Angora wool: quality, dignity. Woolen yarn for needlework

Of the wool of the Angora goat, which mainly lives in Turkey, America and South Africa, produce fibers known as mohair. These threads are very popular with knitters. Angora wool is soft and airy, warm and fluffy, it feels like silk. But at its manufacturing necessarily add acrylic or nylon, otherwise it will simply dissolve in hands on separate particles. Knitting things from a mohair is very beneficial, 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 the 44th size will require 200-250 g of angora lint. At the same time things get extremely warm and pleasant to the touch. From such yarn you can knit anything: warm woolen socks, fluffy sweaters and voluminous scarves.

Historical reference on fluffy wool

Long ago mohair was called "soft gold". No wool has such properties as Angora. Pooh perfectly repels water, but absorbs natural moisture, while retaining heat. The great advantage of angora is its resistance to pollution. It should be noted that this coat is absolutely hypoallergenic. Also products from this yarn help people with such ailments as osteochondrosis, arthritis and hypertension. After all, Angora wool has a lower thermal conductivity, which means it creates "dry heat".

The softest, gentle and warm down is Orenburg. Its thickness is only 15-17 microns, and the length reaches an average of 8 cm. Slightly inferior to it is fluff from Volgograd, whose length is 11-12 cm. And microns of thickness vary within the limits of 22-23. Wool of Angora rabbits is also widely used . Mostly it only knits and openwork napkins. For the manufacture of warm feather shawls, it does not fit, because the length of the coat is very large. It reaches 43 cm, and the thickness varies from 37 to 43 microns.

Pros and cons of yarn and fabric from mohair

Angora in the form of yarn is almost not produced in pure form. In the composition you can often find acrylic or merino (wool of sheep), the addition of which makes the product more wear-resistant and durable. More often on sale it is possible to see a yarn of various colors in which structure the dye is added. But the natural unpainted yarn of pure white or black color to find the buyer will not be difficult. Woolen threads are very poorly suited to uniform and high-quality coloring, 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 a significant shortcoming. Unfortunately, the mohair is getting cold. And, alas, this process is irreversible, even if we reduce the percentage of angora in the yarn.

Characteristic features of the Angora goat breed

Many needlewomen probably wondered: what do Angora wool do? It turns out she is being sheared off the goat. By external signs it is possible to 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 easy to recognize by the horns, they are twisted and very powerful. Their approximate average weight is 50 kg, but the weight can reach 85 kg. Angora goat has a characteristic feature - a beard, and it is both in the male and in the female. But the main difference is, of course, wool. Angora breed is shiny, long, soft and incredibly furry.

What is the customer buying under the brand name "Angora" today?

Angora goat - an animal capricious and little where it takes root. For this reason, the Chinese bred an Angora rabbit. Today, this is a qualitative replacement of real wool from a goat. Rabbits are very fluffy. The length of their hair and can reach 50 cm. Modern industry has learned to process rabbit fluff by adding acrylic fibers to it even at the production stage. And only then mixing the ready-made filaments with a camel or sheep's wool. Woolen thread from the nap of rabbits with the inscription "Angora" today can be found on the shelves of stores.

Quality of Angora Fuzz

A big disadvantage of products from angora is the impossibility of washing such products in cars. Clean things only with soft, gentle cleansers, which are designed for any woolen things. In this case, you can erase only with your hands. Angora wool is not always the same. Its quality is affected by the type of animal from whose nap it is made, and the purity of this very coat. It should be noted that the last factor is one of the most important. He determines the price of fluff. Dirty hair costs a penny.

Factors determining the grade of yarn

So, to the first-class is the fluff of ideal purity. But here an important condition is the length of the hair - it should 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 this coat can be considered second-rate. There is such a fluff on the limbs and abdomen of the animal. The cost falls by almost 20% compared to the first grade. And, finally, felt fluff, which is sheared off the neck, costs only 15% of the value of the first grade.

The hair of Angora rabbits is 98.5% pure, as the animal's body has a limited amount of sebaceous glands. And on top of that, animals successfully clean themselves with success. If you compare it to sheep's wool, then because of the presence of the fat-spillage excretions it is only half clean. Cutting or shaving rabbits for the purpose of obtaining wool is carried out approximately once in 3 months, and the hair is combed 2 times a year.

Advantages of wool production of Angora rabbits

Woolen hair has a very high quality. Its approximate length is from 6 to 12 cm. Downy hair is much shorter, but much warmer and softer. They are very difficult to hold in a thread. They drop out of the finished product. Many faced in everyday life the fact that Angora wool "falls down". But this property, most likely, is a plus of down, rather than its minus. After all, this factor is used with great success for the production of the softest felt.

In the scale of industry only white rabbits are grown, as their wool is amenable to further staining. But an interesting fact is that in India, farmers handicrafted colored animals by crafting a pile of different palette in muted tones without using a further staining method. The fluff of the Angora rabbit is hollow, which makes it light, thus increasing the thermal insulation properties. That's why Angora yarn is so popular. Wool has always been valued for its unique properties.

Features of the content of Angora rabbits

An indispensable condition for the angora grower is keeping the animals clean, since the wool is sent to the processing for processing without preliminary 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. After all, in order to compensate for the loss, it will be necessary to grow at least a one-year-old animal. A very delicate procedure is to collect fluff, because careless sorting leads to spoilage. And return the original properties and beauty will be simply impossible.

A very important condition for the collection of quality fluff is the feeding of rabbits. It must be full, rich and diverse. This directly affects the amount and quality of the collected fluff. Also, climatic conditions of keeping animals are no less important. High temperatures and excess sun will not affect the fluff better. Both in quality and quantity, the result will be meager. But in countries with cold winters rabbits will not feel comfortable. The best option in the harsh environment will be buildings that protect animals from the cold. But we must remember that in this situation, after the haircut, the Angora rabbit needs special care.

How to take care of products made of angora wool

Nothing so warms on cold winter evenings, like wool socks knitted by their own hands. But that they and other woolen products serve as long as possible, they need to be properly taken care of. There are no special recommendations in comparison with other types of wool. The product can be washed only with the use of special liquid detergent powders, it is allowed to dry in a straightened position on the horizontal plane - that is, perhaps, all the rules of care. Observing them, you can understand that the warmer, softer and more pleasant than the product of Angora wool, things just can not be.

And it does not really matter which fibers are made from the fibers. The main factor should be naturalness, not artificial imitation under the famous names "Moher" or "Angora", as it is customary to do now in Turkey or China. The softest, natural down of tender angora can be recognized only by a true connoisseur and a true connoisseur of quality, natural fibers.