The world of mohair

You are here: Stories by LANGYARNS | Blog

The world of mohair

12.10.2023

Mohair wool comes from long-haired Angora goats, which are also known as mohair goats. Today these goats are mainly raised in South Africa, Lesotho, Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Texas and Madagascar. However, they originally came from Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the area around Ankara in modern day Turkey. The most distinctive feature of these herds of goats is their long, curly coat hanging down, which is appropriate for to the climatic conditions of the dry steppe, deserts and mountainous regions.

An angora goat is clipped twice a year, yielding 1.5 to 4 kg of wool. The highest quality fibres are uniform, smooth, silky and only slightly curly. Generally it is the case with goats, that the younger the animal is, the finer the fibres. In the mohair industry, therefore, the fineness of the mohair fibres is graded according to the age of the animal. On the finest part of their coat, baby goats which are first clipped at 6 months of age, have individual hairs with an average diameter of 23 to 27 microns. For kids goats, the thickness of the finest fibres is between 27 and 30 microns. As the animals get older, the fibres can reach a thickness of up to 40 microns and are, on average, 6 to 13 cm long. Our micron – classification for mohair is based on the following information from our producers.

Mohair Superkid up to 27 microns fiber diameter

Mohair Kid from 27 to 30 micron fiber diameter

Mohair Young from 30 to 34 micron fiber diameter

Mohair Adult from 34 micron fiber diameter

After shearing, the fibres are washed and lanolin is removed. They are processed into tops, then at the spinning mills they are developed further into spun yarns or fancy or bouclé yarns.

Characteristics of Mohair

As the lightest of natural animal fibres, mohair is very delicate. So the first step of production involves spinning it together with more robust fibres, such as silk, merino or nylon. Very thin yarns are created in this way, allowing long mohair fibres to stand out from the yarn to give a fluffy effect.

Processed into thin yarns, the mohair fiber is very durable. This is due to the high flexibility of the fiber, which can adapt to any twists and turns without losing its shape.

Like all wool fibers, mohair is breathable and can absorb and release moisture.

Mohair is non-flammable and keeps us safe and warm.