NATURAL ANIMAL FIBRES

HAIR

Mohair The fibre comes from the coat of the angora goat found in Turkey, but also farmed in the USA and Australia The goats are shorn once or twice a year The staple is 15-30cms (6-12inches) in length The fibres are white, lustrous, very soft and silky, strong and hard-wearing The fibres are often spun with other fibres to provide extra strength The spun yarn produces a very warm, soft fabric Mohair dyes particularly well as a fibre or as a spun yarn Mohair has less tendency than wool to shrinkage or felting

Alpaca The Alpaca is a South American camel belonging to the llama family It is kept as a domestic animal in Bolivia and Peru It is shorn once a year, the fleece being about 30cms (12 inches) in length The brown, tan, fawn or white hair is long, lustrous and silky The hair is strong enough to be spun on its' own The spun hair produces an expensive and luxurious yarn

Llama
• The Llama is similar to the Alpaca in appearance and colour, but has hair which is more coarse
• The fibre is less strong and lustrous and of poorer quality than that of the Alpca

Cashmere
• Cashmere is the under-fur of the Cashmere goat native to Kashmir in Northern India, Tibet and Outer Mongolia
• The hair is combed or plucked by hand from the animal, and is about 1-8cms (½-3 inches) in length
• Only 100grams (3-4 oz) is obtained from each animal
• Cashmere is very soft, fine and downy, and weight for weight is the warmest of all fibres
• When spun it is also considered to be the most luxurious yarn and possibly the most expensive

Angora Angora fur is plucked or clipped from the rabbit the fur measures 2-10cms (1-4 inches) in length Each rabbit produces an average of 350grams (12oz) each year The fibres are very fine, light and silky In spinning the angora fibres are often mixed with wool to produce a more bouncy, bulky yarn, or with a man-made fibre to give added strength

Dog
• The hair from the soft undercoat of the dog can be collected and spun into a yarn
• This is becoming a popular fibre for hand spinners and knitters
• The spun yarn can be easily dyed using wool (acid) dyes