Lambskin 60×90 cream, New Zealand sheepskin

This piece differs from the other twelve in two ways at once. First, the pelt is single: it was not stitched from two halves, so the silhouette stays compact and whole at 60×90 cm across the widest points. Second, it comes from a lamb rather than an adult sheep, so the fibre is shorter, more even and softer.

The colour is a natural cream with a milky yellow cast and no dye at all. That is exactly why the tone is slightly uneven: lighter at the edges, warmer towards the middle.

• Raw material: lambskin, New Zealand sheepskin
• Size: 60×90 cm, single pelt
• Colour: cream, natural, undyed
• Wool: short, even, soft
• Backing: suede
• Care: hand wash with wool detergent
• Item code: 43
• Price: about $138

A 60×90 cm format is a compact patch: beside an armchair, under a desk, on a chair seat or in a play corner. For more area you would take a joined pair from the same family, such as the powder peach sheepskin 90×180, at twice the price.

Undyed cream may darken slightly over years of sunlight, which is normal for natural wool. Similar sizes are among bedside rugs.

A single pelt is also easier to wash in a basin than a joined pair: it needs less water and detergent and dries within a day.