Angora goats are a beautiful and unique breed, originating in Turkey They produce mohair, a luxury fibre, which is valued for it’s strength, softness and lustre. An Angora goat produces between four and five kilograms of mohair per year, over two shearings. White is the most common colour, but there are also black, grey, silver, red and brown. Organizations such as CAGBA, Coloured Angora Goat Breeders Association, keep records of genetics and bloodlines in North America.
These goats have great personalities and I often think of ours like big puppy dogs. They love attention and chin scratches. The kid goats are a riot to watch and spend time with. I also just love listening to them talk to each other.
Mohair takes dye amazingly! Bright and vibrant, backed by it’s natural lustre makes it a pretty amazing fibre that I love working with. It blends wonderfully with wool, adding shine and strength to yarn. It works as a fabulous natural replacement for nylon, adding durability in garments such as socks, sweaters and woven fabrics. Kid clip mohair, which is the mohair clipped within a kid goat’s first year of life is the softest. Yearling, the two clips from it’s next year of life are quite the same. As the goat ages, and has life changes such as motherhood, their mohair changes, with the micron count increasing. Depending on the care, feed and management of the animal, they produce a wonderful clip for many years.
Angora goats make wonderful pets and are essential in a fibre flock. Give mohair a try, it will not disappoint. Goats are where it’s at!
Twists of This and That 