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>>> Natural luxury yarns & fibres : what are they?
At Lara Downs we are passionate about natural fibres which really are some of the wonders of the natural world. Sourced from living creatures, animals and plants, they offer great comfort, wearability, versatility, tremendous warmth and drape as well as sheer beauty. Natural fibres can take on both vivid and subtle hues, as well as a variety of textures, but the character most important to us is "handle". Yarns and the fibres from which these yarns are made, must be soft handling. No-one wants to wear something that prickles or is scratchy to touch.
Lara Downs' own home grown mohair and merino products are guaranteed soft and comfortable to wear, as are the other natural fibre yarns offered for your enjoyment. Luxury to us means super soft handle in any colour or texture you like. The luxury tag also applies to natural fibres harvested from animals due to their scarcity (compared to the vast quantity of petrochemical based synthetic fibres). Fortunately animal & plant fibres are a renewable resource. With your support, these special fibres and yarns, which often support poor communities in third world countries, will continue to be available for many years to come.
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Guide to making your yarn selection -
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and Embellishing threads & fibres
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About our colour selection: at Lara Downs we never stop experimenting with colour. We now have over 400 shades applicable to our yarn, tops, curls & silk fabric. We can afford to do this because we mainly dye to order.
Just go to our colourchart page where the brightest and best colourways are all set out in glorious colour to aid your selection. Then return to this page to see all the different yarns, how they look in various colourways and when knitted up. Our colourways are applicable for all Lara Downs yarns, top/sliver/laps, kiddy curls and lengths of silk tissue or silk paj.
Most of our colourways are now displayed on our Colour chart page. However, if you spot a colourway elsewhere on this site and not yet on our colour chart, you are welcome to order that shade, as long as it is designated as a Lara Downs colourway. All you need to do is to specify the name and number of your selection.
Dyeing to order : if you would like to have your yarn selection custom dyed, please supply something to match eg fabric, paper, , photo etc There is a small surcharge for this service.
Detailed yarn specifications (wraps per inch etc) are listed on our Specs page.
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>>>> 'Starry Night'- Our luxurious yarn with just a twinkle of lurex embedded in a soft down of the finest Kid mohair and silk. (65% Super Kid, 20% Silk, 15% Lurex). This yarn offers a generous 850 mts/100 gms OR 212 mts/25 grams which is the same weight as Rowen's Kid Silk Haze, Kid Silk Night and Kid Silk Spray but a lot cheaper. Avoid the "middlemen" in yarn production and save heaps ! Some colourways shown below, but order in any LD colourway.
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"Medallion Wrap" designed by Jude Skeers features Starry Night in Silver Mist..
NB: The Medalion Wrap pattern can be found in Yarn magazine Vol 28, p27. The medallion wrap requires 60 gms of Starry Night. available on special order. More images on our Handcrafts page.
Gorgeous in natural white, but also fabulous in any Lara Downs colourway, Starry Night is brushed and has a distinct halo.
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Devil Woman 350 |
Pomegranate 353 D |
Marble |
Easteraster 348A |
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Africa 96 |
Terracotta103 |
Casablanca 236 |
Phonecia 237 |
Sleek 242 |
Jewel 71B |
Scarf above in "Jewel".
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>>>>Angoraglow Knitting yarn - pure luxury fine kid mohair. "Angoraglow" is a smooth, lustrous soft handling 100% Fine kid mohair yarn. This yarn is spun from our best Fine Kid mohair fleeces, selected with great care after matching for micron and is supplied exclusively by Lara Downs. It is a delight to work with and the finished effect is lustrous and has a silky feel. In knitted form, the fabric has a light halo effect (but is not fluffy) and has been skillfully designed to resist shedding . |
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Angoraglow yarn is available in either 2 ply (Laceweight) or 4 ply.
Supplied as either 40 gm hanks (2 ply), 100 gm hanks (2 ply), 200 gm hanks (4 ply) & 8 metre lengths for embroidery (2 ply only).
