Cable Gram Blog
Twisty Bits: Finding Fabulous Yarn in New Zealand
New Zealand abounds with twisty bits: narrow roads that wind their way down into gorges, past glacial lakes or up over hilltops from which you might glimpse a flock with some of the country's 27 million sheep. And as a knitter, to me the phrase twisty bits also conjures up images of handspun yarn from those sheep. As you may imagine about a country with so many sheep, yarn shops are plentiful in New Zealand, and they typically stock a lovely range of knitting supplies. You can peruse the New Zealand Yarn Shops forum on Ravelry for info about these shops, but where do you look for that one-of- a-kind hand-spun or hand-dyed fabulous yarn?
The answer is...all sorts of places from pottery cooperatives to flea markets! I'm going to write about some of the great yarn and other marvelous textiles I've found in unexpected places as I traveled along the winding roads in New Zealand.
Our first stop is the Riccarton Market in Christchurch, a flea market held every Sunday, and the spot to shop for everything from folk art to drones to whitebait fritters, a regional delicacy that didn't strike my fancy. This is where I met Barbara Johns and her sister Sue, who were spinning laceweight wool and making needlelace as we chatted. In addition to their own work, they were promoting the Textile and Fibre Arts Network (TFAN), which is an umbrella organization (much like the Textile Center) for supporting textile groups in the Christchurch area. The network was formed after the earthquakes in and around Christchurch in 2011 because many guilds and fiber artists lost their places to meet and work. Barbara and Sue urged me to visit Wool, Yarn and Fibre, a co-op that is a member of TFAN and our next stop on the twisty bits tour.
Artisans' co-ops are great places to find hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn, and Wool, Yarn and Fibre is one of the best, full of eye candy such as this 85% merino, 15% silk hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn that I bought.
Another co-op specializing in textiles is the Fibre Spectrum in Nelson. Both of these co-ops have many finished garments and home decor items as well as yarn, roving, and wool locks for felting. If you are lucky, you may be able to meet the artisan who created the items you purchase, as I did when I met Anna, who dyed locks with dahlias. This co-op also has plenty of hand-spun wool in natural colors. The Oamaru Textile Emporium, yet another co-op, is where I first fell in love with Doespins yarns. The color name alone—Deep Well at Midnight—was enough to entice me to buy her merino and nylon sock yarn, and it knit up beautifully into the socks shown
here.
Her soothingly soft alpaca and silk yarn peeks out of my stash, begging to be petted. One more co-op, Marlborough Creative Artisans in Picton, carries mainly finished goods ranging from hand-crafted herbal shampoo to felted baby booties with Brazilian embroidery and also some hand-spun wool in worsted and bulky weights. The co-op where I was most surprised to find hand-spun yarn was the Stuart Street Potters Co-operative in Dunedin, where I was lucky enough to buy yarn directly from the co-op's one textile artisan, Loris.
The twisty bits tour now takes us out into the rural areas, where people with flocks of sheep or alpacas may sell their own wool. One such place is Awakeri Wool Craft outside of Whakatane, where Charlotte sells balls of natural and hand-dyed alpaca, kits and finished wearables, all from her alpacas, which eye you curiously from a nearby field as you step into her tiny shop. We rented her holiday home, where we could watch the alpacas, pet the cat, and feast on free-range eggs laid by her hens.
If you happen to be driving the twisty bits in rural New Zealand, keep in mind that yarn producers in the countryside may not have easy access to yarn stores or spin enough to ship to the cities, but still want an outlet for their yarns. I've seen yarn for sale in a rural restaurant as well as in gift shops and clothing stores.
Quilting and fabric shops are another possible source of specialty yarn. At the Quilters Barn near Blenheim I found hand-dyed silk and merino, dyed by a friend of the clerk. Another quilting shop is Cottage Flair in Rotorua, where I took a break from looking at geothermal hotspots long enough to buy sheepskin soles for a charming pair of baby booties.
Lastly, there are a couple of yarn shops that I will mention because a large portion of their stock is hand-dyed or hand-spun. The first is Creative Yarns & Knits, also in Rotorua. The storeowner told me that she dreams up the colorways for their hand-dyed yarn while her husband does the actual dyeing on days that he can't work at his outdoor job.
If you happen to go on a cruise around New Zealand (lucky you!), the easiest yarn shop to visit is New Zealand Fabrics & Yarn in Auckland, which is near the Ferry Building and an easy stroll from where all the cruise ships dock. As the name implies, their specialty is New Zealand textiles and fibers, which they stock from 50+ small distributors all around the country. Hand-dyed or hand-spun yarn they carry includes Doespins, a Corriedale boucle, and an undyed merino and possum blend.
