When they started their lives together, Lorrae and Lewis Moon were cattle ranchers with deep roots in the Yampa Valley.

That was until their middle son, Rance, started a school project at Moffat County High School. He ended up raising several sheep as part of an agricultural program he was participating in. That herd inspired him, as well as Lorrae and Lewis, to begin a life transition.

That transition turned into Yampa Valley Fiberworks, one of the last family-owned wool mills in Colorado. The nature of their operation is highly unique and becoming rare, even at the national level.

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Despite being raised in a cattle family, Lorrae always had an interest in “bottle-baby” lambs. Little did she know that interest would one day blossom into a quest to retain a key aspect of Western life and Yampa Valley heritage.

Their mill is situated 11 miles north of Craig and serves as a hub from which alpaca and sheep wool is processed from raw and bulk forms into fine yarns and other wool products.

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One facet that makes Yampa Valley Fiberworks unique is that they do not use harsh chemicals or dyes in processing their wool. Almost the entire process, from beginning to end, is as natural as it can be.

Lewis explained that many individuals think they are allergic to wool.

“That is not so,” he said. “More than likely, they are allergic to the harsh chemicals that larger commercial mills use during the cleaning and processing of the wool.”

The equipment that makes up their mill’s operational backbone in Craig was formerly used by a similar operation in Granby.

Lewis recalled being in conversations with the owners — who were ready to retire — for an extended period, until one day they received the phone call that the equipment that would make up the Moons’ milling operation was theirs. Lorrae and Lewis spent an entire summer going back and forth between Craig and Granby as they trained on how to use the equipment.

Then came the immensely difficult task of moving all the wool processing equipment. It took time, a lot of labor and heavy equipment. One machine, called a spinning frame, weighed 18,000 pounds and had to be moved in a blizzard on a large rig. Lewis recalled how he, with the help of Lorrae and a friend, came over Rabbit Ears pass in horrible conditions.

“In the end, we made it,” Lewis said. “And here we are now.”

Since then, Lorrae and Lewis have been in business turning their wool, as well as the wool of other producers, into a wide range of yarns and other similar products.

One of the unique aspects of the wool that is raised in the Yampa Valley is that it is very clean, especially when compared to wool raised in other areas or that which comes from locations where feeding, particularly with hay, is common.

“Our fleeces are deemed pretty clean in this area,” said Lorrae.

After being shorn, the fleece is sorted according to staple length, which eases with processing and spinning. After sorting, it is washed in standard washing machines with Dawn dish soap, which is gentle enough to not damage the fleece or cause allergic reactions. After being dried, it is processed through a “picker” that opens the fibers and allows for blending, if needed.

Next, the material is run through “carders” that use drums to straighten and align the fibers. This is followed by a trip through a “pin drafter” where the fleece is run through three times so the “roving” weighs a certain amount for every 10 yards of material, thus ensuring consistency. The “spinning frame” is the next machine that progresses the roving to a final form as a yarn. The last step is at the “plyer,” where the yarn is scened off and prepared for sale or to be dyed.

“We are one of the only yarn stores within the area,” Lorrae said. “We sell a tremendous amount of yarn, but we do also make garments.”

Those garments include scarves, mitts and hats. However, 80% of the Moon family’s wool is sold as yarn. Many of the Moons’ wool products are purchased by family knitters and weavers.