Yarn thickness gauge:
4 ply = 5 wraps to 1 cm, 2 ply = 10 wraps per cm.
Yarn length per 100 grams: 2 ply = approx 425 metres, 4 ply = approx 212 metres. |
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Angoraglow 2 ply in close up - some random mixed and some solid shades (S).The A-line dress designed by Jude Skeers looks fabulous in Lara Downs 2 ply Angoraglow - colourway "Red Rock". |
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Regal No 49 |
Stormy Seas 58 |
Masquerade No.6 |
Marakesh No 40 |
Electric Blue No. 26 |
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Salmon No. 32 S |
Brown Coal No 74 S |
Moss No 16 S |
Plum No 40 S |
Electric Blue No. 26 S |
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Below: 4 ply Angoraglow in selected shades. To choose your shade, select from our full range |
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Mobius wrap by Jude Skeers in 4 ply Angoraglow "Wild Thing" colourway. Photo by Doug Stapleton.
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Blueberry No. 1 |
Elegance No 78 |
Rio No. 4 |
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Damask Rose No 39 |
Celebration No 80 |
Honey Blonde No. 52S |
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Treehug No 76 S |
Stormy Seas 58 |
Pinot 94 |
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Bonny No 79 |
Zen No. 77 |
Parakeet No 38 |
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Seen on the Catwalk in the US recently were some gorgeous designer knits from the Isobel and Cleo collection which feature luxurious hand knits using natural fibres.
Lara Downs Angoraglow features in both garments in our Africa colourway.
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>>>'Kool Kid'
Super Fine Ultra Light Mohair with nylon binder - Brushed (Boucle now sold out).
The "hardly there" yarn offering the ultimate in "lightness of being".
Delicate and super soft to wear, it is available in natural or any of Lara Downs' hand dyed shades, in 25, 50 and 100 gm hanks. A blend of 70% mohair, 30% nylon, it is stronger than it's delicate appearance would indicate.
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This fabulous mobius wrap in Kool Kid, designed & knitted by Jude Skeers was featured in a recent exhibition at The Rocks Gallery in Sydney (the backdrop is the wonderful natural rock in this area ). Thanks to Leigh Gemmell for this great photo.
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This yarn has fantastic yardage at 925 mts per 100 gms or 230 mts/25 gms. This makes it similar to, but a slightly better yardage than Collinette's popular 'Parisienne' brushed kid mohair, but a lot cheaper. Avoid the 'middlemen' in yarn production and save heaps !
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Kool Kid in Rainforest No 61 & Sensation No 60 |
Kool Kid in Seagreen No 58B & Tomato No 132. |
Nicole looks wonderful on her wedding day, and keeps the chill at bay by wearing her Kool Kid ring shawl.
Thanks so much Nicole for sharing your day with us.
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Glamour plus on the catwalk at the NRIA fashion parade at Jupiter's casino Nov 2010. Mobius by Jude Skeers combines 2 ply Angoraglow and Kool Kid in Masquerade colourway for sheer elegance. Thanks to Doug Stapleton for the photo. |
Brushed Kool Kid in colourways from L to R, Charcoal, Rainbow, Yum, Itali, Firebird & Purple Fusion. Order in any LD colourway using our main colour chart. |
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>>>>Pure Merino yarns (Machine washable)
 Above - "Blueberry random No 1 ", Below "Blueberry semi-solid No 11.
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Lara Downs now has a lovely range of pure Merino yarns in a smooth ring spun style available in 2, 4 and 8 ply.
2 ply 100 gm hanks = 900 mts
4 ply x 100 gms = 455 mts
8 ply x 100 gms = 200 mts
These are available natural or in any colours from our colour chart.
Featured at right in 8 ply Merino (top to bottom) Bird of Paradise, Romp 'n Red, Honeyblonde & Marakesh.
