Angora is the hair/underwool clipped or plucked from an Angora rabbit. Angora wool is fine and very warm. The excellent insulative quality of Angora is related to both its fine diameter and its internal structure. Inside each underwool fiber shaft there are tiny, porous spaces arranged singly at regular intervals. These are the medullary cells and they account for the lightness of Angora as well as some of its insulating ability. Most of the warmth experienced when wearing Angora is due to the incredible number of fibers witch contribute to each inch of yarn. The fine fibers trap minute pockets of air and impede the escape of warmth. Angora crimp is apparent and desirable in fashioning lively yarns, but even the crimpiest rabbit wool lacks the spring and memory of fine sheep wools. Angora, by itself, produces a relatively relaxed, drapey yarn.

Angora coat architecture is comprised of numerous hair types. The Angora rabbit’s coat is made up of four distinct fiber types. But to “keep it simple” just think of them as two simple groups: hair and underwool. The relative occurrence of hair and wool throughout the rabbit’s coat is one of the most important measures of texture. An Angora rabbit with very little hair would be described as having a “soft” texture. The hairier rabbit would be considered “spiky.” Currently, the fashion industry is infatuated with spiky Angora. This yarn will give the “halo effect” that is most popular in an Angora Sweater. There are many textures to be found not only from rabbit to rabbit but also across the body of each Angora rabbit.

Angora rabbit wool production is labor intensive; the fiber comes from a relatively small animal. The wool is light, warm and expensive. All of these factors encourage me to spin a fine yarn—no less than 100 yards to the ounce singles, preferably 200 or more. When you bake a cake, you select the freshest quality ingredients. You don’t use rotten eggs or rancid butter. To spin a quality Angora yarn, start with healthy premium grade fiber. Our methods of management, diet, age and breeding all contribute to the Angora fiber produced by our English Angora Bunnies. Because I believe there is no “un-usable” Angora fiber that is why we offer many different grades for you to pick and choose from in order to create your own specific projects.

1. Prime Wool~ plucked ripe wool and sissored or shorn wool of uniformly-long staple with little to no second-cuts. Free of any tangles, this wool will create the most uniform and even yarn. It is an excellent choice for fine, regular yarns of any ply. When the locks are stored flat in rows in a box, there is no folding over or tangling of the wool.
2. Shorts~ clean and tangle-free wool that is shorter than 2 ½ inches. Its quality is the same as or near to prime, but the short length disqualifies it from being classified as prime. This is an excellent Angora to use for blending with other fibers such as sheep wool, silk, mohair, llama, or cotton if the staple size is similar. This is also the preferred grade for feltmaking.
3. Strip Combings~ prime, full-length Angora that has been combed from the rabbit rather than plucked. It is similar to prime except for small folds or curls and the end of the lock where the teeth of the comb engaged the fiber in this method of harvest. It makes a uniform yarn that has a slightly uneven quality where the ends of the locks were folded.
4. Combings~ wool resulting from the grooming process. It is similar to strip-combed wool, but usually has more webs or tangles in it. It will make an interesting irregular yarn.
5. Matts and Matted Combings~ believe it or not, these nuisances can be the prime ingredients for elegant novelty yarns. When used with carded Angora or other fibers, they lend texture and character to an otherwise uninteresting yarn. If matts don’t inspire you to creative endeavors, you can use them to stuff pillows.

   Head & Hearts natural colored & white Angora may be purchased as raw angora in the above described grades, occasionally I will have Angora roving (ready to hand spin, washed and carded and often blended and hand dyed with other fibers).

   Our Angora is all “home grown” from our quality Herd of English Angora Bunnies.

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