What a great day I had Saturday at the Estes Park Wool Market with my BKB Deb. I have gone almost every year to this event for at least 20 years. I sat at my first spinning wheel here, bought my first fleece here, met friends, networked, and enjoyed close encounters with a lot of the critters that produce the wool/fiber that I play with as I spin, knit, dye and weave.
Okay, to be honest, it is hard to ever have a bad day up in the Colorado Mountains, especially when the temperature down on the plains is a scorching mid 90’s °F. Estes Park is located in the Colorado Mountains right at the door of Rocky Mountain National Park, and is a great 90 minute drive for me from my home in Aurora.
Deb and I arrived early in the morning at the Wool Market with a definite agenda… buy yarn from Western Sky Knits! Seriously, we made a beeline for that booth as soon as we arrived. The call of fabulous yarn is pretty hard to ignore.
I had gone online the night before and made myself a shopping list. I wanted the black, grey, and raspberry yarns as stables for the stash. I had my heart set on more sock kits (cute yarn with the perfect little coordinating skein for the heel and toe) and some brightly colored yarn that would be stripy when knitted for arm warmers and socks. I wanted another speckled yarn to finish putting together a Speckle and Pop shawl. I desperately needed some more painted yarn for another Close to You shawl; one is not enough of these babies. July is right around the corner and I have the Christmas knitting list already fleshed out. I’ve been off the sock knitting pace, but with the right yarn I’m pretty sure that the afterburners will fire and I’ll be mass producing a stack of them before the first snow flake flies. Then there was the yarn kit to make a Faraway, So Close shawl in colors that I know several members of my family will love.
Anyway, some serious yarn shopping occurred. We actually went to the booth twice as I thought it might be a good idea to make one last call there just in case I was missing something… I’m not being defensive, really I’m not. I need all of this yarn desperately, and I’m not apologizing for my addiction one little, tiny, bit. I don’t have a problem, there is no problem here, move along…
After touring all of the other vendors it was out for yummy food (lamb kibbe salad and funnel cake!!) that was eaten up on the bleachers in one of the animal barns. As soon as lunch was over we stashed stuff in Deb’s car and then toured the animal pens.
After looking at all the animals we were drawn to some pens of alpacas with fleeces and yarn for sale. Oh, my goodness. There was a perfect, perfect rose grey alpaca fleece that was really nice (but not perfect: it was a second year fleece and grade 2, but really clean) that I just couldn’t resist. My spinning wheel has really been whining lately for some attention. I should just give it some of what it needs. MacKenzie loves fleeces…
I wonder how well this fleece will take dye? I’m thinking sport/DK weight yarn that will be natural, pink, gold, and purple that can be used for colorwork mitts, hats, cowls…
and a little blanket for MacKenzie too, maybe… I know that he will be helping me do all of this.
Have a great week everyone. You can probably guess what I’ll be doing. 🙂
Yarn, Books & Roses 
It sounds like you conquered the festival! They yarn is gorgeous! Look at the cute animals. They really are a bonus when attending a festival:)
The mountain picture would make a great card! So pretty!
I do feel like a bad a great experience. A couple off the pictures came out so great I was stunned. The mountain shot was taken at the Visitors Center… it’s like they planned it that way. . 🙂
What a fun post! I love the shot of the little one planting a kiss on the goat (sheep)? So darn cute. The yarns are gorgeous and clearly you knew what you were after and have fun seeking it out. I visited Estes Park nearly thirty years ago, but during winter, not spring. What a beautiful place. I’m glad you escaped the heat, too.
Thank you. . I had a lot of fun!! Today I have the yarns out and I am kitting them up with others yarns from the stash and patterns. I have the knitting for the summer all organized!
Today is much cooler. Yay! I think the heat will be back before we know it, though.
You’re an organized knitter as well as a talented one. Good for you.
Gorgeous yarns I look forward to seeing what you produce with them. 🙂
Me too. 🙂 I brought the yarn into the house from the car this morning and I am still just thrilled with the colors, quality of the yarn, and the huge haul. I have some projects that I need to finish up but I am just dying to cast on and start some of those cute socks!!
Yes, it was an awesome day. My first experience and I will definitely be going back to pet the animals. (Okay, I not fooling you, it will be for YARN!)
It’s all about yarn and funnel cakes, my friend.