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Fiber Feature: Mohair wool

6/22/2013

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This is the second installment in our "feature fiber" series. If you missed the first, be sure to check out the post on Romney wool to learn a little bit more about the fiber that you are spinning!
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Look at those curls!
Mohair wool comes from angora goats. (Note, there are also angora rabbits, which are something else entirely!)

Mohair increases its diameter with the age of the goat, growing along with the animal. Fine hair from younger animals is used for finer applications such as clothing, and the thicker hair from older animals is more often used for carpets and heavy fabrics intended for outerwear. Therefore, you'll often see mohair described as "kid" or "baby" mohair--this just means it comes from a younger goat and is softer.

The wool can be spun in such a way to encourage a halo in the final yarn, or it can be spun to minimize this effect--it all depends on what qualities are desired in the final object.

Mohair locks can also be used to create fun and funky "tail spun" yarns, which make for a great accent on hats and gloves.

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Tailspun yarn - gorgeous colors!
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Example of mohair yarn with a great halo
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Dark storm clouds roving, available at sheepishcreations.etsy.com
Sheepish Creations offers a variety of mohair yarns and rovings.

You can find all of our mohair rovings here and all of our mohair yarns here.

We also offer a shawl kit made almost exclusively from mohair yarn. It's perfect for a hard-to-shop for knitter in your life. Each kit includes a pattern, all necessary yarn, and a gorgeous shawl pin. The kits can be found here.

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Heather Moors Lace Shawl Kit, front view
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Heather Moors Lace Shawl Kit, close up
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Heather Moors Lace Shawl Kit, side view
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Fresh fleece, now in stock. 

6/16/2013

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I've finally finished sorting and photographing our beautiful Merino/Rambouillet fleeces. We are selling the fleece in half pound (8 ounce) increments. The fleece is fully skirted, super soft, and still in the grease (still contains the natural lanolin). To be as specific as possible, the sheep's lineage is 7/8th's Merino and 1/8th Rambouillet (which is essentially French Merino.)

Although this sheep was not coated, there is low VM because the sheep pastured in a well-managed area. The fleece is a good candidate for hand processing, but would also be able to handle being sent to a mill for carding/spinning. 

The staple length is approximately 4 inches with no tension applied, but is longer than when the crimp is straightened.


The fleece is available for purchase here at sheepishcreations.etsy.com.
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Nice crimpy fleece, with decent lock structure.
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A view of the tips. As you can see, they are only a bit dusty--they'll wash up beautifully!
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The locks are approximately 4 inches without stretching.
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Another view. :)
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More pictures--this time with alpacas!

6/3/2013

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Here are some alpaca pictures I took recently. While I love sheep wool, alpaca is such a luxurious and versatile fiber. It is much more like human hair than sheep's wool, which means it is soft and glossy, without a noticeable crimp. It's also quite a bit warmer than wool, which makes it perfect for lightweight winter accessories. 
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2 beautifully coloured alpacas!
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Post-shearing--not a very dignified look!
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Despite the indignity, the alpaca was still very curious when I approached.
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Fawn alapaca, available at sheepishcreations.etsy.com
Sheepish Creations sells several different kinds of alpaca including:

White alpaca
Fawn alpaca
Dark chocolate alpaca
Silver alpaca
Red fawn alpaca
Silver alpaca/silk blend roving

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    About 
    Robin and Pam

    Sheepish Creations is a mother/daughter team specializing in beautifully dyed fibers for hand spinning, knitting, felting, and crocheting.

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