Other Animal Fibers

Question 1

What 4 general characteristics all animal fibers?

Answer 1

1. Breathable
2. Good insulation.
3. Highly elastic.
4. Highly odor resistant.

Question 2

What is the most commonly utilized animal fiber?

Answer 2

Wool.

Question 3

What is down?

Answer 3

The layer for fine feathers from the breast of ducks or geese.

Question 4

What do scales help with?

Answer 4

The fibers lock together and staying together during product creation.

Question 5

What is the scale height of cashmere?

Answer 5

Rarely above 0.5 um.

Question 6

What is the scale height of mohair?

Answer 6

Around 0.4 um.

Question 7

What is the scale height of wool?

Answer 7

0.6-1.1 um.

Question 8

What quality of the wool does scale height contribute to?

Answer 8

Brightness of the wool.

Question 9

What is the yield of cashmere?

Answer 9

20-45% or 3.5-6 oz. of down.

Question 10

What is the yield of mohair?

Answer 10

60-80% or 2-25 lbs. of fiber.

Question 11

Why are hand spinners willing to pay top dollar for fleeces that are natural colors?

Answer 11

It is natural and makes them feel more connected to the animal.

Question 12

What are the 3 natural colors of cashmere?

Answer 12

1. White.
2. Gray.
3. Brown.

Question 13

What are the 5 natural colors of mohair?

Answer 13

1. Black,
2. Gray.
3. Red.
4. Tan.
5. White.

Question 14

What animal does mohair come from?

Answer 14

Angora goats.

Question 15

How often are Angora goats shorn?

Answer 15

2x per year.

Question 16

How fast does mohair grow?

Answer 16

1 cm or 0.5 inches per month. So, 6 cm or 3 inches when it is shorn.

Question 17

What is important to know when managing Angora goats?

Answer 17

They are very sensitive to undernutrition and other stressors.

Question 18

How many microns thick is mohair from a kid?

Answer 18

20-30 (fine).

Question 19

How many microns thick is mohair from a yearling?

Answer 19

30-34 (medium).

Question 20

How many microns thick is mohair from an adult?

Answer 20

34-39 (strong).

Question 21

What is the scouring process for mohair?

Answer 21

Washing the mohair to remove dirt, grease, and foreign materials.

Question 22

What is the carding process for mohair?

Answer 22

Transforming the mohair from staples to slivers.

Question 23

What is a staple?

Answer 23

A continuous fiber of a certain length.

Question 24

What is a sliver?

Answer 24

A bundle of fiber drawn into long strips.

Question 25

What is the combing process for mohair?

Answer 25

The remaining vegetable matter and any short, irregular fibers are removed to make tops.

Question 26

What is the spinning process for mohair?

Answer 26

Twisting the fibers into yarn.

Question 27

What animal is angora derived from?

Answer 27

Rabbits (multiple breeds).

Question 28

How many microns thick is angora fiber?

Answer 28

12-16 microns.

Question 29

What is the yield from angora rabbits per year?

Answer 29

0.5-2 lbs. .

Question 30

What are the 2 ways to harvest angora fiber?

Answer 30

1. Shear (scissors or low-noise trimmers). 2. Plucking.

Question 31

What 3 breeds of Angora rabbit can be plucked?

Answer 31

1. English. 2. French. 3. Satin. *Natural shedders.

Question 32

How often do Angora rabbits need to be plucked/sheared?

Answer 32

Every 3 months, but need more frequent grooming.

Question 33

Why is angora fiber often blended with other fibers?

Answer 33

It is too difficult to spin otherwise.

Question 34

Where are Cashmere-type goats found?

Answer 34

Afghanistan, China, Iran, Mongolia, and Tibet.

Question 35

What part of the coat of Cashmere type-goats is used in cashmere fiber?

Answer 35

The undercoat/down fiber.

Question 36

How many microns thick is cashmere fiber?

Answer 36

Average of 18 or less microns, but no more than 28 microns.

Question 37

How are the guard hairs in cashmere goats different from the undercoat?

Answer 37

1. 50 microns or more. 2. Drop out during processing due to being heavier. 3. Medullated. 4. Stiffer.

