Christmas 2010 is almost upon us.

How this year has flown by!!

It has been an interesting year for us at Casaveen with the introduction of our new Fine Range and ongoing training on new machinery. However its almost done for the year and done very well by our great staff.

Everyone here is looking to a relaxing couple of weeks of R & R and all are hoping the weather improves. It is currently 9 degrees celcious which is cold considering it is Summer.

Our factory will be closed from 23 December until 11 January 2011 and the Cafe will be closed from Christmas Eve till 29 December plus New Years Day.

We wish you all a wonderful and safe Christmas and New Year.

May 2011 bring you all good health, food & wine, friends and fun.

Why Wool?

It’s a fair question considering the variety of fibres that can be used in knitwear.

For Casaveen Knitwear, it all began by knitting the wool we grew at Casaveen, a 6.000 acre farming property at Lemont in the midlands of Tasmania. It was a huge buzz to look at the wool on the backs of our sheep knowing it would become a jumper that would be on the backs of our customers.

For our knitwear it’s always been a priority to produce the best and wool was first choice.

We do know about wool, we grew it – or at least our sheep did. We understand its fantastic properties of shape retention, how well it takes dyes, how safe it is as it is much harder to set fire to, I mean the list goes on and on.

There really was no other fibre that could perform, and still can’t, as well as wool does as far as we are concerned.

It’s so comfortable to wear especially when it’s low micron. Just so soft against your skin without any itch. We only ever use premium wool so our garments are very soft. Think warmth and luxury.

Looking after it is not a big deal. If it’s superwashed you can throw it into the washing machine on a gentle cycle which is easy to do. If it’s not superwashed just hand wash and spin out the excess water, lie it flat to dry and iron it on the correct setting. None of this is hard and the result is really worth it.

Casaveen pure wool knitwear goes on for years, in fact they don’t really wear out!

Let me hear what you think about wool and why you like to wear it.

Stay toasty.
Clare

Fine Range Dominates Casaveen

As Easter approaches my thoughts turn to time with family and friends, Hot Cross Buns, Chocolate, and importantly, time to relax!

At this time of the year our factory is frantic. We are madly knitting and putting garments together to dispatch to all our customers. We will be like this for the next few months as we make our special knitwear with all the choice of colour, size and style. Because we custom knit for you, we don't always have your chosen woolen garment in stock. But as we'd rather you had something that really fitted properly and looked good, we are happy to have this service for you. It gives us all a huge kick when we know you are happy with your garments!

Our newest machine is now installed and running. It is another 12 gauge machine expressly for knitting our new line of Fine Merino Extrafine Knitwear. We've been inundated with orders for both the Classic (medium weight) and Fine (light weight) ranges. However we needed another fine gauge machine to cope with the demand for the Fine range and it takes 3 months for the machine to be made and transported from Japan to Tasmania.

It's now up and running with plenty of knitwear coming off and waiting to be put together in the Finishing area. This is where the garment is put together on the linker, handfinished, has buttons or zips attached and then final checking and pressing before going down to be dispatched.

Our newest catalogue is now out and we have some big changes this year. Not only do we have the introduction of the Fine Range but we've changed the way we show our colours. We trust the images on our "Size & Colour" page are easier to see and while they do not have the authenticity of the yarn samples, we are happy to send you out colour swatches if you would like to check the colours and feel of the fabric.

I wish you all a safe and enjoyable Easter.

Stay toasty
Clare

Summer at Casaveen

Its high summer here in beautiful Tasmania and we are having such perfect weather. Still & peaceful with fresh mornings turning into warm afternoons.

At Casaveen its full steam ahead getting our new range of knitwear out to our retail customers and stocking the shelves in the Showroom at Oatlands.

With our newest machine and the soft luxurious Merino Extra Fine wool we are now able to offer a lighter weight range which will be featured in the new 2010 catalogue.

The catalogue is being fine tuned ready for posting out in early March.

We are looking forward to getting our newest knitting machine which is expected to arrive at Casaveen the first week in March. It is another 12 gauge machine to match the one we received last June. It's been a steep learning curve but one we are all excited about. These 2 machines are the ones that knit the finer gauge knitwear - lighter cardigans and jumpers that are perfect for our climate in Australia.

So as you can see it's all happening at Casaveen!

We are all delighted that so many people are dropping into the Cafe for lunches & coffees and enjoying the courtyard while the weather is so delightful. Just perfect for sitting outside enjoying a glass of wine under the umbrellas! What a great way to pass the time of day!

While the weather is still hot it's a good idea to check the storage of your woolens.
If you have a cedar chest of drawers, woolen knitwear is safe from silverfish and moths. If not, if you keep the knitwear in ziplock plastic bags this will help guarding against the things that like eating wool.

Wool is such a fantastic fibre—even the Prince of Wales was endorsing wool as the perfect organic fibre in the press last week.

So, as with all things that are worthwhile, its worth the extra bit of effort to look after it properly.

Stay toasty
Clare