So I was looking online yesterday and was reading about angora rabbits. Fur spinning seems so cool! But I'm not sure I'll be able to convince my bride that this would be fun for us. The upkeep and maintenance seems to be a lot. How much wool can a single angora produce in a year? Lets do more practical measurements since I'm not very smart. Lol. A sweater's worth? A hat's worth? A pair of sock's worth? Enough to make a car toy on a stick?
Is it worth it?
- Thread starter xa.logan
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Hi xa ... I am in NW OK and breed English Angoras. I find that the upkeep is not too bad until the 3rd month of coat growth. Up to that point, a nice brushing and blow through the coat is enough to keep them matt free. That last 3 weeks or so, the grooming needs to step up to 3-4x per week to keep the coat in good condition. When the rabbit is blowing it's coat, plucking the prime fiber is easy enough ... just pinch the tips of the fiber and pull gently.
As for quantity, well, it depends on the quality of the fiber your buns produce, but look for about 12-16oz of prime pluck per rabbit per year ... and depending on how many full coats you get per year. Going back to the comparison you are looking for, a regular, commercial skein of yarn is about 6 ounces of 3,4 or 6-ply yarn. To really "see" what needs done with your fiber, take a commercial skein and look closely at the plys ... each one of those are what is spun first and is called a "single."
I also spin my fiber, but right now I am still waiting to receive my spun fiber back from a fiber/yarn contest. I am also "sitting" on the most recent pluck from my herd buck
One thing you might want to consider for the summer heat is a modified cut where you keep everything but the longest prime trimmed short. The prime comes from the sides, back, rear area, so the head, chest, legs and underbelly are the areas that can be kept trimmed. And, it cuts down on the grooming needed
As for the spinning ... well, for me that is a whole 'nother bit of fun! I would suggest joining (free) Ravelry(dot)com and check out the different spinning groups there or on FB ... then, for some serious eye-candy, browse etsy(dot)com for some dyed unspun fiber! Angora blends with just about EVERYTHING!!! LOL I started out with a spindle for spinning ... better price for getting my feet wet without the expense of a spinning wheel
Whatever you decide, angora rabbits can do well in hot areas with just a bit of coat management.
As for quantity, well, it depends on the quality of the fiber your buns produce, but look for about 12-16oz of prime pluck per rabbit per year ... and depending on how many full coats you get per year. Going back to the comparison you are looking for, a regular, commercial skein of yarn is about 6 ounces of 3,4 or 6-ply yarn. To really "see" what needs done with your fiber, take a commercial skein and look closely at the plys ... each one of those are what is spun first and is called a "single."
I also spin my fiber, but right now I am still waiting to receive my spun fiber back from a fiber/yarn contest. I am also "sitting" on the most recent pluck from my herd buck
One thing you might want to consider for the summer heat is a modified cut where you keep everything but the longest prime trimmed short. The prime comes from the sides, back, rear area, so the head, chest, legs and underbelly are the areas that can be kept trimmed. And, it cuts down on the grooming needed
As for the spinning ... well, for me that is a whole 'nother bit of fun! I would suggest joining (free) Ravelry(dot)com and check out the different spinning groups there or on FB ... then, for some serious eye-candy, browse etsy(dot)com for some dyed unspun fiber! Angora blends with just about EVERYTHING!!! LOL I started out with a spindle for spinning ... better price for getting my feet wet without the expense of a spinning wheel
Whatever you decide, angora rabbits can do well in hot areas with just a bit of coat management.
Very interesting.
So one rabbit will produce 2- 21/2 skeins (rolls) of 6 ounce angora yarn.
How many skeins are needed to make a typical sweater?
If you can you 'blend' the angora with sheep wool, what should the ratio or percentage be to still have the 'feel' of angora?
So one rabbit will produce 2- 21/2 skeins (rolls) of 6 ounce angora yarn.
How many skeins are needed to make a typical sweater?
If you can you 'blend' the angora with sheep wool, what should the ratio or percentage be to still have the 'feel' of angora?
Dood":2w9m89u0 said:Very interesting.
So one rabbit will produce 2- 21/2 skeins (rolls) of 6 ounce angora yarn.
Close, but as with anything hand made, it all depends on your technique
Dood":2w9m89u0 said:
Anywhere from 4-6 ... based on similarity with a commercial skein. When you start getting into spinning your own yarn, a whole other world of possibilities in yarn composition opens up. I quickly learned that standard commercial yarns are somewhat limiting, and the yarn companies have responded to this with boucle, fun furs, etc.
Dood":2w9m89u0 said:
I don't have a lot of experience with blending my angora, but the skein of 3 ply blended 1 oz of Gulf Coast sheeps wool with 1 oz of English Angora wool (very fine fiber, so about 2x the visual quantity of the sheeps wool) bloomed quite nicely ... I would say about 70% angora to 30% sheeps wool. I will have to wait to get my entry back to see how much yardage I got out of the 2 ounces
I am currently spinning silk from a "hankie" that I plan to ply with some angora to see how that goes. I also have another silk preparation that I will be able to blend with some angora. Although, Iam tempted to spin it as is for a lightweight shawl
Lets see.. How much land... A garage. How much land is that? :lol:
I actually don't even have that yet. My fiancé and I are looking for houses. I had to compromise on my goat raising dreams so she could get a nicer house.
I would love an angora goat. Or a kiko. Or any other goat really.
