Fiber Producing Animals
Fiber From Goats, Rabbits and Other Animals is Used to Make Fabric
Fiber from many other animals other than sheep is used to manufacture fabrics. Fiber from Angora rabbits, goats, Alpaca and even camel feature in many different fabrics.
Wool from sheep is the most common animal fiber and is used widely in fabrics of many different types. There are, however, many different animal fiber types which are manufactured into both luxury and commodity fabrics. Fiber producing animals include angora rabbits, goats and camelids (alpaca, llamas and camels). Each animal breed produces fiber types with different qualities.
In order to be suitable for the commercial processing of animal fiber into fabric, the individual fibers need to be of a certain grade and consistent quality. The most luxurious fibers are fine, long and smooth. These give a silky appearance and are soft and warm to wear. Most animals regardless of how fine their coats are will have some more coarse fibers; they are known as guard hairs and are removed as part of the preparation process. This is known as dehairing.
Coarse fibers, although making a sturdy and robust fabric, are not comfortable to wear and are more typically used for the making of yarn for rugs and carpets rather than for clothes. The cost of processing these coarse fibers, compared with the low end value, makes them unattractive to commercial producers.
Animal fibers are known as protein fibers and are dyed using acid dyes. They take dye well and are available in a variety of vibrant colors. The process of bleaching fibers weakens and damages them, therefore animals bred for their fiber are typically white. There are exceptions to this; the alpaca is bred in 18 different color types, meaning a wide range of naturally colored fibers are available.
While rabbits, goats and camelids are among the most popular animal fibers used commercially, the fiber from other animals is also used. Small independent producers often work with more unusual fiber types. For instance some may work with Qiviut, a fiber which comes from the Musk Oxen. Their thick coats with lengths of over one yard make it the longest coats of any animal in the world. Their coats naturally moult in the spring and the fiber is extraordinarily lightweight and eight times warmer than wool.
Even dog hair can be spun and processed into fabric. Fiber from dog hair is sometimes referred to as chiengora. Many different dog breeds have fur suitable for spinning, although as with all animal fiber it needs to be of a suitable length.
Knowing which animal’s fiber has been used to create the fabric for a sewing or needlework project is an interesting extension of a project.
