any spinners? anyone with angora goats?

[ohiogoatgirl]

well today i went and picked up my three angora goats. dad bought them for me as an early birthday present.

on saturday (march 19) i'm going to a spinners and weavers group thing. i'm hoping to learn alot from them.

eventually i would like to be able to do everything myself. from goat to garment. or whatever else i want to make

right now i have three white angora does (two years old) and a pair of old shears (the big scissor-like ones). i'm going to be needing to get all the stuff i need as i go.
found a website that has directions for how to make a spinning wheel from PVC and stuff. i think me and dad can use the directions to make one from wood.

hoping to buy a buck or at least breed them this fall. i'd like to have some colored angora goats! <3 <3

if anyone spins or has angora goats or any of that i'd love to chat!
thanks!

 

[ORChick]

A couple of weeks ago I started another thread about the alpaca fleeces that I was being gifted. I haven't done anything with wool (other than knit with bought wool) for more than 30 years, and even then it was just an 8 week class in spinning/dying/weaving. So I am basically a rank beginner, with 18 bags of fleece waiting for me to learn what to do with it . I have been having fun looking at various youtube videos, and the other day I found this site, which I have found very informative: http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/ I have also found a lady in the area who is willing to walk me through the process of preparing the fibers, and spinning them - and has offered to let me use her equipment

Congratulations on your new goats!

 

[Niele da Kine]

Well, I have angoras and they even have four feet, but they are only rabbits, so do they still count?

If you are going to be doing any serious yarn making, a spinning wheel is just so much faster than a drop spindle there is hardly any comparison between them.

For the angora rabbit wool, all it needs is a bit of carding before it is spun. It is a light and delicate fiber to spin, though. Not a lot of crimp to it and it needs to be overspun a bit and then two strands plied together to make a nice even yarn. It is incredibly soft, though and makes lovely scarves and other things worn close to the skin. Several men have touched the yarn and decided it should be made into underwear. I'm not quite sure how to interpret that, but undoubtedly it's a guy thing. Mohair might be the same sort of thing as angora, kinda difficult to spin if it is all 100% mohair. I'm just guessing, though.

I did start with a drop spindle and making several skeins of yarn first with a drop spindle did make learning on a wheel easier, I think.

 

[Denim Deb]

I've been wondering, I'm allergic to sheep wool, wonder if I'd be OK w/the wool from goats. Maybe I need to find something made from it, and see if I have a problem w/it. If I don't, then maybe one day I'll have the room to get an angora, and make my own wool.

 

[bettybohemian]

I have a single angora goat. And a pygora goat. I too, am a newbie so I can't offer much advice. I just sheared my hoagies last week an whew! Was I scared. Them giant electric clippers are frightening!. Lily did really good though ( even though she looks like crapola).

Anyway, good luck to you! And I agree, a wheel is an amazing way to go. I lucked out finding a used one in working order for $98.

 

[valmom]

I would love to have a fiber producing animal! But, there is an alpaca farm down the road from us and I have 2 alpaca fleeces and 2 sheep fleeces waiting (still) to be spun. I have been using my drop spindle since my wheel was packed to move (8 years ago!) and I haven't gotten it out. I may have forgotten how to spin on a wheel.

 

[kitchwitch]

I have angora rabbits and I'll spin just about anything.

I am hoping to go to the Maryland sheep and wool festival this year and try to score a gently used wheel at the auction. I would give my grandmother for a Kromski Sonata as I simply don't have $540 laying around. :-( One day!

 

[bettybohemian]

I have angora rabbits !

I want an angora rabbit. There aren't all too common in my part of the globe. ( lower Colorado desert in s. Cal)

 

[savingdogs]

I'd love to have an angora goat (or rabbit) but it is so rainy here and we have them browse, would their hair be in good enough condition to use after that? I mean goat of course.

So perhaps I would lean toward an angora rabbit. How does the hair compare? Why are they both called Angora?

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

they are both called angora because fiber production
but angora rabbit fiber is called angora
and angoa goat fiber is called mohair
whereas sheep have wool