Mohair Cont

The fibers of mohair have a high affinity for dyes, producing vivid colors with a
halo-like glow. Besides possessing this high absorbency characteristic, mohair is also
flame resistant and very durable.

The grease in a mohair fleece helps to protect the fibers from the dust, sun and rain.
Too little grease in the fleece results in a fluffy, dull looking fleece, often showing poor
lock formation. Too much grease gives the fleece a black look and will be difficult to
wash. A light coating of grease keeps the luster in the fleece, protects it from the
weather and felting and helps to hold the locks together. Unlike wool, the grease in a
goat fleece in not lanolin, so people allergic to wool can still wear garments made from
mohair.

Mohair ranges from very fine and soft to coarse and scratchy. Kids produce the finest
fiber and the first shearing (or fall clip) is the finest of all. These fleeces generally
have very little oil, are very soft and are in the range of 20-24 microns. Kids start
producing quality fiber by the second clip (spring clip). As the animal ages, the mohair
gets progressively coarser, and the average fiber diameter increases. Bucks tend to
get coarse faster than does, but produce considerably more fleece. Wethers
(castrated males) do not coarsen as fast as bucks, and produce heavier fleeces than
does. Wethers are excellent fiber growers as they do not have the stress of the rut or
kidding and lactation.

The other primary fiber from goats is cashmere. To cross Angora with Cashmere goats results in a fiber called
"cashgora", with very limited use and characteristics of neither of the two finer fibers.

Mohair is incredibly versatile. It can be used as an all-season fabric, as an effective insulator for keeping
heat in during cold weather and as a barrier against outside hot temperatures in summer, as a decorating
fabric, and as a fake fur that is environmentally friendly. Mohair can be woven into a plethora of assorted
items, such as hats, scarves gloves, blankets, carpets, rugs, drapes, wigs, paint rollers, ink pads, and toys.

So, we ask, why use any other fiber? Don't let them pull the wool over your eyes!