animal fibres

Alpaca: This is that great animal that is similar to a llama and is commonly found in the higher altitudes of South America. The yarn comes in over 50 natural colours. One big difference between an alpaca and a llama is the shape of its ears!

Angora Goat (aka Mohair): You can read about this one in this month's addiction of the month. The angora goat was first mentioned in historical text from the time of Moses at about 1500 BC. The softest angora goat fibres are found on the younger animals as the fibres thicken over their lifetime.

Angora Rabbit: Cute furry bunnies make for some incredibly soft yarn! This is one of my favorites to knit with but it makes my husband sneeze because so many fibres get in the air when I am knitting! I find the best angora yarns are actually blended with a bit of wool...but the halo on 100% angora yarns is the best on a special cardigan project!

ALL about the Animal fibres (natural)

Camel: Camel yarn is very similar to merino wool. It is a very warm and resilient fibre.

Chiengora: This is yarn made from dog hair. It is an unusual idea but I have seen some incredibly soft and warm items made from the dog hair. The undercoat of a husky (and I am also guessing other "cold" area dogs like the malamute, etc) is very soft and knits into a lovely scarf that will keep you very warm. I have felt them and they are incredible. Dog hair was actually used by the Navajo Native American tribe for making clothing and blankets.

Wool was probably the first animal fiberto be made into cloth. The art of spinning wool into yarn developed about 4000 B.C. and encouraged trade among the nations in the region of the Mediterranean Sea. The first wool factory in England was established in 50 A.D. in Winchester by theRomans. In 1797, the British brought 13 Merino sheep to Australia and started the country's Merino sheep industry. There are 40 different breeds of sheep in the world producing a rough estimate of 200 types of wool with varying standards. The major wool producers in the world are Australia, Argentina, China and South Africa.

The processing of wool involves four major steps. First comes shearing, followed by sorting and grading, making yarn and lastly, making fabric.

Properties of the wool:

1) It is hard wearing and absorbs moisture;

2) It does not burn over a flame but smoulders instead;

3) It is lightweight and versatile;

4) Wool does not wrinkle easily;

5) It is resistant to dirt and wear and tear.