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Waitomo
The hundreds of caves which make up the Waitomo labyrinth are among the most spectacular in the world. They include diverse wonders from a cavern large enough to hold operatic and chamber performances to silent natural waterways accessible only by tiny boat and illuminated by the light of thousands of glowworms; an ancient limestone landscape fringed by tightly coiled fronds of koru. Our Waitomo celebrates this diversity in a splash of colours which includes the variegated greens, sandy yellows, bright pinks and subdued lilacs of the original.
Yarn Description
Possum Paints are a variant on our Possum Plus range of knitting yarn from New Zealand, and like Possum Plus are made from 20% possum fibre on a base of 80% merino lamb's wool. Jamie Possum's yarns exemplify all that is best about possum - warm against the chill night air - cool in the heat of the day - and very, very soft to the touch.
Each skein of yarn weighs 50gms (1.76 oz) and is a generous 133 metres (144 yards) in length. The strands which make up the yarn are soft and pliant, appearing slightly downy (or fuzzy) to the eye. This down (or fuzz) is the visible evidence of the extraordinarily fine possum fibre which gives the yarn its characteristics and which, because of its short staple, has to be supported by a longer fibre - in this case - merino lambswool.
Possum Paints are designed to last beyond a single season, and to be the stalwart in every knitter’s stash. They bridge the gap between the reliability of the best wool and the luxury of cashmere. Garments knitted in Possum Paints are soft yet strong, delicate yet durable, and perfect for an enormous range of traditional knitting projects.
The key to the yarn’s qualities lies in the possum fibre which is hollow, making it a natural heat exchanger. The millions of fibres woven through the yarn combine to regulate the wearer’s body heat, a quality which has made it the knitwear of choice for ramblers, golfers, hill walkers, fisherfolk and countless others out and about in New Zealand and Australia. When the wearer is cool, the possum traps heat, warming her. When too warm. the possum fibres vent the excess heat into the atmosphere, maintaining her at a pleasant ambient temperature. Nature at its most inventive!
Technical Data
This yarn is a standard 8 ply; effectively a double knitting (light worsted) weight. It can therefore be used with double knit patterns on 4mm needles (UK8 - US6). However, due to the loft (burst) of the yarn it can also be knitted as Aran (worsted or Afghan) on 5mm needles (UK6 - US8) or even larger. Larger needles give a softer fabric with more drape.
Working with Paints
Possum Paints are hand dyed. This means that no two skeins can ever be wholly colour identical. If you are using a single skein then this presents no problem. However, if you are using two skeins or more then we suggest the following advice. Work the pattern as normal, knitting two rows each using alternating skeins, carrying the yarn up the side of the work. If you are confident you can even work this with three skeins. However, remember to catch in the non working yarns to avoid loose loops. If your garment is large and you intend using more than ten skeins we suggest that you contact us and we will have your skeins dyed for you as as a special order, at no extra cost. This enables us to guarantee that all your skeins will be from the same batch.
Care Advice
As with all garments which are soft to the touch, we recommend that you hand wash. If you must machine wash employ the most delicate programme. The merino used as the carrying fibre is not Superwash, and if the washing process is too robust the yarn will felt. However, with minimal care in every day use, garments made from Possum Paints will remain a pleasure to wear for years to come. Be nice to possum and it will be nice to you.
| Qty From | Qty To | Unit Price | | | 1 | £7.95 | | 2 | 9 | £7.95 |
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