High fashion knitting yarns

Press, 3 June 1981, Page 23

High fashion knitting yarns

Home-knitted fashion garments are coming into their own as the range of knitting wools widens and the prices of fabrics and made-up garments soar. The emphasis in knitting wools this winter is very much on the fancy yarns and the fluffy, brushed look of mohair and lambswool. Bulky wools are still popular and their popularity this season is largely based on the soft, lightweight blends. Soft colours in all shades from, light to dark complement the texture. Wine colours from plum through burgundy to blue are particularly fashionable and go beautifully with grey,, which is “in” for skirts. There is a large variety of patterns available for Sightweight bulky wools. ■Combined with lacy styles, these give a highly "feminine effect. “Caressa,” a double knitting blend of wool, mohair and acrylic, has now been froduced as a brushed yarn, t is in strong demand for all purposes — suits, dresses, jumpers, cardigans. “Sofil” is another bulky wool of similar blend but with. more mohair. It was introduced last season and is becoming more widely known. Triple knit “Mohair,” which includes some wool and nylon, is another success story. Other soft fluffy wools include “Alpaca.” named after the South American goat with long, fine, woolly hair. The brand name refers to a double knitting blend of alpaca and lambswool. newly released this winter along with the patterns to go with it. It is proving excellent for suits. Loop, piles have been revived as another new depar-

ture for this season. These give chunky and boucle effects and are available in bulky weight and double knit for traditional knitting methods. Fine boucle for use in knitting machines has been further developed so that there is now no machine problem with it. The astrakhan look is available in a bulky weight wool of that name by Thorobred and also in Shepherd’s “Mystique.” Both are highly popular for jackets. Thorobred have also produced an interesting triple knit called “Kashmir,” a brushed yarn that is 80 per cent wool and 20 per cent acrylic. Kaiapoi's “Thistledown” double knitting wool, a mohair, wool and acrylic blend, continues to be extremely popular, as it was last season. It is lightweight, warm, holds its shape well and is very economical because of its high yield. Double knitting and fourply crepes in fashion colours are selling well, and Shepherd’s pure natural wool, "Cowichan,” remains a winner for outdoor activities. Most of this winter’s fashion wools are interchangeable and wool shop staff can help knitters with their choice of substitute yarns — and needles, too, if the tension must be adjusted. Cade’s Wool Shop also gives advicq to customers seeking guidance in the choice of patterns. Knitted garments on display show the effects of wools and patterns, while the made-to-order service is a boon to those pressed for time. Multi-coloured sweaters, diagonals, bold stripes and two-tone effects follow though from the popularity of geometries in summerknit -fabric dresses and

appear in for both men and women. Some of the manufacturers have been slow to send supplies- this season but the new wools, colours and patterns are appearing in the shops now.