what to do with english angora wool

[momofonly]

OK, I know it can be spun into yarn. But where do you find someone who can do that? I have no idea what the process is. Every week I brush my English angora, and have a pile of nice, soft white fur. I've been throwing it away, but I know it would make nice yarn because that's what they're bred for! She's 8 months old, so this must be her mature fur, right?

So what do you do if you can't spin it yourself?

Thanks!

 

[dbunni]

But you can spin it yourself. It does not take a traditional wheel to spin ... You can learn to drop spindle. Those can be made by you from supplies from a craft store. So easy and so fun ... otherwise felt it! Save it up and make a nice hat or scarf from felted material. There are directions all over the net for that trick. Felted animals ... all sorts of ideas.

And white ... oh the dying ... how fun to make your own colored wool ....

Just enjoy!

 

[DianeS]

Sell it!

Seriously, check places like Etsy (eBay for hand made goods and supplies). Or if you show your rabbits, talk to other breeders to see where theirs goes.

If there is a Fiber Arts store, or Guild, or MeetUp group near you, they'd know where you could sell it, too.

If you can't find anything else to do with it - mail it to me! I got into Angoras because I already spin, but my babies are still too young to have much wool.

 

[tortoise]

There isn't much of a market for raw angora wool. However, there is huge demand for 2ply handpainted angora yarn. Even 1-ply sells fairly well.

 

[dbunni]

Actually there is a market for raw angora wool ... you just have to have a strong quality product and market base. A top graded wool will sell in all forms. Wish I had enough animals to cover my need for wool ...

 

[momofonly]

Well, I will definitely start saving it then. I didn't realize it could be felted as well.

Does it need to be washed before it's turned into felt or yarn? What is a good container to store the wool in as it's brushed out? Do I need a cloth bag, or can it just be stuffed in a plastic grocery bag? (Somehow the latter just seems wrong.) I don't think a basket would work because the wool would get stuck on it.

In the meantime, I wonder if the backyard birds will use the clumps outside for nesting material...

 

[dbunni]

First ... the bird will love you forever come spring. i do most of my grooming outdoors when the weather allows and the bird nests are so soft!

Storage ... i store in a walmart bag lightly sealed for 2 months. This allows drying of the wool. The bag is labeled with the animal, date, and color. Since you are using brushed wool ... you could just use a bag per month. Then it is stored in a ziploc until shipped. I have people who like the wool from certain animals, so this ensures they get what they want.

Do not prewash ... water, soap and friction are the recipe for felt!

What is brushed out, you use. What is plucked or cut on a regular basis you sell. (3" or longer ... no shorter) That simple. Do not sell what comes from dirty areas (belly, butt, legs, tail, under chin). More or less, midline of the sides down we use for felting. Above this area ... from about 1" back of the ears to above tai and down the sides is the prime wool. Brushing lessens the wool for future collection ... see the discussion on the french angora questions ... I do not brush. To keep the wool density strong, I use a blower. Any wool that is dirty, dusty, or has mite reside cannot ... cannot ... be sold. This is felt or trashed depending on the amount of reside.

Good luck ...

 

[jessica117]

If you try to wash it before it's spun or felted... it will be felted Angora felts really easily. I usually store in ziploc bags because moths seem to REALLY like angora. Cloth would also work as long as it is a very tight weave so that the moths can't get into it.

 

[rabbitgeek]

Angora yarn and hats go together!

Check out some of the articles on this blog search for "hats"
http://ncag.blogspot.com/search?q=hats

Have a good day!
Franco Rios