Fibre Focus Friday: Mohair & Annfield Farm

For those who aren't familiar with Mohair, it comes from Angora goats and is usually sold in two types; adult mohair and kid mohair. Adult comes from adult goats and kid comes from goats which are up to a year old. There can be a big difference in the two fibres, with kid mohair often being much more silky.
Mohair lends itself very well to blending with wools not just to help strengthen a yarn (it can be used instead of nylon, for example) but also to add softness and sheen. This is often why it is used in wet felting projects as even when felted it's lustre is still evident.
This week we're handing over to Laury-Anne from Annfield Farm as she has first-hand experience with breeding goats and can give us a proper shepherd's-eye view!
"Annfield Farm started from Laury-Anne’s love for Angora Goats and Andrew's wish to continue the family farm. It all began in 2020 and we welcomed our first kids (baby goats) in spring 2021. We have been growing ever since and now have 46 goats. We only keep goats for their fibre and work entirely without slaughter. Angora goats live 10 to 12 years and once they stop breeding (around 8 years old) they simply live the rest of their natural lives at the farm. We also keep all the castrated males as they actually give the best and finest fibre.
Angora goats originally came from the Angora district of Turkey, now known as the Ankara province. They produce mohair, which is derived from the Arabic mukhayyar (meaning “goat’s hair fabric”) and often referred as the “diamond fibre” due to its lustre and sheen. It is a very fine fibre that grows so quickly that goats need shorn twice a year! An adult goat can produce around 2 kg of mohair at each shearing.
They’re a lot smaller than people imagine when they think of a goat. Usually people can picture a dairy goat and they are surprised when they see our Angoras who are smaller, hairier and with big horns. Goats tend to prefer rough grazing to lush grass, and particularly love spiky plants, munching thistles, brambles and hawthorn first. They have helped us clear persistent patches of docks and nettles around the farm!
Temperament wise they’re probably somewhere between a cat and a dog, they always want to be with us and will beg for scratches and treats, but they also know full well when they do something they shouldn’t do and will do it anyway. They’re incredibly intelligent which always keeps us on our toes (mostly with fences…) but are also sweet and friendly and are happy to see people. We regularly have groups up to 20 people visiting us and the goats are all over them for attention, photos or the chance at chewing a sleeve.
They’re a rare breed in the UK, so finding other breeders close by to learn from proved impossible, but it also means that our network of fellow breeders and friends include people in New Zealand, France, Belgium, Wales and Southern England and it has been an amazing learning curve. We absolutely face challenges due to our location, whilst Angoras aren’t too bothered by the cold they’re really not a fan of wet weather, which is slightly inconvenient in Scotland. But we adapt and so do they, we have already seen a difference in hardiness between the first goats that we bought from Cornwall and Devon and the ones who were born and raised in Scotland."
You can find Annfield Farm (and pictures of their gorgeous goats!) on Facebook and Instagram. Photo credit to Annfield Farm, too!
You can also find our mohair products here.