As an Angora rabbit owner, you may be wondering what to do with all that rabbit wool. You can spin wool into yarn by yourself and create one-of-a-kind pieces of clothing, accessories, or home decor. It’s a fun and rewarding process, and with a bit of practice, you’ll be able to produce beautiful yarn from your Angora rabbits’ wool. This article will discuss how to spin Angora rabbit wool! Read on for more!
Angora rabbits are bred for their long, soft coats. As a result, they produce a lot of wool. Angora rabbits can get tangled and matted in their hair if left unshorn. How frequently you shear your rabbit depends on the quality of the wool. You should be able to get at least two or three uses from each batch of fiber before needing to rewash it.
Contents
Things You’ll Need
- a fiber rake or slicker brush,
- comb or carder
- spindle for spinning angora wool from rabbits
- spinning wheel
- angora wool.
Angora wool is the downy coat of the angora rabbit. It’s a type of fiber that comes in three varieties: English (shorter and coarser), French (more extended and excellent), and Satin (the finest). The thread can range from 1 to 4 inches in length. How to Spin Jacket Wool from Angoras? How about Spinning Batts or Roving? How do You Wash and Store It? How Much Does it Cost to Raise Angoras for Wool? How About Selling Them as Pets? How About Raising Them for Meat Too? What Would Make Great Accessories From Angora
A Stepwise Guide on How to Spin Angora Rabbit Wool
Step 1: Preparing Angora For Handspinning
Angora rabbit wool is very easy to spin, and it has a soft, fluffy texture that makes up great-looking yarns. It’s also hot and cozy. The fleece of an angora rabbit can be sheared, plucked, or shorn, the ease of which will depend on the age and condition of your animal.
The first thing you’ll need to do since angora rabbits are known for their shedding quality (or lack thereof) is finding a way to make them stay still while you groom them. Some people use grooming cages or even hairnets to keep the rabbits from eating the fiber while not moving around.
How much fiber you get from each animal depends on how well they tolerate being handled by human hands and how well they tolerate being restrained. The angora rabbit’s preference for not moving around will also determine the ease of shearing, plucking, or shearing. If you’re planning to brush them out instead of shearing, then place your rabbit in a grooming cage (which looks like an exercise pen) to make things easier.
Step 2: Harvesting Angora Wool
Hair taken from the underside of the angora rabbit’s body will be easiest to spin. It has a nice white color, but it can also come in colors like gray and brown. For breeds where the wool comes out in patches (like the English Spot), you’ll want to make sure you get all patches since some are harder to find later.
To harvest this fiber, take your shears and cut parallel to the skin about 1/2 inch deep until you get all of it. Make sure not to nick or hurt your animal during this process; start with one area at a time until you learn how much pressure to apply for cutting without harming them.
Step 3: Prepare Angora Wool for Spinning
Once the fiber is prepared, it has to be washed and stripped (if necessary). Some people like to leave the wool, but if your rabbit has any hygiene problems (like ear mites) or doesn’t want its hair brushed, you’ll need to strip it before using it. How you will do this depends on how big your animal is and what kind of equipment (sink, bucket, etc.) you have readily available.
Wash the fleece with water that is room temperature or more relaxed. You can also use any shampoo that does not contain lanolin; many angora breeders prefer dish soap since it’s made for delicate clothes. To wash angora wool, put the fleece in a sink with cold water and soap, then gently work the lather throughout, covering all fiber parts. Finally, rinse it well with cold water, ensuring you get all traces of both soap and dirt gone before letting it dry.
You can use a salad spinner to get excess water from the fiber. If you don’t have one, lay the fleece on a towel and press down with your hands to absorb as much moisture as possible.
Step 4: Conditioning Angora Wool
If your rabbit’s hair feels coarse when it’s wet, you can condition their fiber to make it softer. How often depends on how constantly you’ll be spinning their wool; for example, if you only plan to do this once a year, then conditioning isn’t necessary.
To condition angora fiber, apply some oil (like olive) generously throughout the fleece while rubbing vigorously with your hands, so it gets through all parts of the wool.
You might feel that this step is optional, but it makes a difference in how soft the yarn will feel when finished. If you don’t have any oil for this purpose, other things like mayonnaise or animal fat are acceptable alternatives since they’re also made from fats and oils.
Step 5: Spinning the Fiber
Spinning angora fiber is just like spinning any other type of wool. The diameter of the finished yarn depends on how many twists you put into it, how thick the individual strands are, and whether or not you will be blending it with another animal’s wool (like sheep).
Make your skein to keep track of your spin; start by making a slip knot at one end. Then make a loop with the far end twice as big as the bend in the slip knot. Place this loop over the top to complete your circle before pulling it tight around the base. How long your strand should be for this step depends on how bulky you want your final project to be; for example, you might wish for the strand to be as long as your arm or as short as your thumbnail.
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Step 6: Drying Your Yarn
Once you’re done spinning, place it on a drying rack (like those used for clothes) and let it air dry, so it doesn’t get stretched out and develops an unwanted texture. You can also lay it flat on top of some towels and roll them together, then put something heavy like books on top, so they stay in place during drying time.
It only takes a few days before the yarn is completely dry, making this fiber easy to work with if you don’t have that much time available but still want to spin new items for yourself or your family. Keep things simple by using what you have at home or go all out by purchasing the right equipment to make the process run more smoothly.
Start spinning angora wool today by checking your local craft shops for supplies and ingredients, then find some free time to get started. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can turn this fluffy animal hair into cozy yarn that will keep you warm during the coldest months of winter! These steps will help in how to spin angora rabbit wool.
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Tips and Warnings
Tips
- To spin the yarn, put your thumb and forefinger around the end of the fiber (just like it looks in my hand), then draw individual locks out to the side. Keep them taut; this helps retain their springiness. The more you handle angora wool, the fluffier it will become. So for a halo effect with added fuzziness, keep pulling at it!
- To prepare the fiber for spinning, gently pull and tease out any knots and tangles. This will help you separate individual locks. You can also try rolling it between your palms or working it with a drop spindle (make sure to tie on a wool leader first).
- For stronger yarn, use more locks when spinning. How thick the yarn depends on how many times you loop the angora around itself; wider loops mean thicker yarn! Most spinners recommend two-ply at minimum, but I like to go one step further and create four-ply yarns by doubling up my loops before drawing them back through my hand again. This will increase your chances of catching an airy halo in each strand.
Warnings
- Make sure to clean your fiber before spinning it. This will also help remove any debris and loose hairs that might cause discomfort for your bunny! Quite a few products on the market work great for this, such as a special pet shampoo or even regular dish soap.
- When your angora yarn is finished, you might notice some loose fibers on the ends. Try spinning it into a “blob” and then pull the blob slowly through your fingers (or use a drop spindle). You can also flick and tease each strand to eliminate any clumps.
Conclusion
We hope you have learned how to spin angora rabbit wool. If you’re looking for a unique fiber to spin, angora rabbit wool is a great option. It’s soft, fluffy, and has a lovely drape to it. If you find yourself with more than one breed of fiber rabbit, look up the different breeds and try spinning some of those! It’s an enriching experience, and your spin will turn into something unique and beautiful that not everyone spins on their spindle or wheel.