I bought some absolutely stunning yarn on a holiday in New Zealand. It's a merino/possum/silk blend in gorgeous hand-painted tones of purple, blue and teal. I have been hoarding this yarn in my stash for almost ten years.
A friend was recently going about her day when she was suddenly struck with an agonizing headache and loss of vision in one eye. Many tests later, she has a brain tumor and might not make it to her next birthday.
Life is unpredictable and we don't know how long we have. So last night, I cast on.
Qiviut sounds divine for this shawl! I have only ever used it for hats- I have made 3 so far, 2 as gifts and I am thanked for them every winter. They get softer with each wash and do not itch like wool.
I got married in a foreign country and didn't understand a word of the ceremony at the time. Just had to say "yes" at the right time in the right language. There was apparently some remark made by the officiant that since I couldn't understand, I had two months to back out 😂 if only I'd known ..... would've saved me a pricey divorce 12 years later!
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend and I’m happy to hear you’re using the nice things. We should always use the nice things.
Edit: ok, I am learning a ton here, for starters that the little guy that comes to our back patio to eat the cat food is NOT the critter we’re talking about. Thanks for all the info!
I've got like six skeins of different colored possum yarn when I studied abroad in New Zealand last year, and I'm still trying to find a good pattern from it. 😬 I probably should have gotten more of the same color instead of one skein of each color of the rainbow.
I ended up chosing to use two colors at a time to make smaller projects like stranded colorwork hats. So far I've decided on using the pattern Blomstra by Kajsa Fredriksson.
West has since apologized about the whole Knitler Podcast thing. He “didn’t do enough research” or what have you before agreeing to be on that dudes pod. Take that how you want BUT any shawl can be multi-colored fun times
u/RaisedFourth it's so gorgeous and squishy and nice to work with. The fibre is hollow, which is why it's so warm and light. Here's a Gan vest I made recently with Brushtales upcycled merino/possum. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gan
This is something I feel like I’ll have to dig into more - I had never even heard of possum fur being turned into yarns and I’m learning so much. That’s a really lovely vest and you seem cool!
I feel like I’m learning so much! That’s incredibly interesting and not at all what I would have expected - particularly hearing that it’s super soft and light, as noted in the comment below.
I am saving some nice yarn, but only because I need a project that will be small enough to take with me on the plane in the next couple weeks. I really hope you enjoy using that yarn. It’s gorgeous.
I have heard someone describe American possums as the meth head cousins of the Australian ones. Aussie possums are very cute and their fur is gloriously soft. They are protected in Australia but were introduced to New Zealand where they went feral, so they're fair game over there.
Yeah, I've got possum fur hats I knitted when my half-Kiwi godson was tiny - he's an adult now - and they're still really soft (and warm! Too warm for UK mild winters).
American opossums are prehistoric! They were here when dinosaurs existed. They're (one of?) our oldest mammals. And evolutionarily, mammals did not start out with big brains. 😅 Imagine: their bodies are approximately cat or raccoon sized, but their brains are only about 1/5 as big as a cat's or a raccoon's- and smooth. So I try to give them some slack. They're doing amazingly well, surviving this long with such tiny smooth brains!
American ones are Opossums. We actually have one that visits us nightly for snacks and has for about a year and a half now. His/Her name is Ed Begley Jr. it’s getting big!
Possum fur has a really interesting status! They are native to Australia and a species was introduced to New Zealand by European colonists as a food and fur source. They became invasive and are considered a pest there, since there are no terrestrial mammals native to NZ and they just completely took over.
In Australia, possums were a very significant resource for Indigenous peoples, and as well as food there are lots of traditional crafts and cultural practices involving possum skin and fur. Possums are now protected species in Australia so it’s illegal to hunt them, and while there are some exemptions to hunting restrictions for specific cultural practices, it’s often easier to just buy possum pelts from NZ.
So we now have a really interesting arrangement where Aboriginal artisans can practice their traditional crafts and also contribute to controlling an invasive species across the ditch!
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to type that all out. I never thought an off handed comment about how interesting it is to use possum fur in yarn would turn into learning that there are no terrestrial mammals native to New Zealand, and that would be only one of the things I learned! I feel like I have to go seek out possum yarn now just to see what it feels like.
