SUPERFINE Merino wool, traditionally the fibre for premium Italian suits, is gaining popularity on a global scale.
A recent joint initiative from the Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association and Australian Country Spinners (ACS) created the Australian Superfine Merino by Cleckheaton brand.
The product was launched to Australian retailers in August last year and shortly after was "quietly" launched online to gauge international interest.
Knitted yarn, in the form of basic woollen balls, is produced by ACS at its Wangaratta Woollen Mill in Victoria.
A delegation from US Vogue Knitting visited the Wangaratta Woollen Mill in October following which the online business boomed.
Interest is so high that ACS is currently running two shifts a day to meet US demand.
"We are going like the clappers at the moment to produce in order to ship in time," Ms McGahan said.
In June and July she was operating three shifts a day at the mill.
Ms McGahan is also in the midst of signing off on a deal with a major US retailer to stock Australian Superfine Merino by Cleckheaton.
"It's been a good year, there is good demand for yarn at the moment, this our peak time and it's been a good knitting season as there a lot of new knitting enthusiasts coming on board," she said.
But it's not just any superfine wool that make the cut - the wool must be unmuelsed, have a minimum staple length of 68 millimetres, be at the finer end of the superfine micron range, and be grown by an Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association member.
Yass woolgrower Paul Simons' 17.5-micron superfine clip has made the grade and so far he has supplied just over nine tonne of wool to ACS.
Last November Mr Simons sold 48 bales of his clip to ACS which he received a 150 cents a kilogram premium above the spot price (clean) at the time.
His wool was sent to China to be scoured and turned into top before it was returned to ACS to be dyed, spun and packaged.
Following its success Mr Simons is hoping his 1400 Merino weaners being shorn this week will cut between two-and-a-half and three kilograms of wool per head and will meet ACS specifications so he can supply it with another three tonne of wool.
The initial wool clip Mr Simons delivered to ACS is now in the form of knitting yarn and sports swing tags with all the markings of quality "Australian Superfine Merino by Cleck-heaton" and The Woolmark Company branding.
It's this quality assurance that ACS chief executive officer Brenda McGahan says had made the product a hit with knitters across the world- especially in the US.
Coverage in US Vogue Knitting magazine has also spurred on international sales of product that was only launched last August.
Ms McGahan said the idea was hatched two years ago when ACS celebrated its 90th birthday.
"We wanted to develop a product that would ensure Australian superfine growers' would be around for the next 90 years and would get the price they need to stay in the industry," he said.
