Clipping mohair

Meet Gertrude, one of our Angora goats.  This picture shows her in her full 6 months of fleece - mohair. Clipping needs to happen twice a year because their fleece grows at an incredible 1"/month.   Mohair looks wonderful in its au-naturel state, still on the goat - full of curly ringlets, though low maintenance (lucky girls)!


We don't have a large flock but the ones we have are bred to produce the best and most consistent fleece.  Gertrude is now 4 years old but her fleece is still very fine and beautifully lustrous (the finest "Young goat" grade). 


Why Gertrude is in our blog spot this week is because she, and all her fellow goats have just had their 6 month clip in time for this really hot weather (and the flies that come with it).

Here she is after the clip - enjoying the sunshine! 


What is mohair used for?
Well, mohair has many wonderful qualities that make it lovely for anything from the warmest jumpers through to hard-wearing upholstery velvet, but what it is most famous for is traditional teddy bears! Steiff bears still to this day use mohair for their gorgeous teddies!


If you knit and would like to try some of the very best I'd recommend New Forest Mohair !