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Bad Boys of Argghhh!

horus.jpg

Meet Horus, who fancies himself quite the ladies goat. SWWBO has an update on the critters of Argghhh! over at her place.

14 Comments

OK...OK...OK...you have Angora Goats and Angora Rabbits. Which one can you teach to knit me a sweater? Which one do you shear to knit me a sweater? With the Castle Logo of course. And what credit cards do you take to knit an Angora Sweater?

Are you showing up at the Blog Conference with your Angora sweaters?
   
And I'll bet he stinks to high heaven.   Billy goats have this nasty habit of bathing in their . . . . . .  urine.
 
That's all part of being a ladies goat, Steve...  the goatgurls love it.
 
Fishmugger... Angora goat fur is used for Angora sweaters.
And the only reason I know that is because SWWBO mentioned it on an "angora" post sometime over the past couple of years.
 

Sorry, AFsis, but angora RABBIT fur makes Angora yarn, and angora goat's hair makes mohair yarn.

You shear the goats, but (usually) pluck the rabbits (when they shed). 

SWWBO isn't the only fiber junkie around <G>.  

Fish, I can teach you to knit and spin for that matter.   I've taught a couple of guys.   They usually want to learn when they find out how expensive a pair of handknit custom kilt hose will be.

 

 

 
dang it. 

So close... yet so far away....
 
Plucking Rabbit....?? That is a skill I never anticipated. But I doubt I'll need Kilt hose knitted.

Don't want no mohair sweater...angora be much better. So which one of you ladies wants to measure me?
 
Bring on the Small Calipers!

Cheers 
 
 I pluck my French Angora bunnies when they molt - several times a year - basically, I gently tug on the wool and it comes right out - if I have to pull, it's not ready to come out.  However, it becomes quite tiring with my hands, so I'm thinking about clipping them come late spring so they will be cool for the summer.  Since I am using the wool myself, and i don't mind clipped ends, I can do that - but if I should decide the sell the Angora Wool, I'll end up having to probably pluck them.
 
Nice set of horns on that boy.  I mind my landlord's (completely illegal here in town) billy goat, Charlie Elvis. He loves swimming in his humans' pool, and has damn near denuded their back yard of vegetation right down to the ground. He'll butt head against my hand, but not against my head. I reckon that's a good thing. 
 
P.s.  I lurve goats. They are so funny. I think of their horizontal pupils, their skin tags, their beards, their dietary habits, the absurd size of the billy goats' "equipment", & cetera. Goats are proof that God has a sense of humor. (a low one, but we knew that)
 
You sit the bunny on your lap and gently pluck the hairs off.  The rabbit loves being groomed and the down is made into luscious angora yarn.  Of course, you have to get the rabbit used to sitting and being 'combed' by hand, but if you take care of angoras well, their down is just..sigh...

You usually have the bunny in your lap and either your wheel to hand, or your drop spindle or takhli spindle.

You run your fingers firmly but gently over the coat, and pulling here and there, get the down off and on to the waste yarn, and start spinning.  It does take practice, but I think Beth is such a whisperer she could prolly sit down and master it in a session or two.  A friend of mine does this; her rabbits go to sleep.

 
Horus is cool.  Always knew you were a Navy guy, John.