Angora wool Totally Explained

Everything about Angora Wool totally explained

Angora wool or Angora fiber refers to the downy coat produced by the Angora rabbit. While their names are similar, Angora fiber is distinct from mohair, which comes from the Angora goat. Angora is known for its softness, low micron count (for example thin fibers), and what knitters refer to as a halo (fluffiness). It is also known for its silky texture.
   Angora rabbits produce coats in a variety of colors, from white to black. Good quality angora fiber is around 12-16 microns in diameter, and can cost around 10 - 16 dollars per ounce. It felts very easily, even on the animal itself if the animal isn't groomed frequently.
   The fiber is normally blended with wool to give the yarn elasticity, as angora fiber isn't naturally elastic. The blend decreases the softness and halo as well as the price of the finished object.
   The fibers are hollow which gives them their characteristic floating feel.

The Angora rabbit

There are four different ARBA recognized types of Angora rabbit: English, French, Satin and Giant. There are many other breeds, one of the more common being German. Each breed produces different quality and quantity of fiber, and has a different range of colors.

Fur production

Angora fur is produced in Europe, Chile, China and the United States. Harvesting occurs up to four times a year (about every 4 months) and is collected by plucking, shearing, or collection of the molting fur.
Most breeds of Angora rabbits molt with their natural growth cycle about every four months. Many producers of the fiber pluck the fur of these breeds. Plucking is, in effect, pulling out the molted fur. Plucking ensures a minimum of guard hair, and the fur isn't as matted when plucked as when it's collected from the rabbit's cage. However, plucking a rabbit is time consuming, so some producers shear the rabbit instead. While this results in slightly lower quality fleece as the guard hairs are included, it does take less time and results in more fleece. Also, not all breeds of angora molt, and if the rabbit doesn't naturally molt, it can't be plucked. German angoras don't molt.
The rabbits must be groomed at least once or twice a week to prevent the fur from matting and felting. There is also a danger that a rabbit will ingest its own molted fur; unlike a cat, a rabbit can't easily be rid of the build up. (External Link

)

Quality of Wool

The premium 1st quality wool is taken from the back and upper sides of the rabbit. This is usually the longest and cleanest fiber on the rabbit. There shouldn't be hay or vegetable matter in the fiber. Second quality is from the neck and lower sides and may have some vegetable matter. Third quality is the buttocks and legs and any other areas that easily felt and are of shorter length. Fourth quality is totally unsalvageable and consists of the larger felted bits or stained fiber. Third and fourth quality are perfect for cutting up for the birds to use in lining their nests. With daily brushing felting of the fiber can be avoided, increasing the usable portion of fiber.

Angora wool in popular culture

The director, writer, and actor Edward D. Wood, Jr. was known to have a fetish for angora wool sweaters, referenced in his film "Glen or Glenda?". Also, in the film "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", directed by Ed Wood fan Tim Burton, there's a scene in Willy Wonka's factory where pink Angora sheep are being shorn. Wonka (here played by Johnny Depp) says "I'd rather not talk about this one", which is a reference to Depp's role as Wood in a previous Burton film.

Uses

Angora wool can be used in all sorts of ways. It is commonly used in apparel such as sweaters and suitings, knitting yarn, and felting.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Angora Wool'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://angora_wool.totallyexplained.com">Angora wool Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.