NEW - Pure Merino 4 ply sock yarn (superwashed with extra twist for strength & spun from 19 micron wool)
in Siena (top left) & Blood Orange (bottom left)
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This gorgeous yarn is only for the brave. It offers an amazing 2,600 metres per 100 gms of yarn.
Our gorgeous swatch was knitted by Jennie Pakula from a pattern by Margaret Stove called the Rata scarf published in her latest book "Wrapped in Lace".
Jennie reports that this kind of knitting requires absolute concentration, good light and maybe a good pair of glasses. She describes the yarn as a real specialist yarn yielding a beautiful gossamer weight, perfect for heirloom shawls. Addi lace needles (2mm) were Jennie's choice for the job.
We have decided to offer this yarn in small bites of 50 gms or 25 gms so you won't be too daunted.
With such a luxurious content, as you would expect, it feels exquisite to the touch.
We have coloured some in soft baby shades but we are quite prepared to dye it in any of the Lara Downs shades used for our other products. You just need to ask. See samples below (L to R) in Shady, Moss & Wildfire (below)
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>>>>>> "Softy" Fine Merino with Cashmere 4 ply & now 8 ply too (80/20 blend).
Merino - the new Cashmere? So said a recent headline when Fine Australian merino wool hit new heights at the wholesale wool auctions in May 2011. Cashmere has always led the way in elite pricing for elite natural fibres, but merino wool has seen spectacular demand and price rises in recent times. While still not really close to Cashmere prices except at the ultra fine end, fine Merino wool does rival Cashmere in it's super softness and it's wearability.
This new 4 ply yarn for the Lara Downs range offers the best of all worlds - softness, comfort and a very affordable price at $27 per 100 gm hank. Our stocks were processed prior to the big price rise in Merino wool, so order now, before an inevitable price rise is forced upon us.
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Hand dyed shades from left to right:
Mudbricks 283, Muddywaters 283A, Coober Pedy 278, Real Red 220, Stormy seas 58 & Melbourne 221. |
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| >>>>Re-cycled Silk ribbon and Soy Ribbon Summer weight top |
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A new design by Tania Kozub (left) features our new re-cycled Silk ribbon plus our Soy Ribbon (bodice and hemline).
Lovely and light for our Summer heat. It also breathes well.
Three sizes - pattern gives loose fitting.)
Available as an Easy Knit kit or as individual yarns.
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Re-cycled silk fabric ribbon - from left ivory, gold and far right overdyed in 'Damask Rose'. Soy ribbon 2nd from the right (natural)..
Soy Ribbon = 170 mts per 100 gms
Re-cycled Sari Silk Fabric Ribbon- an inexact length but approx 79 mts/100 gms . Made by Women's co-ops in India from ripped up sari fabric and tied end to end to create a unique & interesting yarn.
Both yarns $18 per 100 gms
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| >>>>Pure Silk Yarns: |
| These silk yarns are quite stunning and are all made from Mulberry silk (best quality pure white) These yarns absorb dye like no others and simply glow with stunning colour. A little goes a long way.These yarns can be dyed to order in any Lara Downs' shade |
S1: Smooth (low twist) Mulberry silk singles yarn
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Out of stock
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Silbo in colourway 'Masquerade'
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S2. "Silbo" Mulberry Silk Chunky Boucle style
This is a very attractive yarn with irregular bumps reflecting light in all directions. It knits up beautifully but could also be used as a weaving yarn. 176 mts/100 gm hank.
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Above - Lady in Red for both yarns
Froth & Bubbles in colourway 'Stunner' for the silk and Blueberry solid for the mohair. |
We love trying different combinations of yarn. Some work & some don't. We've recently discovered that Silbo combines beautifully with our Kool Kid brushed mohair. This combo fills in the bumps in the silk and adds that lovely mohair softness. We'll call it 'Froth & Bubbles' .
