Visiting New Zealand from Australia? Add This Yarn Shop to Your South Island Plan

We once had an Australian visitor spend four and a half hours in our shop.

She did take a short food break in the middle, which was probably sensible.

You do not need to commit quite that much of your New Zealand holiday to yarn, but we love it when Australian knitters come across the Tasman and make The Wool Shop part of their plans.

We are in Rangiora, around 30 minutes north of central Christchurch and Christchurch Airport. We are slightly off the usual tourist path, but we think that is part of what makes us worth visiting.

You can explore yarn grown, spun and dyed in New Zealand, discover local knitting patterns, get help finding yarn for the climate you live in and ask us all the yarn-substitution questions you have been saving up.

If your purchases will not fit in your suitcase, we have thought of that too.

Spend NZ$200 or more in our Rangiora shop and we will send your yarn, patterns and books to your Australian address free.

Discover yarn with a New Zealand story

Many visitors come looking for New Zealand yarn.

That sounds like a simple category until you start looking more closely.

A yarn may be:

• Grown, processed, spun and dyed in New Zealand

• Made with New Zealand wool but processed elsewhere

• Spun overseas and dyed by a New Zealand dyer

• Made by a New Zealand-owned yarn company

• Designed here using fibres sourced from several countries

We do not pretend those things are all the same.

If knowing exactly where your yarn came from matters to you, tell us. We can explain what we know about the sheep, fibre, processing, dyer and company behind it.

You can browse our New Zealand yarn collection before visiting, but some of these yarns become far more interesting once you hear their stories.

Starcrest Farm Polwarth

Starcrest Farm yarn begins with Eleanor, an extremely skilled hand spinner, looking for wool strong enough to spin into useful yarn for herself.

After a great deal of research, she and her husband Jack chose Polwarth sheep for their North Canterbury farm.

Jack is an award-winning woodchopper and a particularly gentle sheep farmer. Eleanor tells us the sheep are so calm during shearing that some of them would quite happily remain lying there with Jack once their fleece has come off.

The wool is processed and spun locally before Eleanor dyes it herself in her kitchen.

One of my favourite things about Starcrest is the way she works with the natural fleece colours. The yarn begins with white, grey or brown wool. Eleanor can use the same dye over each base and produce completely different depths and moods.

You can still see the sheep in the finished colour.

It is a minimally processed yarn with a clear connection to the farm, the fleece and the people who made it. This is exactly the sort of yarn people hope to find when they visit New Zealand.

Yarn Phase from North Canterbury

Yarn Phase is another very local story.

The beautifully soft merino comes from a single North Canterbury property, The Grampians Farm near Culverden. Laura originally helped the farm while it was developing products from its wool.

She took some yarn away to experiment with dyeing and discovered she absolutely loved it.

Her yarn is now hand-dyed in Rangiora in very small batches, often only four skeins at a time. The colours are thoughtful, layered and connected to a particular story or place.

One of her collections, High Country Hideaway, was inspired by the colours and feeling of spending time at The Grampians. Think dry grass catching the light, shadowed hills, deep earth colours and those slightly wild shades you see in the Canterbury high country.

Laura’s seasonal collections remain available for only 12 months. Once the collection finishes, those colours are gone.

The yarn is available in 4 ply and 8 ply. Her 8 ply is beautifully bouncy and generous, so it may also suit some patterns calling for a light worsted or 10 ply yarn. We will always help you compare the gauge and metreage before substituting it.

It is one of the most beautiful yarns we stock and genuinely feels like something discovered on your travels.

Sundunes Polwarth

Sundunes is dyed in Christchurch by Carmen, a Canadian fibre artist who moved to New Zealand and fell in love with our wool.

She works with a beautiful Polwarth base, making Sundunes something of a sister yarn to Starcrest, although the two ranges have their own distinct personalities.

One thing I particularly appreciate about Sundunes is Carmen’s use of strong, solid colours.

Indie-dyed yarn is often associated with speckles, variegation and dramatic colour movement. Those can be gorgeous, but sometimes you want one rich, clear colour that allows the knitting, cables or texture to speak.

Sundunes does that beautifully.

 

Outlaw Yarn

Outlaw Yarn is created by Deb, arock-music knitter who combines a love of music, colour and New Zealand wool. (all her yarn colours are fro song lyrics!)

Rebel Worsted is made from 80% merino and 20% New Zealand Halfbred wool. It is processed entirely in New Zealand and has a beautiful natural fleck, generous loft and more durability than you might expect from such a soft yarn.

