Wool industry bringing out N.Z. knitting talents

Press, 4 February 1986, Page 17

Wool industry bringing out N.Z. knitting talents

Wool design is coming to the fore in New Zealand and bringing out with it the long-neglected talents that New Zealand knitters have had for many generations. Ms Lynn Williams was one of the first Christchurch wool designers who recognised the potential in the New Zealand hand-knitting industry and used it.

Having fully committed

herself to wool design and a full-time career, Lynn set up the Wool Design shop in Shades Arcade, which she owns, and for which she designs all the knitwear.

Her design uses very simple shapes of colour. Jerseys are a form of canvas to her whereby thought is transformed into an attractive pattern which pleases the eye, and especially the wearer.

Although not all those who stop at the Wool Design shop window actually like the jerseys Lynn designs, few can resist the beckon of the brilliant

colours and unusual patterns.

Luxury is the key factor in her designs. “I love things that look good. Above all, I enjoy playing with colour and its subtleties,” Lynn said. “Because commercial wool has such a limited colour range, I often hand dye some wool to get the right colour effect,” she said.

Many Wool Design customers are critical of the prices of her jerseys which cost, on average, $4OO.

"New Zealanders are learning. They see that it

is this sort of knitwear that is worn overseas, but they’re still not willing to pay that much for it. “I want to produce really superb things that require talent and skill to do, and that usually means a lot of time, effort and money,” said Lynn. Currently, Lynn employs 50 people to knit her designs, 20 of which she rates as “top-line.” “They are creative, skilled and very fast,” she said. Lynn began designing woollen garments in 1981 with a Christchurch boutique, after returning to New Zealand from Lon-

don where the hand-knit-ting scene had taken off. Following that she opened a market stall in New Brighton, and then the Arts Centre market, before taking the initial step to opening a shop of her own. Lynn now sells her designed garments through Narnia, in Wellington and the Homespun Centre in Auckland. The bulk of her work, however, is still produced and sold in Christchurch. Having recently returned from a holiday in England and Japan Lynn has gleaned from

overseas ideas of her own'. “The ‘luxury’ look of angora and mohair is very popular overseas. For future trends, the colours purple, deep reds, blues and maroons are very popular,” she said. As far as overseas design is concerned, Lynn sees New Zealand as being equal to anything she saw abroad. “I’m still very confident about hand-knitting as a large gap to fill in the clothing market, locally and for export We’re still suffering from the initial growing pains but it’s exciting and it’s new,” Lynn said.