Question 38

When is cashmere fiber naturally shed?

Answer 38

Spring.

Question 39

What are the 2 methods for collecting cashmere?

Answer 39

1. Combing it out with a goat comb (most common and higher quality yield). 2. Shearing (guard hair contamination).

Question 40

How is cashmere traditionally sorted to remove any contaminants?

Answer 40

By hand.

Question 41

What is cashmere washed with?

Answer 41

A gentle detergent and water.

Question 42

How is cashmere dried after washing?

Answer 42

Air dried, to avoid damaging and stretching.

Question 43

What process does cashmere undergo when being prepared to be spun?

Answer 43

It is combed to create worsted/parallel aligned fibers.

Question 44

What are the 2 breeds of fiber alpacas?

Answer 44

1. Suri. 2. Huacaya.

Question 45

What % of alpaca fiber comes from Suri alpaca?

Answer 45

5%.

Question 46

What % of alpaca fiber comes from Huacaya alpaca?

Answer 46

95%.

Question 47

How is Suri alpaca fiber described?

Answer 47

Finer, softer fibers that are comparable to cashmere or silk.

Question 48

How is Huacaya alpaca fiber described?

Answer 48

Denser, crimped fleece.

Question 49

How is alpaca fiber superior to sheep fiber?

Answer 49

1. Greater tensile strength. 2. Higher fiber core hollowness. 3. Hydrophobic. 4. Lanolin free. 5. Smaller scales (less itchy).

Question 50

How is alpaca fiber harvested?

Answer 50

With scissors after the alpaca has been laid on its side and had both its head and legs restrained.

Question 51

How often is alpaca fiber harvested?

Answer 51

Once per year.

Question 52

What is Grade 1 alpaca fiber?

Answer 52

Ultra fine/royal <18 microns.

Question 53

What is Grade 2 alpaca fiber?

Answer 53

Superfine/Baby <19 microns.

Question 54

What is Grade 3 alpaca fiber?

Answer 54

Fine <25 microns.

Question 55

What is Grade 4 alpaca fiber?

Answer 55

Medium <30 microns.

Question 56

What is Grade 5 alpaca fiber?

Answer 56

Strong 30+ microns.

Question 57

What is Grade 6 alpaca fiber?

Answer 57

Mixed 32+ microns.

Question 58

What does the tumbling process do to the alpaca fiber?

Answer 58

It opens it up, allowing for the removal of sand, plant matter, and guard fibers.

Question 59

What are the steps of alpaca fiber preparation?

Answer 59

2. Scouring. 3. Drying and lubrication. 4. Carding and roving. 5. Combing and top finish. 6. Spinning. 7. Knitting/weaving/dying.

Question 60

What are the two kinds of silk?

Answer 60

1. Mulberry silk. 2. Dragline silk.

Question 61

What is mulberry silk derived from?

Answer 61

The cocoons of larvae of the Bombyx mori butterfly, also called silkworms.

Question 62

What is dragline silk derived from?

Answer 62

Spider silk. *Not commercially used.

Question 63

What is sericulture?

Answer 63

The gathering and harvesting of silkworm cocoons.

Question 64

What is the structure of a silkworm cocoon?

Answer 64

A single strand of 100 m long silk that is wrapped around the worm and held together by sericin (a natural gum).

Question 65

What process is used to harvest the silk?

Answer 65

Placing the cocoons in boiling water to dissolve the sericin, which also kills the silkworm.

Question 66

How many silkworms does it take to make 1 pound of silk?

Answer 66

2,500.

Question 67

After harvesting the silk threads from silkworms, what is done to them?

Answer 67

1. Reeled. 2. Dyed. 3. Spun.

Question 68

How strong is dragline silk?

Answer 68

Exceptionally strong on a per weight basis, comparable to steel.

Question 69

Why are spider silk farms not commercially successful?

Answer 69

Spider in-fighting and cannibalism.

Question 70

What 2 animals have been genetically modified to produce spider silk?

Answer 70

1. Goats (in their milk). 2. CRISPR modified silkworms.