Estes Park – The closest most people ever get to the source of their wool or cashmere sweater is touching a department store display.
Those seeking more of a connection to the fiber find it each summer at the Wool Market held at the Stanley Park Fairgrounds.
The 15th annual market recently attracted families, animal lovers, knitters and weavers to the scenic mountain town that’s the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Thousands flocked to the weekend festival to see llamas on parade, alpacas walking obstacle courses, and sheep having their winter coats shorn. Fifty vendors showed and sold richly hued sweaters, fringed scarves and skeins of handspun and hand-dyed yarn in a rainbow of colors.
“I have to leave my checkbook at home because I’m tempted to buy so many things,” said Teri Wright of Estes Park, one of the market’s coordinators.
Tents were filled with a variety of goats, alpacas and sheep, while the llamas stayed in horse stalls when they weren’t competing.
In the children’s tent, both young and old tried their hand at rope weaving, spinning and loom weaving. And the competitive entered the “sheep to shawl” competition in which they had five hours to turn raw fleece into a finished garment.
Moving from tent to tent, seeing and petting the nubby coated sheep and the silky suri alpacas give one appreciation for the creatures and the fleece they provide. And admiration for those with the skill and creativity to transform a pile of fleece into a wearable work of art.
Staff writer Suzanne S. Brown can be reached at 303-820-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com.
