BUFFALO or American Bison

I spent a gorgeous spring afternoon gathering buffalo fiber at the Lake Erie Buffalo Ranch in Huron, Ohio.  John Otto, Proprietor, gave me a wonderful tour of the ranch.  When we were finally out of harm’s way we scoured the property for this luxurious and coveted fiber.  But, I must tell you, it surely does not look very fine when it’s laying in a muddy clump amongst the grass and dust.  The best fiber was found stuck to the taller weeds that were lucky enough to grab a bit as the beasts passed through. 

American Bison grow long shaggy coats of bristly hair and a fine downy undercoat for the winter.  The down, which is what yarn is made from, is quite short compared to the hair and must be separated from each other to create yarn.  I have seen white buffalo fiber but most is a matte, red-brown or brown color. 

And because bison cannot be domesticated, I will continue to tip toe around buffalo “patties” while keeping a weary eye out for the herd as I collect their cast off coats.

ANGORA RABBITS (Angora)

There are many rare and luxurious fibers, but angora is among my favorites.  My sister-in-law raises angora rabbits and is winning many awards due to the care paid to her breeding program and lots of love and care.  It is Annette that introduced me to this wonderful fiber and I cannot thank her enough.

I once sent an angora fiber sample in for micron testing and it came back at 13 microns!  Now that is a very fine fiber.  Besides its softness, angora is hollow so it provides wonderful insulation and is lightweight.  It is also a very smooth fiber making it “slippery”. 

And the steep price you pay for this luxurious hare’s hair reflects the tremendous amount of grooming and care that goes into rearing these fluffy guys. 

ANGORA GOATS (Mohair)

First of all, I think goats are the coolest animals ever.  They have great personalities and are highly entertaining.  The Angora goat produces mohair, a thicker, very lustrous fiber that takes dye extremely well.  South Africa produces a majority of mohair though the southern US also contributes a fair share to the world markets. 

 It wasn’t until the late1980’s that colored mohair was purposely bred for in response to the growing demand for natural non-dyed colors.  Today, you can attend any fiber festival or market and find traditional white angora goats as well as silver-gray, red, brown and even black.  I love to blend mohair with other types of fiber for its strength and luster.

 
CASHMERE GOATS (Cashmere)

Although China and Mongolia are the biggest suppliers of raw cashmere in the world, I didn’t have to look that far to find this fabulous fiber.  And I’m so glad.  Have you ever purchased a sweater that was labeled 100% cashmere only to itch like you rolled in poison ivy ?  Quality control of cashmere is difficult at best.  Mixing cashmere with other fibers and passing it off as all cashmere is not unheard of. 

Cashmere goats have an outer coat of courser guard hairs which protects them from the weather and a very soft undercoat to insulate them from the cold.  This undercoat is combed from the goat and called cashmere.  However, there will still be many guard hairs mixed in with the cashmere so the whole lot must go through a de-hairing machine to separate these fibers.

There is no specific breed of goat that is called cashmere; rather there are many breeds of goats that are known for their cashmere producing abilities.  A cashmere goat only yields mere ounces of this precious luxury fiber and it’s a laborious task to dehair so you can expect to pay a high price.  Their fiber colors range from a dark brown to gray to white.  I love the handle and drape this fiber contributes to my yarns.

My cashmere is sourced from small farms around the US and I sort and skirt (pick the vegetable matter from) all of my fleeces so quality control is not an issue.  You will always know by the description of the yarn or finished good exactly what you are getting and I can put my guarantee on that!

 

WENSLEYDALE SHEEP

The Wensleydale sheep caught my eye in a big way at a fiber festival in Michigan in 2007.  You cannot miss the long, spiral locks and brilliant luster this breed presents.  My mom was so taken with this breed that she wanted to purchase one on the spot!  Wensleydale wool is being marketed as the finest and most valuable luster longwool in the world.  The colors range from off-white to black and the fiber takes dye very well.  They are quite rare yet in the US.  Although their fiber is more course than most of the animals I choose fiber from, I am very pleased with the results after using it on my triangle loom and my sister-in-law loves to spin it.

ALPACAS

I have owned alpacas since late 2000 and they are indeed one of the most soulful and endearing creatures.  Their fiber comes in a huge range of colors including red-brown, maroon, white, fawn, black, gray, and mixes of all.   There are two types of alpacas: Huacaya (pronounced wah-KI-ya) and Suri (pronounced surrey).

The Huacaya is a crimpy, and more wooly giving this alpaca type a puffy look. There have been times when I have held cria (baby alpaca) fleece in my hand and I could barely feel its presence.  Because of its crimp, it makes for easier hand spinning.

The Suri alpaca has long, lustrous locks giving it quite a different look from the Huacaya.  Spinning and knitting this fiber requires some patience but the drape and luster it adds to your project are worth it. 

Both types of fiber contain little to no lanolin.  Although, consumers who previously thought they were allergic to wool or its lanolin content might consider the fact that courser fibers make for courser final products that are “prickly” to the skin and can cause irritation. However, if you love the garment and it is a bit course, consider if you have to wear it directly against your skin or not.  One of my favorite shawls is made of wool and alpaca and it’s not really soft but I wear it with a turtleneck and drape it around my neck.  I get many compliments. 

I love using alpaca as a base for all of its fine qualities, many natural colors and fiber length.  It also has wonderful insulation value and is still considered quite rare.