Our Yarns About Yarn

Sorry for the brief break in my blogs....I have been incredibly busy with my (almost) 8 week old boy.  Motherhood is amazing and I am loving every minute...but I am very sleep deprived which means my blogs are towards the bottom of my "to do list."

With animal yarns we have a great array of fibres to choose from.  Our search has located the following possibilities:

Alpaca:  This is that great animal that is similar to a llama and is commonly found in the higher altitudes of South America.  The yarn comes in over 50 natural colours.  One big difference between an alpaca and a llama is the shape of its ears!

Angora Goat (aka Mohair): You can read about this one in this month's addiction of the month.  The angora goat was first mentioned in historical text from the time of Moses at about 1500 BC.  The softest angora goat fibres are found on the younger animals as the fibres thicken over their lifetime.

Angora Rabbit:  Cute furry bunnies make for some incredibly soft yarn!  This is one of my favorites to knit with but it makes my husband sneeze because so many fibres get in the air when I am knitting!  I find the best angora yarns are actually blended with a bit of wool...but the halo on 100% angora yarns is the best on a special cardigan project!


Bison (aka Buffalo):  This is yarn from the animal found on the Great Plains of North America.  I have not had the pleasure of knitting with it yet...but hopefully I will soon!

Camel:  Camel yarn is very similar to merino wool.  It is a very warm and resilient fibre.  

Cashmere (of course!):  Need we explain this one?  (Teehee...)

Chiengora:  This is yarn made from dog hair.  It is an unusual idea but I have seen some incredibly soft and warm items made from the dog hair.  The undercoat of a husky (and I am also guessing other "cold" area dogs like the malamute, etc) is very soft and knits into a lovely scarf that will keep you very warm. I have felt them and they are incredible.  Dog hair was actually used by the Navajo Native American tribe for making clothing and blankets. 

Llama:  Just like our alpaca friend but with a different shaped pair of ears!


Possum:  This is yarn from the New Zealand possum which is a unique species...so do not get it confused with the North American Opossum.  Read our past addiction of the month page for a great article on why this is an eco-friendly yarn to knit with.

Qiviut: This is from the muskox and makes for a very resilient yarn.  It does not shrink in hot water like other animal fibres do.  The fibres are taken from the softer undercoat and I have heard knits up beautifully.

Silk:  This is not to be confused with spiders!  The silk used in textiles is from the moth caterpillar.  It makes for a great lightweight summer or spring project!

and we cannot forget...Wool which does not need any explanation.  There are several types of wool which are all give great stitch definition and knit with a great hand!

Now that you see the great range of animal fibre yarns available, you should put your acrylic yarn away and try something much softer and natural!

If we have forgotten any please add them in the comments.  We are always looking for the unique and unusual!