my quilt frame and wool batting from Ross Farms for the plus quilt I pieced over the spring and summer. Yes, I do really really like plusses.
🤔I like to take my time with my purchases.
And make sure I like not only what I'm buying, but who I'm buying from.
🧠Sensory overload. Too little sleep, not enough alone time or down time, too much excitement, too much noise.
(Also my brain constantly scans all 12K people or w/e to see if any of them match a familiar face, exhausting, unsubscribe.)
👩🏼🤝👩🏽I love meeting knitters I know from online, and seeing your projects and sharing your joy! But I'm best 1:1 or in small groups, and I feel like I'm letting you - and me - down.
Let's meet at my local coffee shop, kay? It'll be more real?
💼ZERO packing time, getting out the suitcases, quadruple checking my toiletries and meds case.
And also zero weeks walking around my still-packed suitcase on my bedroom floor upon return.
⏳I want to spend time with all my friends who are there! But of course, we're clustered into separate houses, show up with different groups and schedules, and someone always gets hurt or left out just because of the dang logistics.
All my friends are gonna get equal face-to-face time with me this year: NONE.🙃😂💞
🍁Fall in upstate NY is incredible. But you know what? So is fall in my own backyard and last year I missed the best week of it.
While I loathe most of the weather in my geographic location, there are a few weeks that are total gems (including this one)! If I'm ever going to feel at home in Pittsburgh, it feels important to put a deep root in my own (literal) back yard.
Let me know - are you feeling like you're missing out on all the fun? Are you headed to NY and completely pumped? Are you like me, staying home and planning to relish it?
I'll be here, working from bed in my jams and Plusses sweater with my own coffee and my own fall coming through my open window.