Deb is a highly skilled and meticulous dyer. She works with larger dye vats than many very small indie dyers, which means she can produce garment quantities while maintaining impressive consistency between batches.

Outlaw Yarn is admired well beyond New Zealand, but Christchurch is its home. If you want a local yarn for a full sweater rather than one commemorative skein, it is a wonderful place to begin.

Other New Zealand yarns and companies

We also stock yarn from established New Zealand companies, including Touch Yarns, Crucci, Ashford, Naturally and Countrywide.

Some are grown and made entirely within New Zealand. Others are New Zealand-owned ranges using a mixture of local and imported fibres or overseas manufacturing.

A more commercially produced ball of yarn can still have an important place in our knitting history. It may also offer machine washability, consistent colour, an accessible price or enough stock for a large project.

We are happy to explain the differences without trying to persuade you that one type of yarn is morally superior to another.

The useful question is what matters to you.

Do you want something that came from one particular flock? Do you need an easy-care yarn? Are you knitting a special souvenir project? Do you need ten balls in exactly the same dye lot? Are you choosing for an Australian summer or a Tasmanian winter?

Once we know that, we can give you much more useful recommendations.

What yarn works well in Australia?

Australia contains several climates, so there is no single Australian yarn recommendation.

Someone knitting in Hobart may make very different choices from someone living in Brisbane.

Merino can still be a wonderful option for Australian knitters. It manages moisture well and can help you remain comfortable across changing temperatures. However, the weight of the yarn and the fabric you create matter.

A fine 4 ply merino top knitted at a light gauge will behave very differently from a dense 14 ply jumper.

For warmer climates and transitional garments, we might show you:

• Fine 4 ply merino for lightweight tops and cardigans

• Cotton and merino blends

• Cotton, linen and silk blends

• Sock yarn for small, portable projects

• Lighter yarns for summer tees, singlets and layering pieces

• Yarn suitable for garments with short sleeves or a more open gauge

BC Garn Allino is one example. It is a 50% cotton and 50% linen blend that creates a breathable, textured fabric for summer tops and lightweight garments.

We also stock cotton-merino blends and a range of European and British yarns that can be difficult to see in person if you do not live near a large yarn shop.

Tell us where you live, what you enjoy wearing and what you want to make. We would rather recommend a yarn you will use than send you home with a beautiful sweater quantity that is completely wrong for your weather.

Discover New Zealand knitting patterns

Yarn is only part of the attraction.

We have an enormous collection of printed knitting and crochet patterns, including designs from New Zealand companies and designers such as:

• Lisa F Design

• Touch Yarns

• Kiwi Knit and Stitch

• Crucci

We also stock patterns from international designers and brands, including PetiteKnit, Sirdar and DMC.

Printed patterns are one of the easiest things to take home. They are light, flat and much less likely than a sweater quantity of yarn to cause a complicated conversation with your luggage scales.

You can sit down with our pattern folders and take your time. If you find something you love, we can help you choose yarn for it, whether you plan to purchase that yarn from us or need an option that will be readily available once you return to Australia.

Bring us your PetiteKnit pattern questions

We do a lot of yarn substitution.

Patterns from European and international designers often recommend yarn that is difficult or expensive to source in New Zealand and Australia. The yarn-weight names may also be confusing.

A pattern may call something worsted weight when its metreage and gauge are closer to what we would traditionally call 8 ply. Another yarn described as DK may behave more like a fine 5 ply.

I always look at the pattern gauge, metreage, fibre and intended fabric rather than relying only on the yarn-weight name.

If you have a PetiteKnit pattern, a Ravelry pattern or something saved on your phone, bring it with you. We can talk through:

• The intended gauge

• Metres required for your size

• Fibre choices

• Yarn weights

• Warmth and climate

• Whether the original yarn is held together with mohair

• Options available in New Zealand or Australia

• What you should swatch before committing

You are welcome to ask for this help even if you are not ready to buy yarn on the day.

Sometimes understanding the project is the useful part.

Have a sneaky look before you visit

One of the best things you can do before visiting is have a sneaky look through our website.

Take screenshots of yarns, colours, patterns or projects you would like to see. Save them in a folder on your phone or make a little list.

Please do not feel silly arriving with twenty-seven screenshots. We are very used to it, and it helps us help you.

There is a lot of yarn in the shop.

We work hard to make it feel welcoming rather than overwhelming, but the sheer number of yarns, colours, fibres and patterns can make your brain leave the building for a minute.

Having a few starting points gives us something to work with. We can take you directly to the yarn you have saved, show you similar options and explain the differences between them.

Your screenshots do not need to be a shopping list.

