Sheep - The most common fiber that most often was used in sweaters and knitwear through the years is wool. There are several different breeds of sheep. We remember this as itchy and people saying they were allergic to it. Today we have better equipment for preparing the fiber and a lot of our wool is much softer and user friendly. It is often blended with softer fibers to create memory in the knit fabric.
Alpaca - One of the softer fibers, also hypoallergenic, that is blended most often with merino wool to create knit fabric with memory. It is also blended with other fibers to make unique one of a kind yarn. Some of these yarns can be found in our online store. This is also one of the warmest fibers there is.
Angora & Cashmere Goats - Angora goats actually provide us with a fiber called mohair. Cashmere goats provide us with cashmere.
Angora Rabbits - This is where we get that beautiful fiber that hallows as it is worn. It is a luxury fiber that was most often used for Santa’s beard or a Kitten that is knit in a sweater pattern. This is also usually blended with up to 50% wool to create a fiber with memory. It is fun to watch it hallo as you knit with it and is very soft in your hands. For more about Angora Rabbits, click here.
Harvesting the wool from any of these animals is never accomplished by killing the animals. Most animals are shorn once a year, some more often. Angora rabbits are clipped or plucked every three months and provide only a few ounces per harvest while the larger animals give you a few pounds each harvest.