Experimentation shows us that it works best to knit Froth & Bubbles using the yarns in separate balls, rather than winding them together first. This will also enable you to order both the yarns in different colourways. We'd like to recommend a variegated colourway for the silk and a semi solid for the mohair as the best way to achieve a lovely outcome, but you can ask for other combinations if you wish. Both yarns in the same colourway also gives a lovely outcome as with 'Lady in Red' below.
25 gms of mohair will give ample yarn length to match the 100 gm hank of Silbo and maybe a bit left over for another project.
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Froth & Bubbles
featuring 'Fabio' in Silk and 'Stormy Seas' in mohair.
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The scarf below has been knitted in Froth and Bubbles in a new colourway 'Lady in Red' no. 266 . Embellishments in the form of various silk fabrics strips including velvet, have been added at random intervals, to add that lush richness to an already sumptuous mix.
A Knitting Kit & pattern for this Sumptuous Froth & Bubbles Scarf is available for $65. You can read about it's creation on our creative knitting page.
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. S3 & S4.
"Glossy" smooth fine Mulberry Silk (S3) and
"Gloss" smooth super fine Mulberry Silk (S4) (both high twist).
YARDAGE : - Silk 3: 135 mts/50 gms & Silk 4: 500 mts/50 gms
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S4: Pure silk 2 ply. Shade: "Maypole 116 ".
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S4: Super fine silk (above) in "Succulent 153 " (top) & "Summer Splash 150 "
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S3: Fine Silk in "Zen 77" (from the top), Rosella 115, Golden Orb 118, Succulent 153, & Seagreen 58B (Bottom) |
S3: Pure silk 4 ply. Shade Masquerade No 6.. |
| *S4 can also be purchase in 15 gm balls $7.50 S3 & S$ available in any Lara Downs colourway. |
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| S5: "Jumbo" chunky smooth low twist Mulberry Silk yarn . |
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S5 "Jumbo".
This silk is another heavy weight in our silk options. It has very little twist and will brush a little with wear, but drapes beautifully. Great for felting accents too. |
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150 gms per 100 gm hank.
Shown at right in "Splendor" No 7 (top) & "Extremity" No 157. (Model left) is wearing a wrap in S5 "Africa" colourway knitted by Trish & draped in a "Kool Kid" mohair shawl. |
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S5 also available by the metre @$1.25 / mt
For colour options by the metre, see our order form. |
>>>> Pure Cashmere and Cashmere/Silk Yarns - New - now also available in 8 ply. |
Introducing sheer luxury cashmere and cashmere/silk blend yarns Our pure Cashmere yarn is spun from 13 micron fibre making it one of the softest yarns available. Just superb. Our Cashmere/Silk blend (55/45 ) shares the soft handle of the cashmere with an added touch of lustre from the silk. A subtle and lovely yarn. Both pure Cashmere and the Cash/Silk blend are available in both 2 and 4 ply weights. $25/hank.
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Inset at far left is a close up of a crochet design by Wendy Knight in Lara Downs Cashmere/Silk in 'Marakesh' No. 40. Inset is a jacket in Pure Cashmere 4 ply ("Pink Fusion" No 65)
All cashmere and cash/silk yarns are available in any Lara Downs' shade or natural (white). |
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Cashmere/Silk 4 ply in "Blueberry" solid No 11.
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Cashmere/Silk 4 ply in "Indigo" 86
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Cashmere 2 ply Lace Ring Wrap in "Forest Floor" |
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SOCK YARN (3 varieties)
>>>>>1. SOCK YARN WITH SILK (Merino/Bamboo/Silk/Nylon 60/15/10/15) - Machine washable
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This sock yarn is a blend of Merino wool 60%, Bamboo 15% , 10% Silk and 15% Nylon for strength and stretch. 100 grams will knit three standard socks so it gives you a Pair and a Spare!
Sock yarn also knits up beautifully into scarves & wraps with a springy feel.
