|
All of us in New Zealand are familiar with the Possum. Introduced into
this country in 1837 from Australia, mainly from Tasmania and the east coast
of Australia, the Possum has adapted very well to diets and habitats in New
Zealand. Consequently they have become a major problem to our environment,
to people and to agriculture. It is currently estimated that the Possum
population is as high as 80 Million in this country and the Departement of
Conservation reckons that they eat something like 21000 tonnes of vegetation
per night! They truly are a menace and it always makes me sad when I get
up in the morning and see my lemon trees like on the picture below...
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A few years ago some clever people started to harvest the
Possum fibre, carded it together with some fine NZ Merino wool and thus produce
a supersoft and light yarn that knits and weaves into luxurious items such
as jumpers, jackets, shawls, socks, gloves and much much more...... On the right is my first scarf, woven in a block broken twill pattern set at 24 epi. To view my later creations and for some hints on weaving with these yarns, click here |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
coloured and natural samples
|
This is the list of yarns currently available. We are constantly bringing
out new colours or blends, so keep coming back to check this out.
Worsted yarns
Woollen yarns
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Some Possum facts and figures: Population in New Zealand - ca 80 Million what they eat is estimated to be ca 21000 tonnes of vegetable matter each night! amount of fibre per animal depending on the season is ca 50 grms fibre thickness is between 14 and 16 micron depending on season like Alpacas, the Possum fibre has microscopic airpockets, therefore has a thermal capacity, is very light and ca 7% warmer than wool |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
detail of scarf