What is Mohair? Why is Ours So Special?

Angora goats grow mohair much like our pets (cats and dogs) grow hair, except unlike most pet hair, mohair possesses special properties that makes it perfect for using in the textile industry and also within the crafting world. It is often referred to as the "diamond fiber" because it possesses a high tensile strength for its fiber diameter. This means that its breaking point is higher than other fibers with the same diameter. Please note that this does not mean that fine kid mohair fibers won't still break. They will. They just won't break/wear down as quickly as other protein fibers of comparable diameter. Once upon a time, mohair was graded by the age of the animal, but as breeding improved and purebred angora goats were growing the finest mohair throughout their lifetimes, grading became by micron range (although it's name still implies age group). Kid-Grade Mohair measures under 30 microns with Superfine Kid-Grade Mohair measuring 25 microns or less. Young Adult Mohair measures up to about 32 microns, the basic Adult grade is up to 36 microns, and anything above that is considered Strong Adult Grade or Coarse Adult Grade. Our focus at A Mystical Farm is Kid-Grade Mohair with an emphasis on Superfine Kid-Grade Mohair. All the grades of mohair have their purpose, but the kid-grade mohair is the next-to-skin soft grade that we focus on. 

We raise AAGBA registered purebred angora goats that grow kid-grade mohair throughout their lifetimes. I've been sending in fleeces for micron-testing to verify this statement and am very pleased with the results. My beloved Ladybug at 9 1/2 years old maintained a 22 micron fleece, Purdy at 5 1/2 years old possessed a 24.8 micron fleece, Twilight, also 5 1/2 years old came in at 25.3 microns, and Dreamweaver at 4 1/2 years old was an impressive 24.4 microns. These are my older does. This is the age group that most people believe the fleeces should be coarsening above kid-grade. Through my quality breeding program, though, my AAGBA angora goats continue to produce high-quality kid-grade fleeces throughout their lifetimes, as these micron test results show. I also have many does that are 2-3 years old that tested well under 25 microns. I tested only a few of my actual first shearing (true kid) fleeces. All my first shearing (true kid) fleeces tested in under 20 microns with the finest, Bethany's, coming in at an incredible 14.3 microns! Oh my goodness! So incredibly soft!

Just how much of this incredibly soft fluffiness does each precious AAGBA angora goat grow? Although there is some variance between them depending on their size and the density of their fleece, most of my lovely AAGBA angora goats will shear about 2.5 pounds of prime kid-grade mohair locks and another 2.5 pounds of dirtier non-prime kid-grade mohair (high vegetative matter, belly, stained, etc.). What do I consider the prime kid-grade mohair locks? These are the really pretty, low vegetative matter, locks that primarily come from their sides and a little off the hips. Sometimes, I can save some of the locks from their necks, chest, belly, or lower legs, but a lot of the time, these areas possess too much vegetative matter and fall into the secondary quality during sorting. If someone has more time and patience, they can save even more of the kid-grade fiber by removing the excessive vegetative matter from these areas. The kid-grade mohair from along the spine always goes into the secondary quality during sorting because it gets lots of vegetative matter in it and just shouldn't be saved by any manual means. It requires processing by mechanical means to remove the vegetative matter. Don't worry, I don't waste this lovely mohair fiber just because its beyond my desire to process. The dirtier, non-prime mohair locks are sent to a mohair warehouse where they are sold on the world market. So, what do I do with the prettiest 2.5 pounds of prime kid-grade mohair locks? I sort it, and share most of it in my shop, https://amysticalfarm.etsy.com​

Not only is this beautiful kid-grade mohair beautifully fine, it also grows beautifully long! You see, AAGBA angora goats grow an average of 1" of luscious kid-grade mohair per month! Due to the cute curls and lovely lock structure, though, sometimes the true length of the lock doesn't show until after the lock has been washed and combed.

This is an example of Eva's lovely locks before and after washing and combing. This is 6 month's worth of growth and had a 23.9 micron! As you can see in the top picture, when her locks were raw and unwashed, they appeared to be about 6-6.5" long, but after washing and combing (the bottom picture), her locks were actually 7-8" long. If these locks were put on a mechanical spinner, they would be about another 0.25-0.5" longer still, as the mechanical spinner would stretch and pull the remaining curl out of the locks. This is Eva's third shearing at 18 months of age. The picture below shows Eva at about 22 months old with about 4-5 months worth of fleece on her. We'll shear her again in about another 6 weeks.

Eva's long and precious kid-grade locks are perfectly suited for doll-hair and wigs such as the ones on these collectable dolls. The small doll in front with the blond mohair wig is approx. 80 years old. She's a Nancy Ann Doll from the 1940's, and her mohair wig is her original hair. The other three dolls are more modern and their wigs are newer, but I anticipate that their wigs will last at least as long. This is the quality of kid-grade mohair!

Once sheared from my precious AAGBA angora goats, my kid-grade mohair has a lot of different directions it can go. Being offered to others in my Etsy shop is one option where it may continue as doll hair as I've shown, or it may proceed into many other directions depending on the choices of whomever buys it. I've already discussed that I send about half of each fleece onwards to a mohair warehouse where the fiber is sold on the world market. World buyers may choose to utilize this fine fiber for creating fine fabric which will be made into luxury clothing like designer suits and super-soft luxury sweaters and scarves. Kid mohair has historically been  used to create the velvet used in the papal apartments. Since this fine fiber is less common, it is considered a true luxury fiber.

The wonder of today, though, is that this gorgeous fine luxury fiber doesn't have to be reserved just for the royalty and papal elite anymore. There are small mills throughout the United States that can process kid-grade mohair and blend it with other fibers. Different mills have different processing capabilities. Many can process the kid-grade mohair into roving when it's blended with a bit of fine wool. A very few can even prepare it into combed top. Some have the ability to spin it into a variety of yarns. A few may even dye it. Personally, I've worked with a few different mills to have my kid-grade mohair processed into different styles of roving, combed top, and a variety of yarns. I haven't ever had any mill dye it for me (but I've seen some advertise that they will dye for you). I've always dyed all of my fiber, including my yarn, myself.

I love crocheting and weaving with the mill-spun yarn. It's also perfect for knitting (but alas, I'm not an avid knitter). Kid-grade mohair possesses excellent insulating properties while still maintaining breathability. It is fire-resistant (unlike synthetics) and safer for use. It's also considered hypoallergenic because it doesn't contain lanolin. It also doesn't contain "scales" like sheep's wool. It's a smooth fiber. This property means that it lacks "memory" and is very drapey when spun up by itself (not usually recommended) and may lose shape over time. Therefore it is recommended to add a minimum of 10-15% of a fine wool to the blend for the "memory" that will allow the yarn to hold its shape while still retaining the soft, drapey qualities of kid-grade mohair.

Because kid-grade mohair is so incredibly soft, it's absolutely perfect for next-to-skin wearables like hats, gloves, scarves, shawls, and so much more! As a hand-spinner, I find spinning with kid-grade mohair to be immensely enjoyable! My favorite way to spin is straight from the lock and to create art-style yarn that exhibits the natural characteristics of the fleece and doesn't lose all those adorable curls and texture. Then, I use my lovely artsy yarns in scarves, shawls, and as accents with other artistic projects.

If you'd like to learn more about my creative process and how I make and use my art-style yarns, please visit my blog at: patreon.com/user?u=85148435. Thank you!