"Kokon yarn was created to express my love of textiles and craft, to find an outlet for my creativity and my enquiring mind and to celebrate my heritage and history.
I was born in South Africa in Port Elizabeth, the capital of the Eastern Cape Province. From my earliest childhood memories I was always busy with craft, drawing, pottery, painting, embroidery, jewellery making, papier maché to name a few. I will never forget that as a small child of 4 or 5 years, I sewed an oven mitten for my nursery school teacher whom I adored. It had an odd shape, did not fit and almost fell apart, but I was so chuffed with my handmade gift that I wrapped it in a shoe box and proudly gave it to her.
My mother knew that with each birthday and Christmas present, if there were enough coloured pencils, coloured markers and drawing blocknotes included, the gift was perfect no matter what else was included."
South African merino wool is known worldwide for its high quality. In South Africa there is a protocol for animal husbandry/welfare. It is enforced by the South African Wool Board. The SAWB issues mulesing-free certificates to its producers. This ensures that our merino wool is mulesing free. The merino sheep graze free in the vast semi desert central Karoo region of South Africa.
The history of South-African merino wool
The first Merino sheep arrived in South Africa at the Cape of Good Hope in 1789. "Cape Wool" has become the international generic trade term for all wool produced on the sub-continent of Africa, with South Africa being the main producer.
Wool sheep breeders in South Africa are well-organised in official societies. Cape Wool has over the years built up an enviable reputation as extremely well-classed and well prepared for the market.
A protocol for animal welfare exists within Cape Wool and is enforced. Resource-based conservation is a high priority and the “clean green” approach is a business ethic.
Mulesing
Mulesing involves the removal of strips of wool-bearing skin from around the breech (buttocks) of a sheep to prevent fly strike. Flystrike is a parasitic infestation of the body of a live mammal by fly larvea that grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue.
Steps taken in South Africa to prevent mulesing: