Have you ever wondered after looking at a tag on your sweater, what is Angora Rabbit Hair? Angora Rabbit Hair comes from a breed of rabbit that sprang up in Turkey. Angora Rabbits are known for their “long, soft wool” and were pets of “French royalty” during the “18th century.” Almost everyone say that Angora Rabbit Fur is “softer than cashmere.”
They can live to be 10 years old or more and are only fed commercial rabbit food because it meets all of their nutritional requirements. There are four different breeds of Angora Rabbit.
The English breed is tightly spun and is very popular for show because of its astonishingly luxuriant fur on the face and ears. They weigh anywhere between 5 and 7.5 pounds. They are groomed daily.
The French breed is 7.5 – 10.5 pounds and has fur that can be colored more because of the guard ration of the fur. They get groomed once a week.
The Satin Angora breed weighs anywhere between 6.5 – 9.5 and has a “shiny and satiny” feel to its fur. This breed’s fur can also be colored and is recommended more by spinners because of how easy it is to spin it.
The Giant Angora breed can weigh 10 to 20 or more pounds. It is the largest breed and the fur has to be trimmed off carefully unlike the other breeds that shed or molt. They get the angora carefully by using scissors in what is called “scissor harvesting.” The Angora Rabbits are not harmed in any way and they enjoy the constant care.
The Angora Rabbit wool can be dyed different colors and are delightful to spinners because the wool is strong and soft at the same time allowing the spinner to finish the process faster. It is mixed with other fabrics including, cashmere and sheep’s wool no more than at a 30% ratio because if an item was made out of 100% Angora Rabbit, it would be too hot and the texture would be too delicate to wear. Angora wool holds dye color permanently better than other wool fabrics.
Courtesy of Ramapo.edu and Homestead.org
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