Possum fibre is the glue marrying together my two work lives: textile art and conservation.

The Back Story

For most spinners, working with possum fur would be an extremely rare occurrence.

Possum, as in the brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula from Australia.

Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, possums were introduced to create a fur trade, yet ended up causing catastrophe throughout our native environs instead.

This possum fur was harvested from an animal culled for conservation, in the name of protecting special native reptiles and restoring flora and fauna.

The Fibre

Not just rare, possum fur is no easy material to work with. The fibres are very short – just 2 or 3cm. Short fibres have a tendency to shed, which means they need to be prepared and spun with great care.

The Process

Working from scratch, I prepared the possum fibres for spinning and then handspun it into yarn on a spinning wheel.

On my old drum carder, I carefully blended the possum fur with Ruataniwha Arapawa wool, a beautiful natural undyed wild merino wool locally sourced from the top of the South Island (Te Waipounamu) Aotearoa New Zealand.

It is difficult to trap the short possum fur fibres within the wool during carding, and even more challenging to enclose it within the wool fibres while spinning.

All went well, and the resulting batt is gorgeous, don’t you think?

Spinning the Yarn

Handspun on a very special Pipy spinning wheel, gifted to me by textile artist Jo Kinross, this yarn is the end result of a process that’s taken years of skill building to complete.

I have graduated, and this yarn is my certificate.

Diligently, I produced a worsted spun yarn by using a short forward draw spinning technique to bind the possum fibres within the wool.

Why Trap Possums?

But what’s so special about this very regular looking brown wool? The answer: it’s niche (literally).

Aotearoa New Zealand was once a forested haven, so rich with birdsong that settlers were distressed by the haunting dawn chorus of kokako & co.

For my ‘real job’ as a conservation ranger, I’m targeting 6 species of mammals that harm local native flora and fauna.

Part of this job involves trapping possums, and the best way I can think of to honour these animals is by collecting their fur where possible and creating beautiful, warm, luxurious handmakes with it.

What’s next for this yarn?

I’ll be weaving it into a luscious scarf. along with other delightful fibres like handspun artisan wool and pure silk.

Can’t wait to show you.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time – cheers, Charlotte

---

What did you think?

Leave a comment below and let me know!