Spinning Angora Tomorrow

Shandeh · 05-15-2009, 12:17 PM

Tomorrow, I'll be trying to spin angora yarn again....from a live rabbit. I did it once in 2006. Now, the same farm I worked with before is doing a display at an event in Waxhaw, NC. It's called Spring Fest, and there will be all kinds of things happening!

Farmer Rhonda with Black Swan Farm asked me to come and spin angora for them tomorrow. I hope I do a good enough job for them!

Here's a photo of me from the last time I did it:

hookedonknitting · 05-16-2009, 11:58 AM

So what is the yarn like from a rabbit.... SRY my keyboard is messed up and I don`t get question marks....

Shandeh · 05-16-2009, 03:07 PM

Rabbit Fur (from a German Angora Rabbit) is very soft and silky. Difficult to spin, but makes a lovely yarn.

lulubell · 05-19-2009, 12:12 AM

I used to spin it onto a very fine commercial thread and knit jumpers that eventually ended up for sale in Japan. but that was years ago when I had 40 angoras in my back yard. Tons of work, but they all had names!

mullerslanefarm · 05-19-2009, 09:23 AM

What it was like for me is a bunch of sneezing and wheezing and hives .... dang, I miss my Angoras.... They would sit so quietly on my lap while I plucked and spun.

Shandeh · 05-19-2009, 02:54 PM

Cyndi, I would have been sneezing and wheezing too if I hadn't taken my allergy medicine that morning.

fluffybunny · 02-03-2010, 05:38 PM

I spin very little else but angora, or angora blend. I don't think it is as hard as people think it is. The silkier it is, the harder it is to spin. But if you have a Ger/French blend, that really isn't particularly silky.

Both German and French are more the "commercial" grade of angora, and Eng. and Satin are more the "luxury" grade of angora. German has a bit of crimp and 90% of it is cottony (isn't supposed to be but is). French has stiff guard hair, which makes it less soft than Eng or Satin. But it makes a more "furry" looking finished yarn, so lots of people like it.

BTW, some Fr/Ger hybrid rabbits (I've had dozens of them) don't molt. (I consider molting a serious flaw, as I never liked and wouldn't used plucked angora if you gave it to me for free, strongly preferring sheared fiber over plucked.) OTOH, my very worst molter was a French/Ger. hybrid doe who matted like crazy. She is the one that led me to my current conclusion that it is the molting that causes matting, has very little to do with guard hair. (and she had a lot of that too, as did her son, the 2nd worst molter I ever had.)

oldhaus · 12-15-2009, 01:22 PM

My wife has a group of our French Angora's that she will spin from. We keep them on "rotating" molting schedules, which seem to coordinate when she needs them to spin from.

You have to have a rabbit that molts, so a Giant Angora is out. We only use our French Angoras. (the White German usually falls into that category, hybred "Germans" are a different animal)

You can see my wife spinning at this URL ... I have a couple more minutes of video, just need to get it posted.

http://oldhaus.net/?page_id=267

The bunnies let her know when they've had enough, they bump her chin

I think this is the 1st time for "Seven" but she's gotten very used to being rocked now.

Enjoy!

JLH

AngelInAGlass · 04-08-2011, 08:18 AM

Shandeh...
if you ever go to an event like that again, will you let me know??? I live in the Charlotte area, and would love to try to make it.
we're fairly new to the area, so I never really know about these events.

I'm trying to find where I can purchase my own angora rabbit, but having a tough time!! :o( know of any great places around here where I might be able to get one???

Shandeh · 04-08-2011, 09:18 AM

Hi Angelina!

I'm not sure if the farm I worked with before is still in business, because I couldn't find them on the internet anymore.

But, you'll see LOTS of angora rabbits, and several other fiber animals at the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) in Asheville in October. I go there every year.