Estes Park Wool Market

There is nothing like a day at the wool market even if it's raining, the grounds are muddy and it's the day after the wool judging. Actually, this is the best day to attend--you see, there is always the temptation to observe wool judging and then buy one, two or more of the ribbon winning fleeces. The day after opening is even better because the sale barn is less crowded. Here is my knitter friend, Judy, smiling under her umbrella. She knows there are all sorts of woolly goodies inside the barn. Inside the door, the small crowd is dressed in their fashionable raingear which includes wonderful knit wool hats.Vendors to the left and right of us--decide on the route and charge! Creatively Dyed came all the way from South Carolina with her brightly dyed yarns.
Brooks Farms from Lancaster, Texas bring such lovely yarns that we both found a nice lightweight yarn (wool/bamboo blend)that we neededto buy. Deer Valley Alpacas were located in the back row.
Magpie Woodworks displayed a wonderful collection of their handcrafted spindles, shuttles and other sundry items. Wooly Walkers had a huge selection of felted hats. JWM Fibers had a wonderful selection of handwoven wearables.
Up front is the most entertaining vendor! Who can resist her delightful paintings?! Connie Togel from Charisma Art Gallery
Woodlake Woolies had sparkly roving! This was just a partial list of all the vendors on site. There were two area knit shops-- The Stitchin' Den , located in Estes and Your Daily Fiber from Fort Collins.
We met some familiar faces along the aisle walk. Knitters up for the day and the opportunity to shop. Vendor friends from years of yore!
There was one of the 'wild women' bunch, Marilyn from South Dakota. Marilyn said her website was 'under construction' so we'll watch for it.
There was Suzanne of Fireant Ranch assisting a customer on the spinning wheel.
Robin with her wonderful buttons. She was excited to share that her garment was juried into the fashion for the upcoming Convergence fashion show. We will definitely watch for that on the runway!
Next blog will include outside activities.