Spinning Mohair
It is important to choose suitable Mohair (fleece of the Angora goat) for your end purpose.
Superfine kid mohair runs about 23 micron and is over 150 mm long. Fine kid may be between 23 and 27 micron and both are the result of the first shearing and should contain no kemp (short, dead white fibres which are coarse and will not accept dye).
Young goat (second shearing) is still soft and silky but the ringlets will be less tightly curled and the individual fibres will be coarser. Adult mohair, over 33 microns, should not be used in garments which will touch the skin but may be wonderful woven into a knee rug and brushed. Avoid any fleece with kemp or dandruff and fleece from a working buck.
There is, however, an old proven deodoriser
for smelly buck's fleece - wash thoroughly, then add to the rinsing water equal parts of tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil
Overlong mohair is difficult to card and probably should be cut in half before attempting to hand or drum card it. Best results are often obtained by laying the mohair locks across the width of the carder so that the teeth can tease apart the curled up fibres. If placed lengthwise, whole locks will go through still in ringlet form.
If a brushed mohair effect is wanted after spinning, do not put too much twist in the spin - the length will hold it together - and after washing, brush the strands with short dabs of a soft clothes brush.
Well-chosen Mohair accepts dye beautifully and its shine and softness make it a pleasure to work with. It can also be used as the loopy singles in the making of boucle yarn or spun smoothly with reasonable twist as a warp for weaving.
Comments
My grandmother recently used this method for washing a mohair scarf that I had knit. Sadly, she poured the eucalyptus oil directly onto the mohair while in the rinsing water and now there is a large yellow stain in the middle of the scarf. I suggest mixing the eucalyptus oil in the water before adding the garment in order to prevent staining. :-(
Posted by: Siobhan | 21 March 2009