Yampa Valley Fiberworks

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Factory Tour!

July 27, 2022 By Lorrae Moon Leave a Comment

Just posting a little video of one of our factory tours. Thanks to Joe and Robin for the video!

Filed Under: General Post Tagged With: Video, Wool Milling

Woolen Documentary, Must Watch!

December 5, 2019 By Lorrae Moon 2 Comments

Just a quick post to share this documentary from our friends at hue loco. This video is a wonderful view into the lives of the farmers, crafts-people and other amazing humans that love this industry as much as we do. Please watch and share!

Filed Under: Friends, General Post Tagged With: Farming, Wool Milling

Upcoming Knitting Retreat at Fingerplay Studio!

February 9, 2019 By Lorrae Moon Leave a Comment

Hello my friends,

Our friends at FingerPlay have planned a lovely knitting retreat, here is the info on it!

Come play with us in Craig, Colorado!  We only have space for 22 community members so reserve your spot today with a $75 non-refundable registration fee. (please see the retreat terms and cancellation policy prior to booking your place) If you register early it’s only $375 for your total registration fee! Registration starting March 1st, is $425. So sign up early!

After you’ve saved your spot, we will send instructions on how to pay the remainder of the retreat fee balance.

You can learn all about this awesome event and complete registration on their website.

http://www.fingerplaystudio.com

We hope you can join us. 🙂

Filed Under: Classes, Friends

Our featured video by Moffat County Proud!

August 2, 2017 By Lorrae Moon 3 Comments

The nice people at https://www.moffatcountyproud.com/ did a little video bit on our growing fiber milling business 🙂 Check it out!

Thanks to Lance and Kip from Moffat County Proud for featuring us!

Filed Under: General Post

Yampa Valley Fiberworks to Compete in Spinzilla!

October 1, 2016 By Lorrae Moon Leave a Comment

The Yampa Valley Fiberworks Whorling Women will compete in a worldwide competition called Spinzilla next week! Wish us luck!

You can read the article in the news right here:
//www.craigdailypress.com/news/2016/sep/29/craig-prepares-yarn-mania-spinzilla/

You can learn all about Spinzilla right here: www.spinzilla.org/

Happy Spinning!

Filed Under: Article Links Tagged With: Spinzillla

We’ll be at the Taos Wool Festival!

September 20, 2016 By Lorrae Moon 1 Comment

Come visit us at the Taos Wool Fesitval on October 1st and 2nd of 2016! We are so looking forward to this event. There will be demonstrations of spinning, dyeing, shearing sheep and many other fiber related skills, kids hands-on activities, workshops, food vendors, live music, contests for hand-spun yarn, fleeces and finished garments…so much fun! Come visit us, send us an email, reach out and say hello :). Here is more info for those interested in attending.

http://taoswoolfestival.org/
Kit Carson Park in Taos, New Mexico
Saturday and Sunday, October 1st & 2nd
9:00-5:00 on Saturday
9:00-4:00 on Sunday

Oh and best of all… It’s Free!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Knitting, quilting, scarves, & socks! Come learn at one of our classes!

February 20, 2016 By Lorrae Moon 1 Comment

We post our event and class schedules on our Facebook page, go like our page and we’ll keep you up to date! 🙂

Some of our classes:
Drop Spindle
Sock Saturday
Scarves
Needle Felting
Quilting
Knitting
and much, much more!

Come join us for tea, coffee, good company and learn something new.

Filed Under: Classes

Natural Fiber Processing, A great article about our little company!

February 18, 2016 By Lorrae Moon 1 Comment

Sheep Wool

Such a great article about our little fiber products and fiber milling company. We mill sheep wool, alpaca wool into beautiful yarns and products. We also have classes events and an amazing natural products store! Come visit us! 🙂

Knitting the Fabric of the Future
Source here: http://www.envisionjournalism.com/archives/6003
Re-posted here with permission. Article by Derek Maiolo, Images by Jennifer Maiolo

Caring for the land has always been at the forefront of Lorrae and Lewis Moon’s lifestyle. Longtime ranchers and residents of Craig, a small mining and farming town perched in the high deserts of Northwest Colorado, the couple has depended upon the environment to provide them with healthy cattle and prosperous harvests.

