Monday, June 10, 2013

Wool Market

Julie W. and I took a road trip to Ft. Collins and then on to Estes, CO to attend knitting classes and the Wool Market on the weekend.
Julie posed for me outside Cowgirl Yarn in Laramie.

First stop was Cowgirl Yarn in Laramie, WY to start the trip off on the right foot...I mean needle.  What a cute shop!! Loved it.  I found a tiny crochet hook there, which I needed for one of the classes in Estes.  I could have picked up yarn too...because I saw so many pretty skeins...but decided I better pace myself.  A couple of doors down was a great little restaurant which was perfect for lunch, and then we were on our way to Ft. Collins, CO.

We had heard great things about two yarn shops in Ft. Collins, so we had to search them out.  First we found "The Loopy Ewe."  Wonderful shop...and it had every kind of yarn you could want!  Sensory overload!!!  I didn't have a specific project in mind...and I reminded myself again that the Wool Market was still ahead!  However, I found some Kollage square needles on sale, and I did purchase some.  Can't wait to try them out.  Have any of you tried them?  Any comments?

The next morning we drove to Estes.  The approach is through Big Thompson Canyon in Estes Park.  The scenery is beautiful.  Every turn held a lovely surprise.  We were in time to see lilacs blooming near some of the fabulous homes nestled between the canyon walls and river.  The fishermen were out too, trying to get in some fly fishing during the morning hours.   







As you can see, the canyon is narrow, and there were very few pullouts, so I took pictures through the windshield while Julie drove.  I'm kind of amazed they turned out this well. 

Estes is nestled in the mountains ...so pretty. (Kind of reminded us of Jackson Hole.) Our classes were held in a high school building very near the fairgrounds, where the Wool Market was set up.  Thank goodness for Julie and her iPhone to navigate our trip.  We found everything quite easily!

More tomorrow...

5 comments:

  1. I have tried the Kollage needles. I liked using them, but on socks I had a very hard time finding the right gauge. Sometimes with socks you DON'T have a lot of leeway. You have to use the number of stitches they say. I ended up giving them away. But, they WERE nice needles and holding them was very comfortable.

    The drive alone looks like it was worth the trip. That there was WOOL at the end was just a bonus!
    LOL

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  2. Great photos!

    It sounds like you were successful in pacing yourself. I doubt that I could have done that.

    Eager to hear more about your trip and the classes you took.

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  3. wow, you paced yourself!!! hooray. I cannot wait to see what yarny goodness ensues!

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  4. Great photos, Nancy. Lucky you to visit the "real" Loopy Ewe instead of shopping there online like I do. How well did your pacing work there? I am sure my resolve would have disappeared. Have fun at Estes Park!

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  5. Hi Nancy! I've done a pair of socks on the Kollage square needles, and liked them. I thought they were very comforable. Your trip looks like a ton of fun!

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