At The Yarn Garden, Denise Edson, owner of The Yarn Garden in Meriden, Conn., left, with Jill Welles and Claudia Edam of YarnSisters, the U.S. distributors of Zealana possum fiber blends yarn. Edam and her daughter, Jill, visited yarn shop owners and entrepreneurs on a field trip through Connecticut and New York.
YarnSisters, Inc. was born one night in Opotiki, New Zealand, after a day on the farm of Steve and Sue Boot of Basically Bush, Ltd.
“We had wanted to experience the possum problem and control efforts first-hand, and we could not have found better teachers. As yarn reps, we’d had some experience with possum yarns, but had never imagined the scope of the conservation effort necessary to save New Zealand from this non-native pest,” writes Claudia Edam, president of YarnSisters Inc., the U.S. distributors of the Zealana yarn line created by Woolyarns Ltd. of New Zealand. “For several decades, Woolyarns pioneered the use of possum fiber mixed with wool and began to market this amazing combination of fibers to top designers in Europe. By making something beautiful and luxurious from the bi-product of this non-native pest, they have ensured the success of conservation efforts.” Woolyarns sponsors the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and donates a portion of profits every year towards conservation work in New Zealand.
Fashion show highlights on this TNNA 2011 Long Beach video.
“Neil Mackie, managing director of Woolyarns, joined us that night. We started talking about the luxurious yarns that could be created by blending possum with other exotic fibers. By the time we left Opotiki, we were swimming with ideas, and after visiting some of the wildlife refuges, we were on a mission to share what we’d learned with our customers in the U.S. Zealana Yarns manufactured by Woolyarns, Ltd. in Wellington, provide us with many blends of premium New Zealand wool, but our favorites are the possum blends.”