“I’ve been a rancher and a steward of the land my entire life,” Lorrae said.

That is why when the couple decided two years ago to divert their attention from ranching to open Yampa Valley Fiberworks, a fiber mill, environmental sustainability was a top priority.

“I have always been sensitive to what goes in the ground,” Lorrae explained. “I’ve done whatever I can do to be kind to the earth.”

Wool Picking

Lorrae Moon puts a load of freshly cleaned wool through the picking machine which will fluff the fibers and prepare them for the spinning process.

The small herds of alpacas, goats and sheep surrounding their operation is a testament to their insistence on sourcing local fibers and promoting surrounding ranchers. The diversity in nearby livestock provides a wide range of fibers that the Moons process into various colors and blends of yarn.

Turning raw animal fibers into fine yarn is a careful and meticulous process. The first step is to wash the fibers. Wool from sheep can be especially hard to clean, but Lorrae insists on washing the fibers by hand using only water, vinegar, and biodegradable soap made by local artisans.

“We are an all natural mill so no chemicals are used to take out the dirt and grime,” Lorrae said.

Once clean, the natural fibers go through an orchestra of machines which dry, fluff, comb and eventually spin them into their desired patterns and colors. Oftentimes, fibers from different animals are blended together to create a certain texture. The Moons sometimes mix cellulose fibers like bamboo into the animal wools to make them softer or more colorful. The entire process uses only biodegradable soaps and liquids. “The harshest chemical we use in the entire mill is white vinegar,” Lewis explained.

Northwest Colorado is notoriously dry during the summer and fall, and having sufficient supplies of usable water for crops, let alone drinking, can be difficult. Lorrae said, “Water is very important in Northwest Colorado.”

Because the gray water from the mill is environmentally safe, the Moons have been able to recycle it for use on their vegetables. In the spring, they plan to use the water to plant a row of trees near the mill to prevent erosion.

Fiberworks also adds fuel to the movement to support locally sourced products and small businesses — something Lorrae says is especially important in her area in order to keep small livestock ranchers operational.

Alpaca

Alpacas and sheep live well together. Pictured above, the Moon’s herd grazes on alfalfa in the Colorado snow.

“Wool for ranchers hasn’t been big business,” she explained.

Craig’s economy has been especially hard-hit in recent years. The town relies heavily on revenue from its coal mining operations, but changing energy policies have left many without jobs and many more questioning the town’s future. Craig’s struggle to adapt to the modern shift toward renewable energies has created a polarization between the conservative northwest and the liberal Front Range counties in the Denver area to the east.

Most recently, claims made this summer by the Denver chapter of the WildEarth Guardians, an environmental activist group based in New Mexico, accused a local coal mine, Colowyo, of failing to adequately complete a 2007 environmental assessment. The resulting court order that a new assessment be completed threatened to shut down the mine and put 220 local residents out of a job.

By September, the Department of the Interior determined that the mine was in line with environmental regulations and no further legal action was taken. However, the case created a clear divide amongst Colorado counties. Craig’s liquor stores and many residents went so far as to boycott New Belgium and Breckenridge breweries from eastern counties which supported the WildEarth group.

Faced with uncertainty, many Craig residents have opted to find work elsewhere; those considering a move to the town have cited concerns over the community’s sustainability.

While Fiberworks remains a small operation, it has already begun to rebrand the town of Craig as well as improve its relationship with outside communities.

Sheeps Wool

The Moon’s sheep herd keeps close for safety and warmth in the subzero temperatures of Northwest Colorado.