I actually don't even have that yet. My fiancé and I are looking for houses. I had to compromise on my goat raising dreams so she could get a nicer house.
I would love an angora goat. Or a kiko. Or any other goat really.
xa, part of your research right now would benefit from including the availability of the types, quantities, and preparations of fibers ... I highly recommend joining ravelry(dot)com and browsing etsy(dot)com. There are also plenty of spinning and fiber preparation sites on the internet (don't forget youtube) that can give you a basis to make fiber animal decisions on. It is fun, entertaining and informative.
Today, I spent the day at the local Centennial Park doing spinning demonstrations First, I 3-plied some Merino sheeps wool into a skein (I forgot to count the yardage LOL) on my drop spindles, then I spun some silk hankies, then I spun some white angora One lady was demonstrating carding alpaca, another lady and gentleman were demostrating different processes on spinning wheels (one was plying, the other was spinning polyester [fiber for stuffing].)
Also, you can have WAY more rabbits in a smaller area than a goat, sheep, or alpaca require :cheesysmile: There are plenty of garage rabbitries ... check the image galleries, google/bing it, etc.
Today, I spent the day at the local Centennial Park doing spinning demonstrations
First, I 3-plied some Merino sheeps wool into a skein (I forgot to count the yardage LOL) on my drop spindles, then I spun some silk hankies, then I spun some white angora One lady was demonstrating carding alpaca, another lady and gentleman were demostrating different processes on spinning wheels (one was plying, the other was spinning polyester [fiber for stuffing].)Also, you can have WAY more rabbits in a smaller area than a goat, sheep, or alpaca require :cheesysmile: There are plenty of garage rabbitries ... check the image galleries, google/bing it, etc.
Is it worth it? I started with one Angora buck. A french x satin cross. When I got the first bits of fiber off him I fell in love. I have six main breeders now and a slew of babies in the winter. ( they sell for 50-75$ each, so I suggest starting with a trio so you can make up some of the cost by selling kits. The fiber is too nice and most people just end up hoarding it all for themselves! )
I like the frenchies myself , their coat is lower matenence than the other angora breeds, it has a guard hair to undercoat ratio that doesn't mat as easily and they have clean furnishings ( short fur on their face, ears, and feet) so that is less grooming. I groom once a week year round, and spend an hour or two pluckin once every three months. I get anywhere from 3-6 ounces off my adults a shed. The higher yield is from my monster sized lines, currently bringing in smaller lines so I can set show size rabbits out of them 13 pounds is a little big for frenchies, and my girls aren't fat. They will also need shorn down in summer if you live a place that get over 80 degrees. Most of us do.
Also, the fiber sells from between $10-$20 an ounce depending on breed/ quality, so you could always sell it if you manage to part with it. (Not this spinner, no way!!)
If you are really interested, I would suggest trying to find a local breeder and let them Know that you would like to see the care involved. I offer anyone who is interested in my frenchies a tour of my rabbitry, along with hands on time with my friendlier rabbits and a quick grooming lesson so they know what their getting into. I can't imagine that any breeder that is passionate about the breed would find it offensive if if you asked them to show you the ropes like that.
)I like the frenchies myself , their coat is lower matenence than the other angora breeds, it has a guard hair to undercoat ratio that doesn't mat as easily and they have clean furnishings ( short fur on their face, ears, and feet) so that is less grooming. I groom once a week year round, and spend an hour or two pluckin once every three months. I get anywhere from 3-6 ounces off my adults a shed. The higher yield is from my monster sized lines, currently bringing in smaller lines so I can set show size rabbits out of them
13 pounds is a little big for frenchies, and my girls aren't fat. They will also need shorn down in summer if you live a place that get over 80 degrees. Most of us do.Also, the fiber sells from between $10-$20 an ounce depending on breed/ quality, so you could always sell it if you manage to part with it. (Not this spinner, no way!!)
If you are really interested, I would suggest trying to find a local breeder and let them Know that you would like to see the care involved. I offer anyone who is interested in my frenchies a tour of my rabbitry, along with hands on time with my friendlier rabbits and a quick grooming lesson so they know what their getting into. I can't imagine that any breeder that is passionate about the breed would find it offensive if if you asked them to show you the ropes like that.
trinityoaks
Well-known member
Being that you're in Texas, I recommend that you consider how to keep your garage rabbitry cool in the summer. Our first rabbitry was in our garage, which was on the north side of the house and insulated (shared walls with the house) on two sides. It had a couple of windows on the east, which we opened in the summer, along with a couple of box fans going. That garage never got below about 40 in the winter (outside lows in the teens, sometimes less) or above about 80 in the summer (outside highs 90-100+).
Kyle@theWintertime
Well-known member
I'm still just learning to spin, and I miss my Angoras. I had to sell out of them due to going from a large space with ample cages down to a tiny little 11-hole rabbitry. However...I have lots of saved fiber from them, and spinning is SO MUCH FUN. I'm currently working on what is thus far my first successful attempt at spinning on a drop-spindle (OMG I LOVE MY SPINDLE) and it's even more fun than I could have ever anticipated. Seriously, get some Angoras (I'm partial to the French) and have a BLAST!!!!
However...I have lots of saved fiber from them, and spinning is SO MUCH FUN. I'm currently working on what is thus far my first successful attempt at spinning on a drop-spindle (OMG I LOVE MY SPINDLE) and it's even more fun than I could have ever anticipated. Seriously, get some Angoras (I'm partial to the French) and have a BLAST!!!!
