Julia Neubauer creates a collection of unique handmade fashion accessories under the business name of Chameleon. 

The collection includes:

• Knitted pure wool scarves and hats, embellished with funky felt designs
• Folksy felted wool bags, cushions, hot water bottle covers, corsage and key rings.
• Random striped supersoft wool sweaters and hats in a myriad of colours.

 

   

All the accessories are made or hand finished by Julia in her home workshop.

As commercial wool felt doesn't come in the rich warm colours that Julia likes to use-geranium, saffron, sloe, peony and apple green- she does the felting herself, machine knitting supersoft or herdwick wool into long lengths, then machine washing them on a hot cycle.

Julia buys yarn stashes and button collections via the internet and experiments with different designs and processes. As well as her knitting machines, Julia has several sewing machines including a new embellisher with felting needles which attach fabrics and yarns to each other without using thread. 

The collection is sold through craft outlets and galleries throughout the UK . Julia also exports her work to galleries and shops in Japan and the USA . In Cumbria it is sold

through the "Made in Cumbria " outlets, Percy House Gallery in Cockermouth, The Gincase nr Silloth, The Raspberry Rooms in Caldbeck.

 

Julia is a member of the Woolclip co-operative, founded in 2001 and currently comprising 15women. They are an enterprising group with a diverse range of skills. These include farmers producing wool and mohair, creative textile and fibre artists and spinners, weavers, knitters and dyers. They have an emphasis on innovation, creativity and colour and operate through a successful retail outlet at Priest's Mill in Caldbeck , Cumbria .