We've explored only a few of New Zealand's twisty bits here; there's always more just around the corner. Sheep vastly outnumber the country's ~5 million people, so the amount of yarn is unsurprising. But what is surprising is the variety of venues where locally sourced fabulous yarn is available, so it's important to look around carefully when traveling and yarn-shopping here.
Resources and Contact Info:
Christchurch Guild of Weavers and Spinners
3 Garlands Road, Woolston, Christchurch
Shop at the Tannery | Facebook | Blog
Textile and Fiber Arts Network (TFAN)
Website | Facebook
TFAN - Christchurch Needle Work Guild Inc.
TFAN - Christchurch Guild of Weavers and Spinners Inc.
Fibre Spectrum
280 Trafalgar St., Nelson
Website
Marlborough Creative Artisans
35 High Street, Picton
Facebook
The Oamaru Textile Emporium (TOTE)
13 Tyne Street, Oamaru
Facebook
Stuart Street Potters Co-operative
14 Stuart Street, Dunedin
Facebook
The Quilters Barn
The Vines Village, 193 Rapaura Rd., Blenheim
Website
Cottage Flair
1127 Fenton, Rotorua
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Awakeri Wool Craft
110 Angle Rd., Whakatane
Creative Yarns & Knits
1145 Pukutua St., Rotorua
Website
New Zealand Fabrics & Yarn
Queens Arcade, 34 Queen Street, Auckland
Website | Facebook
Final Countdown Charity KAL
Every year the Guild's service committee collects knit items for chosen charities. We give all the items to the charities in November so they can be distributed before the coldest part of the season. With November well on its way, the service committee thought it would be fun to encourage some last-minute charity knitting. Starting now until Monday, November 20th, you are invited to participate in the...
FINAL COUNTDOWN CHARITY KAL
There will be week prizes each Friday in the form of gifted Ravelry patterns (11 total Fridays), but the real prize is the satisfaction of completing a knit gift for someone in need.
Rules:
- The KAL will run September 2nd - November 20th
- WIPs are allowed
- Weekly pattern prize (up to $7 USD) will be awarded by drawing names from knitters that share finished project(s) on our Ravelry group in this thread.
- Each finished object counts as an entry, so you can enter multiple times. Get those needles clicking!
- We'll rely on the honor system, please only enter if you know you will be able to deliver the items to the November 21st Guild meeting or make arrangements to mail in items, by contacting servicemnkg@gmail.com. (We will still happily take items after that date, but they will not be eligible for these prize drawings.)
Please share your goals, patterns, yarn, WIPs, etc... with us on Ravelry.
Just a reminder of the charities we are knitting for this year.
Children's and Abbott Hospitals
Chemo Hats
Family Assistance Center with the Minnesota National Guard Readiness Center
Any winter accessory for deployed military and their families
Bundles of Love
Layette sets: baby jacket/cardigan, hat, and booties
Separate items: hat, booties, winter mittens, etc...
Project Amigo
5 - 6" squares of any color or pattern (will be sewn together into an afghan after donation)
Let the FINAL COUNTDOWN knitting begin!
If you have any questions, contact Anna at servicemnkg@gmail.com
MKG Textile Center Display
If you have been to the Textile Center lately, you may have noticed the Guild wall outside the meeting rooms. Here is what it currently looks like with the display for the American Sewing Guild.
The Minnesota Knitters’ Guild has the wall for November and December. We will be hanging a display around the theme “Keeping Minnesota Warm Since 1985” and featuring mittens and socks.
The wall is 15” wide by 8” tall and we need your help filling it!
- We are looking for hand knit single mittens or socks.
- If you would like to donate the mittens or socks to charity, provide us with a pair and we will donate them after the display period.
- We will definitely take plain ones, but would also like ones that show off color work, lace or other skills.
- They will carefully be put on a cardboard form for display.
- Please pin a piece of paper to the items with your name, pattern name, yarn name or type, when made, any special techniques used, and email address
- Bring to September 19th or October 17th meeting. Or email Kathy, membershipmkg@gmail.com, for mailing information.
- We will be as careful as possible with all of your items, but the Guild is not responsible for items lost in the mail or damaged or stolen while on display.
If you have any questions feel free to post them here or send an email to membershipmkg@gmail.com
MKG 2017 State Fair Winners
Yesterday was the big day when all the winners in knitting were announced at the Minnesota State Fair. The number of ribbons that went to Guild members was amazing! We can't wait to see all your fair entries at the September 19th Guild meeting.
