Quality Knitwear Proudly Made in New Zealand of Natural Fibres
Possum & Merino combining two of nature’s finest fibres, we call this MerinoFur
These yarns are blended into a unique and luxurious, natural ecological yarn, which is light, soft and incredibly warm yet strong and durable. This fibre does not pill, or wrinkle, and is antistatic. Possum fibre is hollow. This creates a unique fibre that is lightweight yet extremely warm. Possum has a better heat retention that other Natural fibres. Lambswool has a heat retention of approx 35% – Cashmere retains 38% – whereas Possum retains 42%. The only natural fibre that is more efficient with heat retention is Polar Bear Fur.
MerinoFur yarn is spun using a Woollen spun spinning process. The fibre is fused in the spinning process then “Milled”, after knitting, to release the fibres, resulting in a lightweight, exceptionally warm, luxurious and fluffy fabric. This is truly a luxury fibre. It is one of the only new natural fibres to be created in the last 200 years. MerinoFur is a registered trademark of Country Marketing Ltd New Zealand.
Possum and Possum Fur
Possums are furry marsupials that live in the trees of Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. Possums move at night and sleep during the day. Possums eat primarily blossoms, leaves of young trees, fruits, insects and sap. Possums have black, brown, grey, tan or white fur. There are 40 species of possums. Possum are not native to New Zealand they were introduced from Australia in 1837 to try and create a fur trade. The lack of natural predators and abundance of palatable vegetation created an environment where they thrived and quickly became a major pest. The possum population peaked at an estimated 70 million with them consuming over 20,000 ton of native forest each night, as well as eating native birds eggs. They quickly became a threat to native plants and species.
The commercial use of possum fur fibre is therefore encouraged by conservation groups and plays an important part of the control of this threat to the New Zealand natural environment.
Our Woolcountry MerinoFur yarn is blended using a combination of Possum Fibre, Merino Wool and Silk.
Angora / Merino Blend
We blend Angora Fur with Merino Lambswool and Treveria to create a special yarn.
Angora is a hollow fibre which captures and contains the warmth of your body as well as producing a soft, light and luxurious feel to the yarn. Sometimes Angora is from goats but more often it will come from rabbits. The Merino Lambswool component adds warmth and durability to its character and Treveria (a manmade fibre) unifies these elements. When knitted, the garments are “Milled” (a form of washing) to break up the fibres and create a soft, lightweight fabric.
Merino Lambswool
No blending required – 100% Merino Fleece provides a soft and resilient fibre purposely bred for spirited performance in the garment industry. Again after knitting the fabric is “Milled” to create softness whilst retaining strength and resilience.
Care Instructions
Across our ranges we strive to ensure the consistency of fibre and construction of your garment so whether you are caring for Angora, Possum or Merino Lambswool the Care Instructions remain the same.
However it is important to remember you are dealing with a natural product so it is only ‘natural’ for there to be a certain amount of variation from garment to garment. With that in mind, we recommend the following care for maintaining the quality and life of your knitwear.
• Turn Garment inside out to wash and dry
• Either hand wash in warm water then roll in a towel to soak away excess water
• Or spin on a ‘delicate machine spin’ in a garment bag or pillow case
• Or machine wash on a ‘delicate/wool cycle’ in a garment bag or pillow case
• Lay flat to dry in the shade
• Or Dry-clean
Do Not
• DO NOT wash in hot water
• DO NOT wring
• DO NOT hot tumble dry
• DO NOT hang
Enjoy your natural fibre garment.