They can simply be a wish list of things you would like to touch, compare or learn more about while you are here. You are still welcome to change your mind, discover something completely different or leave without buying any of them.

A little preparation simply helps us make the most of the time you have in the shop and gives you the best possible experience while you are here.

You do not need to book a tour

You can simply walk into the shop during our usual opening hours and tell us you are visiting from Australia.

We often hear the accent and ask before you get the chance.

There is always someone in the shop who will be happy to show you where the New Zealand yarns and patterns are. If the shop is extremely busy, we may not be able to give you an uninterrupted private tour, but we will still help you explore.

If we know each other from social media

Some visitors have followed me online for a long time and feel as though they already know me before they walk through the door.

I love that.

I am not in the shop every day because I divide my time between the shop and working from home. If meeting me is part of what would make your visit special, please contact us before you come.

I can tell you which days I expect to be in the shop. Sometimes, if I know when you are visiting and my schedule allows it, I can rearrange things or pop in to say hello and help you explore.

I cannot promise I will be available every time, but please do ask. If we have connected through social media, I would genuinely love the opportunity to meet you in person too.

Visiting with a group

If you are travelling with a knitting retreat, tour group or larger collection of fibre-loving friends, contact us before your visit.

We can arrange a time when we are ready for you and, depending on the group and our availability, we may sometimes be able to open privately on a Sunday.

Please ask rather than assuming, as Sunday visits need to be organised in advance. (we are otherwise closed on Sundays!)

Spend NZ$200 and we will send it home

Yarn takes up a surprising amount of suitcase space.

It may not weigh as much as a collection of pottery, but one sweater quantity can occupy half a bag and leave your clothes fighting for the remaining corner.

If you spend NZ$200 or more in our Rangiora shop, we will ship your yarn, patterns and books to your Australian address free.

You can choose your colours, check dye lots and feel the yarn while you are here, then let us handle the parcel.

We currently send packages to Australian visitors most days, so this is a very normal thing for us to arrange.

If you are not ready to decide during your visit, take photographs of the yarn labels, colour names and anything else you might forget. You can order through our website later and have it delivered to Australia.

Make a North Canterbury day of it

Rangiora is around 30 minutes from central Christchurch and Christchurch Airport by car, making it an easy outing if you have a rental vehicle.

If you do not have a car, the Metro Line 1 bus runs between central Christchurch and Rangiora. Check the current Metro timetable before travelling.

There are plenty of cafés and places to eat near the shop.

Visitors will often browse for a while, go away for coffee or lunch and then return once they have thought through their options.

If you are particular about your coffee, have dietary requirements or want somewhere lovely for lunch, ask us. We live here and are always happy to share our current favourites.

This arrangement also works well if you are travelling with someone who does not share your desire to discuss Polwarth fleece for several hours. They can have coffee, look around the other shops or enjoy a quiet period away from yarn while you take your time.

You can also include Rangiora as part of a longer North Canterbury day trip.

From here, you might continue towards:

• Oxford and the surrounding rural area

• A Waipara winery lunch

• Hanmer Springs

• The wider North Canterbury countryside

Come to us first, have lunch nearby and then continue exploring. Or make the yarn shop the reward at the end of the day. We are comfortable with either arrangement.

Plan your visit

The Wool Shop is at:

123 High Street
Rangiora
North Canterbury

Our usual opening hours are:

Monday to Friday: 9 am to 5 pm
Saturday: 10 am to 4 pm
Sunday: Closed, except for occasional pre-arranged group visits

If you need a particular colour or a full garment quantity, contact us before making a special trip. We can check our stock and sometimes put yarn aside so it is ready when you arrive.

Our existing guide to visiting The Wool Shop in Rangiora includes more information about parking, accessibility, the shop layout and what you will find when you walk through the door.

Come and spend some time with us

You do not need a complete project plan.

You can arrive with a carefully researched sweater pattern, a folder containing twenty-seven screenshots, a vague desire to buy some New Zealand yarn or absolutely no idea beyond wanting to squeeze everything.

We have yarn from around NZ$5 a ball through to special hand-dyed skeins at around NZ$42. There are practical everyday yarns, small-batch local treasures, patterns that will fit easily into your hand luggage and plenty of choices in between.

We will not push you to buy.

We want you to enjoy exploring, learn something about the yarn and leave with a project that suits your life back home.

If you are an Australian knitter planning a Christchurch or South Island trip, add Rangiora to your map and come and see us.

You may stay for twenty minutes.

You may stay for four and a half hours.

Either is perfectly fine with us.