N.Z. wools are among best

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32554, 13 March 1971, Page 6

N.Z. wools are among best

New Zealand knitting wools now equal, and frequently surpass, anything available elsewhere in the world, says the New Zealand Wool Board in a publicity release.

Since the introduction of import licensing local mills have had to fulfil the large, constant, and varied home demand.

To satisfy this steady demand, new patterns constantly come forward. In the last decade, New Zealand women have earned themselves an international reputation, not only as the world's biggest users of knitting yam, but also as its most proficient and prolific knitters.

While synthetic yams have come forward in quantity, wool accounts for the bulk of sales. These days, a heady visual liquor of colour fills the fixtures in wool shops and departments. Tan, rust bronze and other medium browns will emerge as winter’s prime colours with the lavender-violet range also popular.‘This carries over into pinks and reds with enriching purple undertones. Orange warms and lightens the brows to fireglow and marigold. Twist wool Women who travel acknowledge the value of a knitted frock or suit which does not wrinkle and keeps you warm in Wellington or Washington. For these, twist wool creates an adaptable flecked, tweedy effect that needs only jewellery or a colourful scarf to dress it

up. Brown and white, Wedgwood blue with navy and white, tobacco with red and yellow, cinnamon with scarlet, canary and cream, chocolate with beige and white all make distinctive outfits.

Athough mosty in fairly fine plies, these twists also come in double knitting wools, with charcoal, black and white, Tamayo blue, turquoise, grey, and white outstanding. While not as popular as last winter, marls also suit this type of garment So does boude wool, which disappears from the stores almost as soon as it arrives. Many mature women would knit their own dresses and suits if they could buy patterns in large sizes. Bust measurements, however, seldom go higher than 38, with 46 a rare maximum. Poncho patterns Most wool shops' cannot satisfy the demand for poncho patterns, knitted or crocheted, the former in lively stripes or soaring chevrons, the latter in lacy stitches flligreed with holes, both edged with deep fringe. Even in tropical Noumea, these crocheted ponchos have become extremely popular with French youngsters. Crocheted cocktail frocks that fling and cling, suits often with a silver or gold lurex lustre, even bikinis, all add new dimensions to an ancient skill. Over all, the quicklyknitted heavy plies account for most of the wool sales In this category, the double crepe wools stand out for their excellent washing qualities. One of the most popular shades, aquarius, bears a close resemblance to wild duck, so popular a few years ago. Among the glamour wools come the blended mohairs, light as clouds but fabulously warm in midnight blue, sea green, pink. This warmth in lightness contradicts the bulky, complicated Aran patterns now less

popular. Heavy cables have also lost ground as the trend swings to finer, simpler, more easily defined patterns used in conjunction with basic stocking and garter stitches. More women of all ages .than ever before now knit

and crochet, giving themselves a creative outlet—and saving significantly on family clothing bills. The photograph shows a gay sweater in red and white, ideal for the ski slopes.