Wool hand knitting yarn trade remain stable in 2005
21 Dec '05
2 min read
Australian Wool Innovation Limited (AWI) presented the US wool hand knitting yarn trade results.
After record breaking hand knitting yarn sales in the US last year, sales remain strong in 2005.
Consumer research conducted for the Craft Yarn Council of America at the end of 2004 confirmed that young women aged between 25 and 34 fueled knitting and crochet yarn sales across the country. Since 2002, participation in these crafts by American women in total has increased by around a quarter (the numbers are in the tens of millions).
Not only are the numbers who know how to knit or crochet up, but activity is also holding strong. Throws and Afghans continued to be favourites, but ponchos and wraps seem to be the latest hot projects.
This frenzy of knitting and crocheting resulted in exponential growth of US imports of hand knitting yarn between 2001 and 2004. In 2004, imports of hand knitting yarn with some wool and/or fine animal hair content were massively higher than in 2003, and in the first 9 months of 2005 imports grew even further.
In 2004, wool-poor blends with synthetics and chiefly wool yarns performed most strongly. So far this year, the strongest growth has been in wool rich yarns.
AWI initiates, commissions and delivers research and development (R&D) to Australian woolgrowers. Company works through alliances and contracts and, where possible, we commercialise R&D outcomes. The primary aim is the adoption of technology - on farm and along the global wool pipeline.