Angora wool: qualities, virtues. Woolen yarn for needlework

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The wool of the Angora goat, predominantly found in Turkey, America and South Africa, is used to produce fibers known as "mohair". These threads are very popular with knitters. Angora wool is soft and airy, warm and fluffy, feels like silk. But in its manufacture, acrylic or nylon must be added, otherwise it will simply crumble into separate particles in your hands. Knitting things from mohair is very profitable, because the yarn is very voluminous and at the same time weightless. In this regard, the consumption of threads is small. For example, a product of size 44 will require 200-250 g of angora down. At the same time, things turn out to be unusually warm and pleasant to the touch. From such yarn you can knit anything: warm woolen socks, fluffy sweaters and voluminous scarves.

Historical note on fluffy wool

Mohair has long been called "soft gold". None of the wool has such properties as angora. Down perfectly repels water, but absorbs natural moisture, while retaining heat. A big plus of angora is its resistance to pollution. It is worth noting that thiswool is absolutely hypoallergenic. Also, products made from this yarn help people with such ailments as osteochondrosis, arthritis and hypertension. After all, Angora wool has a low thermal conductivity, which means it creates “dry heat.”

The softest, most delicate and warm down is "Orenburg". Its thickness is only 15–17 microns, and the length reaches an average of 8 cm. The down from Volgograd is slightly inferior to it, the length of which is 11–12 cm. And the thickness varies within 22–23 microns. Angora rabbit wool is also widely used. Mostly only stoles and openwork napkins are knitted from it. It is not suitable for making warm downy shawls, because the length of the wool is very large. It reaches 43 cm, and the thickness ranges from 37 to 43 microns.

Pros and cons of mohair yarn and fabric

Angora in the form of yarn is practically not produced in its pure form. In the composition, you can often find acrylic or merino (sheep wool), the addition of which makes the product more wear-resistant and durable. Most often on sale you can see yarn of various colors, in which dye is added. But it will not be difficult for a buyer to find natural undyed yarn of pure white or black color. Woolen threads are very difficult to uniform and high-quality dyeing, so colored products are much more expensive. The main advantages of this yarn can be called extraordinary softness, warmth and fluffiness, which is so pleasant to the touch. But there is also a significant drawback. Unfortunately, mohair peels off. And, alas, this processirreversible, even if the percentage of angora in the yarn is reduced.

Characteristic features of the Angora goat breed

Many needlewomen probably wondered: what is Angora wool made of? It turns out that she is sheared from a goat. By external signs, one can easily distinguish an animal of this breed from any other of its relatives. So, Angora goats have small legs and a beautiful short body with small horns. Their weight ranges from 30 to 35 kg. The male is quite easy to recognize by the horns, they are twisted and very powerful. Their approximate average weight is 50 kg, but the mass can reach 85 kg. The Angora goat has a characteristic feature - a beard, and both the male and the female have it. But the main difference is, of course, wool. In the Angora breed, it is shiny, long, soft and incredibly fluffy.

What does the buyer buy today under the brand word "Angora"?

Angora goat is a capricious animal and takes root in few places. For this reason, the angora rabbit breed was bred by the Chinese. Today it is a fairly high-quality replacement for real goat wool. Rabbits are very fluffy. The length of their hair and sometimes can reach 50 cm. Modern industry has learned to process rabbit down, adding acrylic fibers to it at the production stage. And only then mixing camel or sheep wool with the finished threads. Woolen threads made from rabbit hair with the inscription "Angora" can now be found on store shelves.

Angora down quality

The big minus of products fromangora is the impossibility of washing such products in machines. You need to clean things only with soft, gentle detergents that are designed for any woolen items. However, it can only be washed by hand. Angora wool is not always the same. Its quality is affected by the type of animal from whose pile it is made, and the purity of this very wool. It is worth noting that the last factor is one of the most important. He determines the price of down. Dirty hair costs a penny.

Factors that determine yarn grade

So, first-class fluff is perfectly clean. But here an important condition is the length of the hair - it must be at least 6 cm. This fluff covers 70% of the animal's body. If the hair is clean, but its length does not reach 6 cm, then such wool can be considered second-class. Such fluff is observed on the limbs and abdomen of the animal. The cost drops by almost 20% compared to the first grade. And finally, felt down, which is cut from the neck, costs only 15% of the price of the first grade.

The hair of Angora rabbits is 98.5% pure, since the amount of sebaceous glands on the animal's body is limited by nature. And on top of that, animals successfully clean themselves. If compared with sheep's wool, then due to the presence of sweat and fat secretions, it is only half clean. Shearing or shaving rabbits in order to obtain wool is carried out approximately once every 3 months, and the hair is combed out 2 times a year.

Advantages of angora rabbit wool production

Wool hair is of very high quality. Its approximate length is from 6up to 12 cm. Downy hair is much shorter, but much warmer and softer. They are very difficult to keep in a thread. It is they who fall out of the finished product. Many have come across in everyday life the fact that angora wool "falls off". But this property, most likely, is a plus of fluff, rather than its minus. After all, this factor is used with great success to produce the softest felt.

On an industrial scale, only white rabbits are grown, as their wool lends itself to further dyeing. But an interesting fact is that in India, farmers artisanally breed colored animals, obtaining a pile of various palettes in muted colors without using a further dyeing method. The fluff of the Angora rabbit is hollow, which makes it light, thereby increasing the thermal insulation properties. Therefore, angora yarn is so popular. Wool has always been valued for its unique properties.

Features of keeping Angora rabbits

An obligatory condition for the angora producer is to keep the animals clean, as the wool goes into production for processing without prior washing. Caring for Angora rabbits requires a high level of professionalism and great knowledge in this area. Even small erroneous actions can lead to the loss of adult animals and, accordingly, to large losses. Indeed, in order to compensate for the loss, it will be necessary to raise at least a one-year-old animal. A very delicate procedure is the collection of down, because careless sorting leads to damage to the pile. BUTit will be simply impossible to restore its original properties and beauty.

A very important condition for collecting high-quality fluff is the nutrition of rabbits. It should be full, rich and varied. This directly affects the quantity and quality of the collected fluff. Also no less important is the climatic conditions of keeping animals. High temperatures and excessive sun will not have the best effect on down. Both in quality and quantity, the result will be meager. But even in countries with cold winters, rabbits will not feel comfortable. The best option in harsh conditions would be buildings that protect animals from the cold. But you need to remember that in this situation, after a haircut, the angora rabbit needs special care.

How to properly care for angora wool products

Nothing warms up on cold winter evenings like hand-knitted woolen socks. But in order for them and other woolen products to serve as long as possible, they must be properly looked after. There are no special recommendations compared to other types of wool. The product can only be washed by hand using special liquid detergents, it is allowed to dry it in a straightened position on a horizontal plane - that, perhaps, is all the rules of care. Observing them, one can understand that things simply cannot be warmer, softer and more pleasant than a product made of angora wool.

And doesn't have muchvalues, from mixtures of which fibers the thread is made. The main factor should be naturalness, and not an artificial fake under the loud names "Mohair" or "Angora", as is now customary in Turkey or China. The softest, natural fluff of delicate angora can only be recognized by a true connoisseur and true connoisseur of high-quality, natural fibers.