First, here is a look at the winners of the Minnesota Knitters' Guild rosettes. Each recipient will receive a year's membership to the Guild.
Sweepstakes, best hand-knit article - Elizabeth Watkins
Best overall shawl - Lotta Kiuru-Ribar
Best overall mittens - Ann Wasson
Best overall hat - Jeanne Eaton
Best overall afghan - Kim LaBerge
Now, on to the rest of the Guild members who won ribbons! (These are just the ribbons won for hand-knit projects. Many members won ribbons in non-hand knitting-categories, too. If you were accidentally left off or won for a knit item in a non-hand-knitting category, let us know!)
Class 348 - Best Hybrid (machine/hand knit)
Kristine King
Class 351- Afghan, one piece, min. 2700 sq. in. - 3800 sq. in.
1. Kim LaBerge
4. Suzanne Ross
Class 353 - Bedspread, min. size 3801 sq. in.
3. Suzanne Ross
Class 354 - Shawl or stole, heavy weight, 16 in. or more in width
1. Evelyn Davidheiser
2. Tania Richter
Class 355 - Shawl or stole, medium weight, 16 in. or more in width
1. Ruth Johnson
2. Tania Richter
3. Tracy Pokrzywa
5. Deepa Nirmal
Class 356 - Shawl, fine weight, 25 in. and over at widest point
2. Susan Traczyk
4. Kjersti Campbell
Class 357 - Shawlette, fine weight, up to 25 in. at widest point
2. Susan Rainey
3. Amy Roos
4. Rebecca Anspach
Class 358 - Stole (rectangle) light weight, 16 in. or more in width
1. Elizabeth Watkins
5. Susan Traczyk
Class 360 - Mittens, texture
3. Elise Frederick
4. Amy Roos
Class 361 - Mittens, color pattern
2. Kathy Lewinski
5. Falon Montreuil
Class 362 - Scarf, heavy weight, less than 16 in. wide
2. Tania Richter
Class 363 - Scarf, medium weight, less than 16 in. wide
3. Tania Richter
Class 364 - Scarf, light weight, less than 16 in. wide
1. Sarah Villanueva
2. Rebecca Meszler
Class 365 - Gloves
1. Bonnie Esplie
2. Falon Montreuil
5. Rebecca Meszler
Class 366 - Cap or hat, plain
3. Susan Rainey
4. Carrie Ohnstad
Class 368 - Cap or hat, color pattern or intarsia
1. Kristine King
2. Rebecca Anspach
3. Delia Lam
4. Cate Hiebert
5. Susan Rainey
Class 369 - Socks, solid, texture
1. Bonnie Esplie
5. Diane Mountford
Class 370 - Socks, open work, texture
2. Kristine King
3. Bonnie Esplie
Class 371 - Socks, color or intarsia
1. Bonnie Esplie
2. Kelly Amoth
5. Elise Frederick
Class 372 - Slippers, no felt
1. Kristine King
2. Rebecca Meszler
Class 375 - Socks, plain or ribbed
3. Mary Block
5. Bonnie Esplie
Class 377 - Adult sweater, plain pullover
2. Anna Sorgert
4. Jo Burr
Class 378 - Adult sweater, plain cardigan
2. Elizabeth Watkins
4. Kerry Palm
Class 379 - Adult sweater, texture pullover
1. Kristine King
2. Evelyn Davidheiser
Class 380 - Adult sweater, texture cardigan
3. Diane Mountford
4. Falon Montreuil
Class 381 - Adult sweater, limited use, texture pullover
1. Anna Sorgert
2. Rebecca Meszler
Class 382 - Adult sweater, limited use, texture cardigan
1. Kristine King
3. Lucy Norman
Class 383 - Adult sweater, color pattern pullover
1. Jay Katzenberger
2. Jody Ondich
Class 384 - Adult sweater, color pattern cardigan
1. Evelyn Davidheiser
2. Jody Ondich
3. Ellen Silva
4. Sarah Villanueva
5. Katie Block
Class 385 - Adult sweater, limited use, color pattern pullover
1. Falon Montreuil
2. Tracy Pokrzywa
3. Rebecca Anspach
Class 386 - Adult sweater, limited use, color pattern cardigan
1. Bonnie Esplie
2. Deepa Nirmal
Class 388 - Sleeveless sweater or vest, plain or texture
1. Susan Rainey
4. Karen Lehman
Class 390 - Adult jacket/coat, outerwear
1. Kristine King
2. Cheryl Marotzke
3. Anna Sorgert
Class 391 - Cape or poncho
2. Sue Ellen Riese
Class 392 - Knit bag, felted
1. Susan Rainey
4. Beth Conway
Class 393 - Knit bag, non felted
2. Kristine King
Class 395 - Knit item, non-wearable, felted
1. Jean Anderson
Class 396 - Holiday sock
3. Anna Sorgert
Class 397 - not otherwise specified, wearable
3. Shannon Negaard
4. Umo Udo
Class 398 - Not otherwise specified, not wearable
3. Kristine King
4. Karen Lehman
Class 399 - Sweepstakes, hand knitted articles
1. Elizabeth Watkins
Class 400 - Sweepstakes, afghan knitting
1. Kim LaBerge
Class 401 - Dick and Juanita Boniface (best article made of wool)
1. Kristine King
2. Jody Ondich
Class 404 - A Sheepy Yarn Shoppe (best jacket/coat)
1. Kristine King
Class 406 - Ingebretsen's Scandinavian Gifts (best hand knit sweater of traditional Norwegian design)
1. Jay Katzenberger
Class 410 - 3 Kittens Needle Arts (best use of color and texture in a sweater)
1. Kristine King
Class 416 - Penelope Knitters "We live to knit and knit to rip."