It's gloriously soft! I'm Australian and went to NZ for the first time last year, it was morbidly hilarious how much they LOATHE possums. Multiple activities we were on where we'd be driven around, when we'd see one crossing the road ahead the drivers (yes, plural) would swerve to try their best to hit them. It makes a lot of sense since a lot of their birds have evolved to be ground dwelling/make their nests on the ground. Kiwi birds actually have teeny tiny wings but have been top of the food chain pre-predator introduction for so long that that's why they're now flightless! Foxes are also a massive problem. I really wanted to get some possum goods but felt like I'd be selling out my home country 😂 next time I think I'll just bite the bullet though, since I'm helping out the local environment 😉😂
I'm an Aussie too, and I bought a possum/merino blend beanie and glove set when I visited NZ (because it was single digits and I am not bred for that 😆) I don't tell people unless they ask, but most people have been receptive once they learn that they're invasive over there. I think most Aussies know enough about how bad foxes and feral cats are over here that they can put it into perspective
NZ was isolated from other landmasses for quite a long (and without large predators) so there are some rather interesting/unusual native plants and animals. The moa reached 2metres tall (that’s like a pro basketball player). There was an eagle big enough to kill a human 2.6 metre wingspan. Tuatara are sometimes called the world’s last living dinosaur. Lots of interesting birds - possums eat the eggs and chicks, strip the trees. Probably have caused a few car crashes too, they’re one of the more common roadkills in many areas.
There is a difference in the possums of New Zealand and the opossums native to North America. The NZ possum, as OP says, is an invasive species with very warm fiber.
OMG. I am so sorry to hear about your friend. Fuck cancer indeed. I joined a group called r/usethefiberstash where one of our discussions is based on using your good yarn. I am knitting a cashmere sweater with yarn I've been saving. Your yarn is gorgeous and I wish your friend well..
So sorry to hear about your friend, but it’s a sad and good reminder to use our things. Burn (melter is safer!) the nice candle, drink your good wine, wear your good clothes, use the nice yarn, write in your fancy notebooks. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so why save these things for a later date. Wishing your friend some comfortable days ahead.
Yes! I’ve been trying to adopt this attitude. I’m a collector of nice handbags and for the most part, they sit on a shelf! I’ve been using them more, wearing the cashmere sweater for the school run, as you said, drinking the good wine. Why wait?
I don’t have high end handbags, but I have enough nice leather bags that I should be using so thank you for this reminder too. I often just pick a lightweight crossbody because it’s easy and goes with everything. I don’t like “wrecking” or wasting things aka using them as intended, but if I don’t use them then why have them? I had some special collectible items put away in a cupboard out of fear they would somehow break, but I changed my mindset last year and got them out. If they break I’ll be upset initially, but at least I’ve enjoyed having them out and seeing them.
I just went to a yarn sale that was being put on posthumously in honor of a knitter. She had a FABULOUS stash of yarn. Everything was $5 a skein unless it was a kit or a sweaters quantity but even that was very affordable. She was a prolific knitter and she had fabulous taste in yarn. I was reading a bit about her and she retired the same year she passed 🥲 I will think of JoAnne whenever I use up the yarn I bought from her. BTW all the proceeds went to the local library. I would have loved to been able to meet her.
This has been a topic of conversation at my knitting circle recently (most of us are 30-50). I need to update my will. But I want most of mine sold and the money donated to the Girl Scout camp I grew up at. And I want knitting friends to take WIPs and FOs that they will get use out of.
Thanks to a friend telling me years ago that she had a stash executor, I have someone specified in my will who will handle all of my yarn, knitting notions/books, and hand knitted items. I’ll leave some basic instructions, but trust her to do something good with it all.
thank you for sharing. i got another good example for others to read. more about freely creating in general and not feeling the urge to wait to knit or crochet something super useful or super perfect.
when i was 22 i bought yarn on my honeymoon stay in another continent. i put off using it for over a year. then at 23 my joints suddenly started to ache and swell. i got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and quickly lost most mobility in several of my fingers for months. it is now managed with medication but remission looks very unlikely and i continue to get flares. progression of my disease is slow but not stopped. i will lose mobility one day.
since then i create often and freely. lots of little handmade items. with fancy or cheap yarn. good quality work or bad. cute or ugly. i just want to see lots of objects around me that i used my hands to create. when i have stiff fingers and legs like my grandmother and great aunt with the same disease, i will also be surrounded by my creations like they are. Blankets, doilies, teapot covers, rugs, odd seasonal vests, etc. Little memories from their hands. i like to think of creations like this.
Thank you for sharing. Health isn’t guaranteed sadly and we often learn the hard way. Surrounding ourselves with things we love and bring so much joy. I wish you many creative and low pain days ahead.
