Organic wool yarn that is grown, milled, and dyed in Colorado
I have followed the Fibershed movement for a number of years and since I have started my yarn dyeing business, I have wanted to follow their model of utilizing materials that are within my region. Living in Colorado, which is largely agricultural and we have no shortage of sheep, so it just made sense that I seek out yarn made from Colorado wool.
Nothing cuter than sheep butts!
In 2022, after some unsuccessful poking around online for a source of wholesale Colorado yarn, I decided to attend Mountain Valley Wool Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico because a number of vendors were from Colorado. My goal was to leave that festival with a wholesale relationship with a Colorado producer. I was successful, but just not in the way I expected.
At the festival I asked several vendors if they sold wholesale yarn - and they seemed slightly puzzled by the question. Mountain Valley is a consumer festival after all, not a wholesale show. One vendor hesitantly said - um, sure - with a slight question mark at the end.
Then I went into Cactus Hill Farm’s booth, where the owner Elena, sold yarn and fleece (raw wool). She was sparkly, vivacious, and displayed a clear generous spirit. As I was looking around, I focused on her yarn - I didn’t even look at the bags and bags (and bags) of fleeces- because seriously, what do you do with that?? When I asked her about wholesale yarn, her response: sure, I can do that. But it would probably be more financially feasible to just buy fleece and have it milled. Rhonda (owner of The Fleece Factory of the Rockies) is over there (pointing to another booth), you should go talk to her.
Wait, what?
Elena quickly laid out the process of getting fleeces custom milled and I felt like a deer in headlights. I realized in that moment how little I actually knew about how yarn was made. (It starts with a sheep - right??) I left her booth slightly overwhelmed, but I did go see Rhonda and get a pricing sheet. I spent the rest of that day and evening running numbers and trying to wrap my head around what it looked like to have wool custom milled.
The next morning, I showed up at Elena’s booth and told her I was interested in giving it a try. She told me that the day before she feared she had scared me away, so she was happy to see me. Having never bought fleece, she patiently explained to me staple length, crimp, quality, cleanliness, and I eventually walked away with a bag o’wool.
Now I beg Elena for her best fleeces and give them to Rhonda and I'm also now working with Mountain Meadow in Wyoming - both of which provide me with such beautiful yarn that I love to work with.
Elena jokes that she talked me into jumping off a cliff, and she sort of did. Although now I like to think of it more as taking a leap. She did push me in a direction that I never even thought of, but I’m so happy to be on this path and eternally grateful for Elena’s guidance.
I participate in shearing at Elena's farm, so I am able to hand-pick fleeces. This is one of my great joys of the year! The act of processing wool feels both magic and sacred. I hope you feel this when you make your beautiful creations with my Colorado Pure yarn!