380 mts/100 gms. Recommended needle size 3.25mm-3.75mm |
How about this for a glorious foot ! Kathy has mastered the Skew Sock pattern from Knitty.com and it looks amazing. Kathy tell us that one hank is more than enough for a pair of "Skew Socks" too .
Thanks Kathy. |
A pretty Garden Sock !
Thanks Sue .
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We have devised "Rainbow" No. 155, a new shade just for this yarn, shown above as a ball and with black mohair in a zig-zag scarf.
Sock yarn can also be ordered in any of our LD shades. Also shown in Peacock No 48 (below & Forest Floor at left).
Rainbow shade $23.50 Other LD shades $22.00/100 gm hank . The Rainbow shade takes a lot longer to dye - hence the different price.
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>>>>>2. SOCK YARN IN PURE MERINO (19 micron) Machine washable
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| This robust sock yarn offers 360 mts/100 gram hank. Takes dye really well and should wear really well too. $24.50/100 gms. |
shown in "Siena" |
shown in Blood Orange |
shown in Maypole |
>>>>>3. SOFT SOCK YARN spun from EXTRA FINE MERINO with 15% NYLON - Machine washable
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| This super soft sock yarn is spun from 16.5 micron merino making it the softest sock yarn we offer. It provides a standard 400 mt/100 gram hank. Also takes dye really well and will wear well too, but treat with a bit more care than our Pure Merino sock yarn. . $26/100 gms. |
shown in a one off shade. |
shown in Jade |
shown in Eco |
>>> "Velvet" Merino wool, Angora Bunny and Cashmere blend yarn (currently out of stock)
Annabel, the Mohair Hide bear is modelling the Marshmellow Baby Dress for us in "Velvet" merino/bunny/cashmere.
This yarn has a lovely soft velvety feel as you would expect with such luxurious ingredients. Not too heavy and not too light as Goldilocks would say ! Just right for our warmish Winters.
Order in any Lara Downs colourway.
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shade: "Masquerade No 6 " |
Contents: Merino Lambs wool 80%, Angora Bunny down 10% and Cashmere down 10%.
Length: 270 mts/100 gms
18 wpi.
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shade: "Mystique No 197 "
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shade: "Tuscany No 119" |
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>>> "Shine" Merino & Silk yarn blends - 2, 4 and 8 ply
All of the yarns featured here are 50% merino wool and 50% silk.
The yarns have a lovely lustre and soft handle. Lara Downs MerinoSilk is available in 2, 4 or 8 ply. |
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4 ply in "Seascape" No. 177
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Above shades from top to bottom are : Real Red No.220 in 8 ply, Romp'n Red No 219 in 4 ply & Rich Earth No. 44 in 2 ply
Yardage details are on our order form.
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4 ply in "Provence" No.172
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2ply Merino Silk in "Itali" No 160 colourway.
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>>> LINEN 4 ply in natural colour only
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Linen is an ancient yarn form, made from the Flax plant.It offers strength and is a little stiff and starchy but just right in the right article, like Summer weight garments given that it breathes and is cool to wear. Don't worry about the creases either - its just the way it behaves so go with the flow. Even try putting in creases for effect, but scrunching while wet.
Linen is not only strong but unlike most other fibres, it gets better (ie softer & more supple) with age. |
| We only sell this yarn in its natural form so you may like to try dyeing it yourself using natural dyes. |
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Knit on its own or combine with other fancy or metallic yarns to set off it's natural features. |
| Each 100 gm hank provides 260 mts. Only $18.00 each. |
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BABY CAMEL is back - only in lovely natural brown
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Pure Baby Camel in 8 ply |
80 mts / 50 gm hanks |
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This yarn is best used in its natural shade but can be overdyed in dark colours as above, if required. Discuss your selection with us. $13.00 each |
>>>>> "MAGIC" Rayon / Cotton Thick & Thin (light weight and cooling for Spring/Summer/Autumn wear
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We have combined "Magic" (Ocean colourway) with our Silk S3 "Gloss" yarn in a semi solid matching colourway to create a simple knitted top plus matching necklace.