Fiberworks has recently helped connect a Southern Colorado ranch with a fiber dyer based just south of Craig and a yarn company based in Denver. Fiberworks also showcases local artisans’ work—from watercolor paintings to pottery— which has helped grow local art and craftwork. The growing popularity of the business has attracted customers from across the state and even the nation.

Susan Dohmer, who teaches classes at the mill and sells some of her own knitwork at the shop, believes this network has greatly helped the town.

“There are a lot of artisans out there whose businesses are growing,” she said. “And it’s growing the community.”

The classes she and Lorrae teach focus on educating others to source products and services from their own home. Topics range from fermentation to sock knitting, and Dohmer has witnessed a growing interest and enrollment in the courses.

“There’s an awakening of people who are beginning to see local is good, natural is good. They want to learn how to knit, how to spin and have a little peace and quiet in their lives,” she said.

With eyes bent toward the future, the Moons hope to expand their client base and continue to help struggling ranchers. Already, they are getting orders in from small livestock farms in states like North Dakota and Oregon. Lorrae also hopes to continue promoting local businesses and creating a positive image for Craig while maintaining the priority of sustainability.

“I want to create jobs and allow people to take care of themselves,” she said.

With just a few balls of yarn and some knitting needles, she’s doing just that.

Filed Under: Article Links

A Colorado Twist On The Local Food Movement: Local Yarn & Yarn-Making Process

December 9, 2014 By Lorrae Moon Leave a Comment

We were featured on KUNC, Community Radio for Northern Colorado! Thanks for the write up!

“Inside their small warehouse outside of Craig, Colorado, Lorrae Moon and her husband Lewis spend their days turning dirty, oily, scratchy wool into fine yarns. Inside the wool milling room at Yampa Valley Fiberworks and the first thing you notice is the humidity.” “That’s just one of a handful of careful tricks needed to make the yarn-making process run smoothly.” You can read the full article on their site here: http://kun.cr/1IsSW55

Filed Under: Article Links, General Post

Come join us each month Sock Saturday & Chix Stix and Flix

June 16, 2014 By Lorrae Moon Leave a Comment

Every month we’ll be hosting ongoing functions.

  • The 2nd Saturday of each month will be Sock Saturday. Hours are 9AM to 2PM. This is a potluck event. Come eat and learn how to knit socks!
  • The last Friday of each month will be Chix Stix and Flix, this is a free time to knit and watch a movie 6PM to 8PM.

We look forward to having you join us! If you have questions or want to join one of our other weekly classes, please call us at 970-824-9568.

Filed Under: Classes

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Recent News & Events

Factory Tour!

July 27, 2022 By Lorrae Moon Leave a Comment

Woolen Documentary, Must Watch!

December 5, 2019 By Lorrae Moon 2 Comments

Upcoming Knitting Retreat at Fingerplay Studio!

February 9, 2019 By Lorrae Moon Leave a Comment

Our Friends

  • Ewe of a Different Color (Etsy Shop)
  • Horse & Hen Bed, Breakfast, Farm
  • Our friends at Local Harvest

Our Mission

We are ranchers at heart and millers by trade. For 20 years our family has been a part of the natural fiber industry; we have a deep understanding of the work, dedication, and love required to be a rancher. Your fiber is the result of a year’s worth of love and care for your herd. At Yampa Valley Fiberworks our mission is simple – to provide our customers with finished yarns of the finest quality, dedication, and craftsmanship.

Our Dedication

Yampa Valley FiberWorks is dedicated to regional sheep farming, environmental cohesiveness, and keeping the natural fiber milling industry alive and well in the Yampa Valley.

Our Address

41180 N HWY 13
Craig, CO 81625
Phone: 970-824-9568
Email: yampavalleyfiberworks@gmail.com

Store Hours:
Monday-Saturday 9:00AM-5:00PM

Copyright © 2023 Yampa Valley Fiberworks

 

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