Mohair
What is Mohair?
Mohair is the hair of the Angora goat (not to be confused with the Angora rabbit, which produces Angora wool). Both durable and resilient, mohair is notable for its high luster and sheen,and is often used in fiber blends to add these qualities to a textile. Mohair fiber is approximately 25–45 microns in diameter. It increases in diameter with the age of the goat, growing along with the animal. Finer, softer hair from younger animals is used in scarves and clothing; the thicker, coarser hair from older animals is more often used for carpets and in heavy fabrics intended for outerwear. At Masterweave we use on average a 36 micron in our throws.
Why does Masterweave choose to use Mohair in its blanket throws?
Mohair takes dye exceptionally well. Mohair fibers have a distinctive luster created by the way they reflect light. Combined with mohair's ability to absorb dyes, pure mohair yarns are usually recognizable for their vivid saturated colours. Masterweave takes advantage of this characteristic by offering over 40 vibrant colours in our collection.
It feels warm in winter as it has excellent insulating properties, while its moisture-wicking properties allow it to remain cool in summer.
It is durable, naturally elastic, flame-resistant and crease-resistant. It is considered a luxury fiber, like cashmere, angora, and silk, and can be more expensive than most sheep's wool.
Mohair is composed mostly of keratin, a protein found in the hair, wool, horns and skin of all mammals, but mohair's special properties are unique to the Angora goat. While it has scales like wool, the scales are not fully developed, merely indicated, because of this, mohair does not felt in the same way wool does ( less itchy).
How is Mohair collected?
Shearing is done twice a year, in the spring and in autumn. One goat will produce 11 to 17 pounds (5–8 kg) of mohair a year. Shearing is done on a cleanly-swept floor and extra care is taken to keep the hair clean and free of debris. The hair is then processed to remove natural grease, dirt and vegetable matter. Mohair grows in uniform locks. The Angora goat is a single-coat breed, and unlike pygora or cashmere, there is no need to dehair a mohair fleece to separate the coarse hair from the down hair.
What is the history of Mohair?
Mohair is one of the oldest textile fibers in use. The Angora goat is thought to originate from the mountains of Tibet, reaching Turkey in the 16th century. However, fabric made of mohair was known in England as early as the 8th century. The word "mohair" was adopted into English sometime before 1570 from the Arabic: mukhayyar, a type of haircloth, literally "choice", from khayyara, "he chose". In about 1820, raw mohair was first exported from Turkey to England, which then became the leading manufacturer of mohair products. The Yorkshire mills spun yarn that was exported to Russia, Germany, Austria, etc., as well as woven directly in Yorkshire. Until 1849, the Turkish province of Ankara was the sole producer of Angora goats. Charles V is believed to be the first to bring Angora goats to Europe. Due to the great demand for mohair fiber, throughout the 1800s there was a great deal of crossbreeding between Angora goats and common goats. The growing demand for mohair further resulted in attempts on a commercial scale to introduce the goat into South Africa (where it was crossed with the native goat) in 1838, the United States in 1849, Australia from 1856 to 1875, and later still New Zealand.
