June 8, 2019 – Estes Park Wool Market and Fiber Festival

Finally!!  Finally!!!  We get to see sheep!!!!!

Today was the day I’ve been looking forward to for several months! (ED. NOTE – I think she meant years!!!) I LOVE a wool and fiber festival 😊!

It’s the anticipation of all the buying!!!!

Yesterday I drove up to Estes Park by myself for a sneak preview of the Estes Park Wool Market.  (ED. NOTE – Thank you!!!  But I’m probably gonna pay aren’t I???) I had two hours to look at all the lovely yarns, spinning wheels, drop spindles, fiber and other goodies.  Anyone who has been with me to a festival before knows that I like to go around and look at everything first, then go back around to buy.  Some people find it a bit tedious… On Saturday, the hubs went with me (yes, begrudgingly but willingly)! 

Sure, but you’ll be in Estes Park!!

I have to backtrack a little – our RV park is about 20 minutes from Estes Park, which is the name of the town at the eastern entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park.  The drive was very pretty as we drove from our house (fifth wheel) to Estes Park.  The road winds around grassy pastureland with houses here and there and then BAM! suddenly there are cliffs on either side of the road with the river running alongside. (ED. NOTE – BAM! is right!!!)  I’m talking huge mountain cliffs and a winding road with switchbacks.  It’s absolutely stunning!  Just as you are getting used to the view around you – BAM! the view opens up to HUGE mountains with snowy peaks in the distance.  It is almost overwhelming. (ED. NOTE – Pictures will never, ever do this justice.  Never!!!)  Agreed!

Since I drove myself on Friday and felt I couldn’t look around enough while driving (ED. NOTE – good move!!!), the hubs drove Saturday morning.  I spent the whole drive looking out my side window up at the cliffs and mountainside taking in all the different colors, looking for any wildlife and loving the river rushing down the mountain alongside the road.  Also saying, “I told you!” as hubs was oohing and aahing and telling him to watch the road, he could look on the way home!  (ED. NOTE – I did!!  It is amazeballs!!!!) Here are some pictures of the drive.

 

And now for the main event!!! 

We pulled into Estes Park, which is lovely, nestled in a valley in the middle of the mountains, and found a place to park near the fairgrounds. 

Once inside, we headed straight through the shopping area to the animal barns and exhibits. (ED. NOTE – I knew we’d be back for that later, no reason to look at that stuff now!!!)  First were the alpacas being led around by young kids and judged in a small arena.  They had had their yearly shearing and were adorable.

                   

Next, we saw two 8-month-old llamas.  They were a beautiful brown color and so soft!  I understand now why, when I touch a yarn that has baby llama fiber mixed in, it feels the way it does.  In the barn, there was stall after stall of adult llamas.  I didn’t want to get too close because, you know, they spit. 

Some fun facts – Llamas are pack animals and can carry 25-30% of their weight.  They are also very sure-footed and have been used for centuries in the Andes Mountains.  They are used as guard animals for sheep and alpaca farms.  They were fluffy except through their mid-sections where they would wear a pack. 

In one of the arena areas, they were being led through an obstacle course and judged on their skills. (ED. NOTE – Nunchuk skills, bowstaff skills, computer hacking skills!!!) 

Well, we took pieces of this and pieces of that and mixed ’em up in a lab!!!!!

Another barn held a pen of paco-vicunas, a rare, new breed that closely resembles their ancestor the vicuna.  The fineness of their fleece is maintained throughout their adulthood, unlike alpaca. 

I wonder if this whole thing might be some kind of elaborate pyramid scheme?!?!?!?

Another area displayed a couple of male alpaca for sale, with yarns from their farm.  Their owner was very helpful in answering questions about the upkeep and maintenance of keeping alpaca, as well as the fiber yield of her animals. 

So that’s how that’s done!!!!

A fascinating exhibit was by Willow Creek Fiber Mill.  They showed the complete process from raw fleece from the animal to yarn.  They had examples of alpaca and sheep fleece in different containers so you could feel the difference as the lanolin was removed from the sheep fleece, through carding, spinning and yarn.  It was quite interesting.

See, I told you that’s what it looked like!!!!!!

Next was the sheep and goat barn – it was the SMELLIEST!!  On one side were all the different sheep breeds.  It would have been nice to have the breed of sheep listed on each pen but that only happened occasionally.  There were many different breeds – some with lambs!

 

Same with the goats – the breeds were not usually listed.  My favorites are the angora goats which produce mohair fiber.  I’ve always wondered why they are called angora yet produce mohair.  Answer anyone?  They have the coolest, curly locks.

It’s rabbit season!!! Duck season! Rabbit season!! Rabbit season!! Duck season!!!!!

The final animals we saw were the angora rabbits – they are soooooo cute and so big and fluffy!  Their fur is just brushed or picked off by hand.  One owner was picking off some fur of one of her satin rabbits.  The satins had a sheen to their fur.  She told us this rabbit’s siblings had gotten in the water bowl and climbed all over her, making her fur a little matted, so she was giving her a little cleaning.  She brought about twenty rabbits with her (1/2 of what she owned).  She keeps them for showing and the fiber.

To be continued…….