1. Bonnie Esplie
Class 417 - Lila & Claudine's Yarn & Gifts (best socks)
1. Bonnie Esplie
Class 418 - Lila & Claudine's Yarn & Gifts (best bag)
1. Susan Rainey
Class 420 - StevenBe (best original design)
1. Evelyn Davidheiser
Class 130 - Lunch cloth, lace entire knit or crochet, over 30 in. but under 72 in.
1. Susan Rainey
Class 938 - Knitted baby bonnet
3. Rita Dillon
Class 939 - Knitted baby sweater
3. Ethel Dzubay
Class 942 - Knitted adult vest or sweater
1. Susan Rainey
Class 991 - Sweepstakes, knitted item (classes 936 - 945)
1. Susan Rainey
Class 109 - Wearable bee artwork
3. Rebecca Anspach (for a knit hat)
Class 724 - Doll, portrait, single or pair, face & costume representing an individual, living or dead
2. Susan Rainey (for a knit doll)
MKG Stitch N Pitch with the Saints
Thanks to everyone who came out to our Stitch N Pitch with the St. Paul Saints yesterday. It was hot and steamy, but we enjoyed some good Caribbean food, craft beers, baseball, prizes, and, of course, knitting!
Yarnover 2018 Pattern Design Contest
The Minnesota Knitters’ Guild wants you to design the official pattern to be given away to all attendees of Yarnover 2018!
Pattern Requirements: We are looking for a pattern for a shawl, shawlette or caplet.
Prize:
- Tech editing of pattern by aersknits
- Up to $50 in yarn support for sample or entry to Yarnover dinner
- Two half-day or one full-day Yarnover class
Deadlines:
Submissions Due: October 17th, 2017
Winner Announced: November 21st, 2017
Sample and Pattern Due: February 20th, 2018
Yarnover Dates: April 27th – 29th, 2018
Submission Requirements: One paragraph written description, sketch of design, and designer contact information. Also include a swatch or a picture of your swatch showing any special knit textures or patterns using a yarn of similar weight. Patterns should be original and not be previously published anywhere.
Submissions can be emailed as a pdf or word document to membershipmkg@gmail.com or delivered in person to Kathy Lewinski at the September or October Guild meeting.
Rights: The Minnesota Knitters’ Guild will give printed copies of the winning pattern to all attendees of Yarnover April 27th – 29th, 2018. The pattern will also be available as a free pdf download in the members only portion of the MKG website in perpetuity. The designer retains the copyright to the pattern and will have the right to distribute or sell it wherever they wish starting May 1, 2018. The designer is responsible for guaranteeing that their pattern is original and does not break anyone else’s copyright. Any copyright issues that arise are the designer’s responsibility. Designer will provide the Guild with any errata to the pattern.
Other Information:
- You must be a current member of the Minnesota Knitters’ Guild to enter the contest.
- Kathy Lewinski will be available at the September meeting to answer questions and help with submissions.
- Submissions will be judged by members of the Yarnover committee for originality of design, general appeal, how they meet the pattern requirements. All decisions are final.
- Tech editing by aersknits, photography (if necessary), and printing of the winning pattern and sample will be provided by the Guild.
- The sample will be on display at Yarnover 2018.
- The sample will be returned to the designer after Yarnover.
Please email Kathy Lewinski at membershipmkg@gmail.com with any questions.