So, as an avid knitter, it occurred to me that a country with so many sheep might offer more than the gorgeous scenery I'm eagerly anticipating on our upcoming trip.

What's the NZ knitting scene like? Good shops? Great yarn I can't get in the US? I don't know WHY this exciting possibility didn't occur to me before.

Any knitters in the know on this forum?

Thanks!
Alice

I know nothing about knitting, but there's a knitting store in Greymouth. I went in looking for wool products, and discovered it was a knitting store (with wool).

I just did a quick google search to find the name and pulled up several NZ knitting sites, so you might want to do a search for details.

Good luck.

Yes, lots of yarn you'd have a hard time getting over here, like the Stansborough Fibers yarn used for the cloaks in the Lord of the Rings films. Then there is possum/merino yarn, very soft and very warm. Possums are a big pest in New Zealand, so this is one way the people there cope with them.

Googling will produce a lot of stores and options.

Another option is Ravelry - www.ravelry.com - which has at least one NZ knitters' group, as well as a few travel-related groups.

Ravelry is in beta testing right now, so you ask to join and then it takes a few days for them to get you in, but it's a fabulous resource.

Lee Ann

You know, Lee Ann, about an hour after I posted the message, I thought about Ravelry - I AM a member. So I went and found a Kiwi group and there's good information there - AND I posted an inquiry as well.

Great minds think alike!

Alice

Glad to help, Alice! I should check out the Kiwi group, since I would love to get my hands on some possum/merino yarn.

Lee Ann

I can vouch for the merino/possum yarn - have a sweater I purchased in NZ several years ago and it is wonderful - extremely comfortable, warm and durable and great to pack as weighs almost nothing!

I am already scouting out places to buy possum/merino yarn, and patterns and kits. I'm sure this will be a great topic of discussion at my knitting group next week!

Alice

Hi Alice

Please let me know what you find out about a great source for yarn and patterns. My dear friend will be making a blanket for me. Since I will be in NZ in March, I would love to know where to shop for the supplies.

Thanks

Well, my trip is Mar-Apr, so you and I may be finding the shops at the same time! I'm going to take a list with me of shops in the cities I'll be in, and see how I manage.

But before we go, we should trade lists - Alice.

I got some beautiful yarn at the Kiwi Gift Shop in Queenstown. They didn't have enough of the dye lot, so ordered it and shipped it to me back in the U.S. It arrived practically before I did!

I wish I'd had more time to shop for yarn, but we spent most of our time along the coast.

How funny, I was just wondering what needles to pack for my trip in April! We've got some decently long drives and some "take it easy" days at lodges, so I was thinking that would be a good time to get some knitting done!

I would love to get a list swap going. I'm a ravelry member too, so I'll check there as well!

Well, let's use this message as a home for shops we discover, or good links. And we'll have to compare purchases when we return!

Alice

Touch Yarns in Alexandra is worth going a bit off the beaten path for. The possum/merino and alpaca yarns I bought there will keep me busy the rest of the dreary winter!

AND they have a US distributor in Michigan, so I can get more when I'm done with THIS lot.

I enjoyed my visit here immensely. The drive down and back from Cromwell was lovely too. Another aqua blue lake, and old town Cromwell and Clyde were interesting, too.

>>Touch Yarns in Alexandra is worth going a bit off the beaten path for. The possum/merino and alpaca yarns I bought there will keep me busy the rest of the dreary winter!

AND they have a US distributor in Michigan, so I can get more when I'm done with THIS lot.<<

Does the US distributor have a website?

Lee Ann

Sorry, I was too jet lagged yet to think of that -

Here is Touch's website:

www.touchyarns.com

Marnie has taken the contacts off the website unfortunately, so I will email her and see where we can order it in the States.

OK, Lee Ann -

It's Fantail Fibers that I was trying to come up with. Here's the email from Touch Yarns:

"Hello Kim,
Thank you for your email.
The US contact we had on our website was Lesley Weller of Fantail Fibres. Her website is www.fantailfibres.com and her email is [email protected].

I am unsure about which of our yarns she currently has available but she may be able to point you to somewhere more local for you where you can purchase Touch Yarns.

We are always happy to post yarn to you if that is easier also.

Please keep an eye on our website as we hope to update it to include the names of retail outlets stocking Touch Yarns in the USA.

Kind regards,
Kylie"

Thank you so much!

I just got a skein of possum/merino laceweight yarn from yarnmarket.com. I'm going to make a scarf (and learn to make lace at the same time). Wish me luck!

Lee Ann

It feels so good when you're working with it. I'm losing my soft New Zealand skin back to harsh Wisconsin dryness, but the yarn takes me back!

I wish you great success. It's fun to do a complicated pattern sometimes!