Sheep of the Week: Angora Goat

I know, it's a goat, not a sheep, but who's quibbling?  It's four-legged, it bleats and it produces some really fun fiber.

FUN FACT:  It's a BAND of goats, a FLOCK of sheep and a HERD of cattle.

The angora goat, funny enough, produces mohair fiber and should not be confused with the bunny of the same name.  It gets its name from Ankara, Turkey, from whence it came, and where it was so valued that the Turks actually put a picture of one of these characters on their money.  Now our own state of Texas is one of the top three largest mohair producers in the world, along with Turkey and South Africa.  Presumable, they like the Texan climate and food (grass, shrubs--sounds about right for a goat).  These mid-sized goats are a little picky about their environs and somewhat difficult to raise as they are more delicate and less prolific than their wool-producing cousins.

Their fiber is similar in size to course wool, but because each strand is smooth rather than scaled, it does not felt.  It is a strong fiber, lustrous, elastic and easily dyed in rich colors.  Some goats' coats grow in ringlets; some in flat locks.  The ringlets will be softer.

One of the things I love about mohair is it's tendency to produce floaty, cloud-like yarn.  You can blend it with wool to achieve this halo effect, but choose your mohair carefully.  Kid mohair, from the babies (aka kids) is the one you want for next to skin wear, otherwise you may find your beautiful garment itchy and unwearable.

Angora goats are mid-sized animals with big goat personalities.  Bucks can weigh up to 225 pounds, while does top out at 110.   Males and females both grow spiraling horns up to two feet long on the males, making them picturesque and maybe a little dangerous.  But look at that face! 

My dream flock would definitely include one of these handsome guys.  My dream flock just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Ugly Yarn Day 2012

This week I was going to post about Corespinning in another Art Yarn 101 post.  Not that I didn't start learning the technique.  I did.  I carded some dyed alpaca, blending it with some sari silk and bits of silk ribbon, a little mohair and a smidge of sparkly stuff.  I kicked off my Uggs and stretched my toes, sat down at my wheel, balanced my core yarn, and spun a small hank of UGLY, UGLY  purple yarn.

"Why is all my yarn purple?" I asked myself.  And then the negative self-talk spiraled out of control and the next thing I knew I wasn't just NOT and artist and NOT creative, but I was a poor excuse for a human being.  (In desperate need of some nurturing, which began with a walk in the woods, also known as taking a giant step back from the abyss of negativity.)

Thank god for tools and a little self awareness and some perspective.  When I came back to it later, I found it wasn't so bad if I picked out some of the bits of ribbon.  I designated Tuesday as Ugly Yarn Day and navajo plied a bobbin of questionably-dyed merino that had been sitting around for, well, months, actually.  Yep...still ugly.  But not purple.  And perfect for trials of some patterns I'm working on.

It's growing on me...a little.

I have a quote from Ira Glass of This American Life radio program that comforts me in times like these.

May we all push through to the other side, close the gap and NEVER QUIT!

Art Yarn 101: The AutoWrap

After having fun with the Racing Stripe, it was time to move on to the next lesson in Spin Art by Jacey Boggs, in my autodidactic quest to learn all I can about textured yarns.  The Autowrap, as it turns out, is a really rewarding technique that is also pretty easy.  You can use a variety of materials, getting different results each time depending on what you combine. 

For my first attempt, I chose a stripey Jacob top from Hobby Knob Farm and wrapped it with hand spun mohair carded with a little glitz.  Two things.  One, if you use a hand spun wrap, be sure to spin your yarn in the opposite direction from the handspun.  I spun the mohair counterclockwise, or S, then spun my yarn clockwise, or Z.  Two, it is really, really, really easy to overtwist this yarn, and don't think you'll fix it by spinning it back the other way once you are done.  You will not fix it.

For my second attempt, I dyed a batt of Jacob, also from Hobby Knob Farm but blended to a uniform gray and wrapped it with a commercial mohair blend.  I think I mastered the twist in this trial, and I've got enough for a hat.  YAY!