See our handcrafts page for full details.
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This is a gorgeous yarn with great texture. Best viewed in the swatch to show off the nobbly bits of rayon and cotton in the blend.
190 mts/100 gms.
Composition Rayon 71% Cotton 29%
Only available in Natural white (below), Black (top left) and Ocean (above) plus several one off shades left & right.. |
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Lot Y26A above from our Shopping page. "Magic" Rayon/Cotton blend in one off shade. 110 gms RRP $23.00 |
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Lot Y26 above from our shopping page- "Magic" Rayon/Cotton Hand dyed in "Gold" one off shade 100 gms $21.00 |
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>Knitting Kits
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> Angoraglow Yarn Harmony Quartet Knitting Kit featuring Super kid mohair & Silk. This fabulous wrap in 'Sophisti-cat' blend and modelled by Liz, has been knitted from the Quartet Kit. Kit contents: 140 gms of yarn (includes 40 gms Angoraglow 4 ply, 40 gms Angoraglow 2 ply in two different shades (40gms x 2) plus 20 gms Silk boucle).
Kit includes a free pattern for the wrap. |
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>>>>Angoraglow Kid mohair Neck Hugger Kits
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Neck Huggers are knitted using any three shades of Angoraglow 2 ply from our colour range to create colourful and comfortable neck warmers. Using far less yarn than regular scarves, and being quick and easy to knit, they are a great idea for the busy knitter and are a great gift idea. Lara Downs kid mohair is wonderfully comfortable right up close and is snug and warm. Don't try this pattern with other yarn of lesser quality as it is bound to prickle ! The pattern comes in three variations and is exclusive to Lara Downs. All three patterns come free with each Kit ordered. Matching buttons supplied for an additional charge. Choose your own colour combination from Lara Downs' colour chart.
 
See our Handcrafts page for more photos of completed Huggers & other Knit Kits.
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Brushed Mohair Yarn - black only. Sourced from New Zealand.
This yarn is a good solid black. Special price available - end of lot - see price list. Available in 100 gm hanks.
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A super long wrap in wavy warpy style using short and long row technique. Wendy stayed warm at the Bendigo Sheep Show in July wearing this wrap using our 12 ply brushed yarn. This wrap is now available in Kit form.
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>>>>A Note on Quality Control and about buying Mohair Yarn
Please refer to our statement on quality control and a note of caution about buying Mohair yarns, published on our Mohair page. |
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>>>>Wendy's Rainbow Threads are supplied in attractive retail packs in 10 yarns x 1 metre and 10 yarns by 2 metre lengths . See our order form for pricing details.
& Rainbow Twists. More colourful delights now in 10 mts x 4 = 40 metre twists. Great for embellishing - anything really !
Join them together as you knit for an amazing result. |
An exciting range of mohair, wool, silk and synthetic yarn mixes in short lengths, have been blended especially for fibre artists, embroiderers and scrumblers. We can make up packs to meet your particular colour requirements . Please note that each pack will be unique in its mix of textures and colour selection while staying within the general colour theme you order. Please contact us to discuss your requirements if necessary.
Now also in 100 gm colour co-ordinated "Scrumblers" packs from Precious Purl $22.00 and.......
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also in small 50 gm packs from Lara Downs.
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"Yarn Lollies" are mixed samples of exotic yarns from around the world. Packs contain a mix of fibres including wool, silk, mohair, angora, rayon, cotton plus various synthetics & metallics. Most yarns are natural fibres collected in our travels or sourced from Lara Downs stocks. A selection of Lolly packs are available for purchase from our Shopping page. 50 gm packs $10.50. (Note that each pack is unique). |
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© Lara Downs 2006 All Rights Reserved. Website's original design by GeB Productions |
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