Spinning Angora Rabbit Fur

Hello everyone. It just occurred to me that perhaps I haven't mentionted my angora embroidery designs. (I also have a number of other rabbit breed digitized). So here is one. I have it in a 5 X 4½ inch size as well as a larger 8" x 6½ inch version. Enjoy!

My website does not list my many digitized designs yet. I have been too busy with regular work. But I will try to get them up soon.

Day One
I just found this great blog space! I'm happy to announce that I have just received my beautiful yarns from the mills and the design process has begun! Be sure to look for free knitting patterns using this yarn. Meantime, if you are interested, you can view the angora rabbit donors to the projects at http://www.germananagora.net. Be sure to click on the "yarns" page for more information about this wonderful, luxurious fiber. Angora is simply one of the most luxurious fibers that will ever touch your body. Don't miss out on it! Often I hear that someone has had a bad experience with angora. Usually it is from having purchased a sweater, usually made of Chinese angora. That is not really a fair trial of angora.

The Chinese imported German Angora Rabbits in order to create a fiber industry for it's citizens. But, on the boat tradgedy struck and the imporation was decimated by RCD, a fatal disease. Even though rabbit fecundity is legendary, they still felt it was important to increase the numbers as soon as possible, so they started to outcross with other short-haired breeds. This included other large breeds, such as New Zealand meat rabbits. This accomplished a couple of things, First the numbers of rabbits increased exponentially, and secondly, it was a very attractive fiber for rough comemercial processing. It was *not as fine* a fiber as the original German angora imports and had substantially more guard hair to it. The guard hair stuck out, rather like the guard hair on a mink. Since it had the look of fur, almost, it became popular as an accent on designer labels. But since the texture was courser and with much more guard hair that most angoras that were grown previously, it wasn't intended for next to the skin use. But as the Chinese were able to breed more and more of these types of rabbits, and since it stood up to rough commercial milling better than the luxurious but delicate home-grown angora, it became the fiber that large mills used when making angora yarns and sweaters. For one thing, the fiber was torn in the milling, so it is composed of mainly shorter fibers. And that means shedding. The guard hair was of a good diameter to poke into the pores of one's skin, and that accounts for it's itchiness.

Home grown angora has neither of these drawbacks! It is finer, for one thing. And most handspun has not been processed or broken at all. It is made of longer staple yarn that does not shed. Of course not all home-grown angora is like this. Spme show breeders aren't interested in the fiber arts at all. They are faced with having to shear the animal for it's health, so they offer the fiber to unsuspecting spinners. Since they do not spin, they don't know how to properly harvest the fiber for spinners, so there is a high liklihood of having shorts, matted fibers, dirty or mite-infested fibers in there. If the rabbit was mite-infested (one reason a show breeder might clip the rabbit short) the fibers will have been weakened by the mites and is unsuitable for spinning.

Sadly, all angora has gotten a "bad rap" from these 2 factors. Inferior Chinese angora and also ignorant sellers and buyers of inferior angora fiber. So be careful out there. Get your angora fiber from a knowledable angora grower who is also a spinner. Someone who knows quality fiber and has the integrity to offer his/her clients *only* quality fiber. But don't cheat yourself out of one of the most luxurious fibers in the world! Do your homework, then buy some and treat yourself to one of the best treats in the world. The feel of beautiful, soft, cuddly angora against your skin.

More later!