I Survived the Estes Wool Market of 2010

Event: 20th Annual Estes Wool Market, 2010

When: June 10-13

Where: Estes Park, Colorado

Not too long ago, I attended the Wool Market in Estes Park, Colorado. If you live near the area, you might think about coming and seeing it next year! I enjoyed browsing through the Alpaca, Cashmere goat and sheep tents as well as the huge vendor's barn. There are also two days of classes offered that you can arrive early for; they cover a wide range of topics, from knitting, dyeing and spinning to natural body care, quilting and basket weaving. 

There are also shows going on throughout the Market, such as an Alpaca agility course and also sheep dog demonstrations; I highly recommend attending these if you are able!

Starting off, I was not sure what I was going to find when I made the hour plus journey from where I live to see the market. I arrived an hour or so early, thinking that parking would be terrible, only to find the Estes Park fair grounds virtually empty of all but the livestock handlers. I made sure to arrive early so that I wouldn't miss out on any good deals on fiber related things at the vendor's barn and to see some shows (there was an Alpaca agility course that sounded interesting, but it was canceled due to the weather), but the grounds were almost empty. Thus, I have no idea if it was because of the rainy cold weather or most festival-goers don't typically attend until around noon.

I first wandered through the livestock tents and barns, starting with the Paco-Vicunas, which seem to be rather nervous, shy creatures. The Alpacas I visited in the next tent were a bit more calm; I was surprised at how small Alpacas are; they seem to be all neck.

The tent with the goats and sheep was a very interesting experience; as the sheep went, there were ewes and rams of a variety of different breeds, such as Romney Wensleydale, Baby Doll Southdown, Navajo-Churro, Merino, Bluefaced Leicester and Jacob sheep, to name a few.

But back to the goats; there were plenty of Angora, Cashmere and Pygora goats in the pens as well. Goats in general are pretty lively creatures and curious, as well.

There were even some yaks there, outside the tents and barns; they were soaking wet due to the pouring rain. At some point there was a tiny fuzzy calf that had been brought out, barely tall enough to reach my waist.

The vendor's barn was a real treat; its worth checking out if spending one-on-one time with the sheep isn't your cup of tea. Though the goats are pretty entertaining, if I may say so... I was surprised by the amount of vendors and even more so by the crowds of people that grew as the day went on. On a side note, I gave myself a shopping list and budget before I went to the Wool Market, as it was so very tempting to carry off everything that I could carry. Maybe it seems a bit silly (or not,) but I would have carried off most of the items in the vendor's barn if I hadn't of made myself stick to a budget.

I ended up buying a gorgeous raw Teeswater and Cotswold cross (if I remember correctly) fleece that has washed up beautifully. I plan on soon offering some of it for sale in my shop, as its too lovely to keep all to myself, though it is very tempting.

A lot of the vendor's prices were very reasonable, though there were a one or two that were asking almost double the price on items what I'd seen available locally and online much cheaper (shipping included- you always have to figure that in!) In my humble opinion, its a good idea to familiarize yourself with the items you are looking to purchase so you don't waste your hard earned cash. The booth rental fees aren't cheap, but from chatting with some of the vendors, they are making more than good money out of the two day event. So, TreeSoup says to be wise with your bucks.

So, if you are interested in attending the festival, I would say that going for the vendor's barn alone is worth the trip even if you are only window shopping. The workshops and classes could be worth your while, though I didn't attend one myself. If you want to avoid the crowds of shoppers, I'd advise you to go earlier than later. Also, there is a group on Ravelry that is all about this event; you can find other members who will be attending and meet up with them if you'd like.

The Wool Market might not be a whole day event (in my opinion,) but there are plenty of other things to do in Estes if you do decide to make the trip next June.