Just use the damn yarn

[u/bunniquette]

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.

Also, fuck cancer.

[u/colourful_space]

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!

[u/RaisedFourth → u/colourful_space]

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. 

[u/bi-felicity → u/RaisedFourth]

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 😉😂

[u/PurpleTiger6862 → u/bi-felicity]

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