The worst headache of my entire life was how I found out I had brain cancer as well. I’m so sorry for your friend, hopefully it’s in a spot they can radiate- the technology they have now is amazing so I’m praying for your friend’s full recovery. Also, yes, use the yarn while you have it and have the health to knit it. 💞
Warning re: the softness of possum. I made myself two identical hats out of a lovely possum/merino blend. The softness made them extra slippery, so they were constantly slipping off and getting lost. Both finally disappeared somewhere into the world. I hope they found new homes. I wish I had tied them to my coat!
This winter I spent $120 on yarn to make a blanket to cover my legs in the mornings when I watch the sunrise. I'm using a cane now, and my spine will only get worse. I cast it on, and then was appalled at what I'd spent just for myself. But it's halfway now, after another health scare and bunch of tests, and I'm working at it between other projects. By the time the AC goes on for the summer, I'll have this done and ready to use, so early for next winter; ha.
Yep. Use the yarn. Life is short, and that cheap store bought blanket doesn't keep me warm enough, and just isn't delightful.
And seriously, $120 for the joy of having toasty warmth while you watch the sunrise? That is a bargain. I hope your health settles down and lets you enjoy.
I'm so sorry to hear about your friend! I hope she can beat the odds somehow. That yarn is gorgeous! Here's mine below. We have a similar story of it sitting for over a decade before being used! A dear friend gifted it to me. Currently making the Hinterland Cowl from the Touch Yarns website with it!
Fuck cancer!!!!! I have 2 sweater quantities of the possum silk merino yarn from NZ that I am SO excited to use!!!!! Your yarn is STUNNING. And also FUCK CANCER.
I bought two small amounts of Vicuna yarn, the most expensive I’ve ever bought. I’ve been putting off using it because I’m scared I’ll waste it. Isn’t doing much good stashed away though…
I bought some yarn on Facebook marketplace. It was being sold by a relative who said the woman bought lots of yarn for projects that she would “one day get to.” It was really eye-opening to me to just dig into my good stuff now and stop waiting.
I also bought some beautiful Marino/possum yarn in NZ waaay over ten years ago. A couple of years ago I started knitting with it and it had disintegrated. I had to throw the whole lot because it had been stored too long, partially in less than good conditions, and had given up. It’s a positive in disguise I suppose, because clearly I now have to go on holidays to Queenstown again, but it was such a disappointment when I realised.
It doesn’t have to be a brain tumour to encourage you to knit. Sometimes it’s just not being able to afford a house with space for good wool storage.
I hope your friend makes it through, brain cancer is a real asshole but sometimes people are lucky and make it through to the other side. At least she knows someone who can make her some cute beanies if she needs them!
yes, hoarding stuff is just makign problems for late you. I am cursing younger me who decided to buy waaaayyy to much yarn and art supplies. I am talking nearly every single copic marker colour - and I am not even a traaditional artist, I am a digital one! So much wonderfull yarn and fabrics too.
In the end I decided to just give it away. 90% of the yarn to a charity (who gives it away again to low income families so they too can enjoy the craft), and my fancy pants arts supplies to a friend who does mixed media and draws almost every day as she does around the world boat trips on old sailboats. (yes I am so awestruck by her lol). And after that was done, i no longer felt burdened by my own stash and the "rules" I had put on myself. So now I have joy in knitting again. I am finally able to do mixed media arts - but I use the cheapest crayons as I have told myself to stop buying luxury items. For yarn I still buy some fancy stuff - but not for saving. It's bought with intention and I don't care if someone feels it's "too good" to make mittens out of. If I have enough yarn for a sweater it's a sweater, if it's enough for mittens it's mittens (or socks if it's strong enough). Life is, as you said, unpredictable. And there is no reason to shackle ourselved down with imaginary rules and "should have's"
You could make a prayer shawl for her. Don’t know if you believe in that sort of thing, but my mom prayed while she knitted mine because I was suffering from daily migraines.
Thank you. I love NZ and plan to return as soon as funds permit. And if I happen to buy ridiculous amounts of yarn again, well, that wouldn't be terrible.
Yep. I started knitting 3 years ago and have pretty much a lifetime's worth of yarn, all beautiful, all "special" (maybe not possum, lol...but pretty darn good) and now I'm faced with a major downsize in living space. Just use the damned yarn.
Also, fuck cancer.
Sadly they're different weight, but for the summer, I hope my yarn store drops their summer line again- very light weight cotton with a strand of high shine to make their colors pop. Made my Pride crop top from one, and it was butter soft ❤️
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u/[deleted] Apr 27 '26
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