About us
Let’s have a yarn…
At Otto and Spike we admire well made, well-designed knitwear, that you’ll love to wear on your head, around your neck and out on the town. Using beautiful Australian Extra Fine Merino & pure Lambs wool.
Otto and Spike is as much about a place as a product. We have been knitting in Brunswick (an inner suburb of Melbourne) for the last 50 years. Melbourne is a great place to knit because you never know when that scarf or beanie will come in handy! Wearing warm woollies is part of life for the Melbourne dweller and they love rugging up in winter whether it be to go see the footy, explore her many laneways, feast from her food trucks or take to her slopes.
Otto and Spike is as much about a place as a product. We have been knitting in Brunswick (an inner suburb of Melbourne) for the last 50 years. Melbourne is a great place to knit because you never know when that scarf or beanie will come in handy! Wearing warm woollies is part of life for the Melbourne dweller and they love rugging up in winter whether it be to go see the footy, explore her many laneways, feast from her food trucks or take to her slopes.
Otto and Spike a product of a place.
Proud to be producing knitted accessories in East Brunswick 3057.
Back when we first started knitting, good ol’ Brunnie was the centre of Melbourne’s textile industry. Nowadays things have changed hardly anyone knits in Australia. Companies chasing cheaper prices moved their production overseas. Gone are the days when we made custom cardigans for the Sharpie Gangs in 1970’s Melbourne. The Sharpie’s and most of Melbourne’s textile producers may be in the past, but we are still here, designing and producing fine knitted goods.
‘What we make consumes very little’
Otto and Spike is a result of circumstance. Through the hard times, as many knitters around us were forced to close their doors, we accumulated an abundance of surplus yarn that would have otherwise contributed to our countries landfill. Surplus from an industry that has gradually disappeared from our country. This wool was made up of a veritable rainbow of colours – small precious amounts of each, none enough to knit a large run of garments. Beautiful Australian wools, it seemed crazy to waste since Australia produces some of the finest wool in the world. So our Otto and Spike story began – with some careful planning we were able to integrate these yarns into our ranges. In fact our first 5 ranges were predominantly made of surplus wools. Over the years our brand has grown, whilst we continue to collect and reuse leftover wools we also now have the luxury of adding additional Australian Merino & Lambswools to our collection.
As well as taking great care with our choices of yarn, each of our machines has a special role in the making and creating of our knitted pieces. We have an amazing collection of knitting machinery, enough to document the last century of knitted history.
As well as taking great care with our choices of yarn, each of our machines has a special role in the making and creating of our knitted pieces. We have an amazing collection of knitting machinery, enough to document the last century of knitted history.
Why Wool?
Australia is the highest wool producing country in the world! We produce over 25% of the world’s wool. We think it would be sacrilege not to support our local industry.
Wool is a sustainable, renewable lasting fibre.
Wool has its own built in thermostat – warm in the Winter, cool in the summer. Why do you think we use wool for insulation? The wool fibre has a crimp in it – when knitted together, it creates little air pockets that trap air and keep us warm.
Wool is easy to care for – in fact you don’t even need to wash it. Yep you heard us, wool is breathable, it draws moisture away from your body before it has a chance to turn into stinky sweat. The waxy lanolin coating on the wool protects it from mould and odour causing bacteria. By all means wash your woollies, but our preference is to air them. Check out our FAQ section for some tips on wool care.