Angora fabric – features, properties, composition of warm woolen material

Because of its opulent warmth and softness, anorak fabric is a popular option for warm winter ensembles. Because it is very soft to the touch and keeps you warm, this woolen material is highly prized.

The particular kind of wool used in the creation of angora gives it its distinctive qualities. Frequently combined with other fibers, it maintains its inherent softness while improving suppleness and durability.

Selecting clothing made of this cozy and inviting material can be made easier if you are aware of the composition and characteristics of ankara fabric. Whether you’re shopping for scarves, sweaters, or other winter necessities, Angora provides the ideal balance of fashion and coziness.

History of the fabric

The name of this unusual fabric caused some confusion. One explanation claims that angora is the fluff of the angora goat, while another claims that the raw materials for this special fabric can only be found in the fluffy angora rabbit. The reason for the confusion most likely stems from the fact that both names are roughly connected to the areas where the Angora goat and rabbit live, as well as to the historical name of the Turkish capital "Angora," which sounds similar to Ankara nowadays.

Turkey’s small, resilient, shaggy goats, which produce an abundance of long, fine wool, are approximately 500 years old. This breed is thought to have originated in the Roman Empire. Nonetheless, Turkey was the birthplace of the genuinely shaggy, tiny goats that produced exquisitely thin, glossy wool.

Turkey held a monopoly and was the only manufacturer of a distinctive woolen fabric for several centuries, which the Turks valued as their wealth and national treasure. Goat exports outside the nation were strictly prohibited up until the middle of the 19th century.

Americans and Europeans were unable to find a comparable raw material at this high cost. Until a day when a softer, fluffier yarn with comparable qualities—but at a lower price—arrived on the textile scene. It turns out that goats are unrelated to this at all. The fluff of Angora rabbits, who have also been bred in Turkey for a very long time, taught them how to make it.

A lesser-quality, more affordable, delicate, and soft fiber from the fluff of a rabbit that, because of its long wool, started to be called Angora by comparison with the goat of the same name. Downy rabbits spread throughout the world over time, providing soft fluff for the production of light and warm fabric. They started to breed in various nations.

Additionally, the Turkish people changed the name of angora from its original name, "woolen fleece of goats," to "mohair," which translates from Arabic to mean "chosen, rarest." This was done to safeguard Angora goat yarn from an unexpectedly low-cost rival.

Since then, a new term, "mohair," has been applied to the long, silky wool of the Angora or Kemel goat (another name for this "special" breed, which is translated from Arabic as "chamal," meaning "thin"). Even so, in daily life, it is occasionally still referred to as Angora.

The term "angora" in the textile industry refers only to materials derived from rabbit down. The International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, designates it with the letter WA. Wool used to make noble down textiles is represented by the letter "W" in the alphabet. Whereas "M" represents mohair from Angora goats, "A" represents the down of Angora rabbits. Mohair is denoted by the symbol WM.

It seems incorrect to place an equal sign between mohair and angora, as they both indicate modern textiles that are visually appealing, fluffy, and made of wool, but are fundamentally distinct.

What is the difference between angora and mohair

Mohair and angora share a lot of visual similarities at first glance. The foundation of both kinds of textiles is fluffy yarn. Maybe this is the extent of their differences, though.

Mohair fabric is made from the wool of Turkish Angora goats, whose hair can reach 30 centimeters in length. This type of wool is of higher quality than rabbit fur, which can only reach 20 centimeters.

Mohair hair has a distinctive shine, is more elastic, prickly, and long-lasting. However, angora stands out for having a unique softness and tenderness. Additionally, it hardly shines at all. The softness and tenderness of kid mohair is comparable to that of angora, a very costly variety of mohair yarn that is only acquired once during a young child’s initial shearing.

The slick, elastic villi of goat wool are incompatible with one another and are always spun onto an additional warp thread composed of silk, regular wool thread, acrylic, or cotton. This is another way that angora and mohair fibers differ from one another. Rattling down felt nice. Additionally, yarn can contain 100% angora, though this is rare.

What is angora and what is it made of

As we already know, the downy rabbit, which yields long, thin, and smooth wool, is the primary source of raw materials for the angora industry. It has a maximum length of 20 centimeters. Textiles made from down have a very low density, significantly lower than materials like cotton and silk. And this helps to explain why objects made of angora are so incredibly light and weightless.

The top producers of angora textiles are Japan, France, China, and Italy. This kind of wool fabric is not widely produced worldwide. However, its value per weight unit surpasses that of regular wool by a factor of 40–50.

Naturally, this breed of rabbit is currently bred in Turkey, but it is also bred in the USA, South Africa, and China, where a related breed of animal has been successfully bred. Raising and caring for rabbits requires a lot of work. Not all climates are appropriate for this. Apparently, as a result of animals’ poor adaptability to unfamiliar environments.

A single rabbit can yield up to 1.5 kg of fluff in a year. This breed of animal has extremely matted wool that needs to be combed out. If not, rabbits may choke on their own licking.

Gathering fluff and properly sorting it both need specialized knowledge and abilities. Any carelessness could have an impact on the raw materials’ quality. Sheared, plucked, or combed from animals, rabbit fluff is obtained. In China, the latter approach is the most common.

In contrast to sheep’s wool that has been heavily contaminated with fat and perspiration, Angora rabbit wool is generally clean and doesn’t require washing before processing.

Angora fluff is classified into different varieties based on the animal species, fluff length, and purity.

• First grade – fluff with a fiber length of at least 6 cm, which makes up at least 70% of the total hair. And absolutely pure.
• Second grade – fluff is not so long – up to 6 cm, but still pure. It is 20% cheaper than first grade. It grows on the limbs and belly. Also, shorter and softer hair can be obtained from young rabbits.

Even less expensive, felt pure fluff extracted from an animal’s neck is valued at only 15% of the value of first-grade fluff.

In any event, using pure hair is crucial for producing angora wool. No matter how long it is, dirty fluff is basically worthless. It costs between 5 and 6 percent more than first-grade fluff.

Working with raw materials made entirely of natural fluff is just as challenging as working with angora goat wool. Short, smooth, and soft fibers are poorly fixed in a loose, thin woolen fabric during twisting and spinning, and they eventually crawl out and fall out in finished products. Furthermore, very few producers create pure textiles. Because of this, angora rabbit down is combined with synthetic and regular wool, as well as artificial threads, to create yarn.

The amount of natural down present in the composition ultimately determines the material’s value. The resulting fabric will cost more the higher its percentage content.

In the event that we are discussing materials of superior quality, merino wool, alpaca, silk, mohair, and cashmere are probably on the list of extra fibers. This composition increases the material’s durability, lightness, delicateness, warmth, and pleasing texture all while preserving the primary raw material’s fluff and softness.

When angora is combined with acrylic, it’s common to create yarn and clothing. Polyester and viscose are used as additives in low-cost products.

Combining natural fibers with synthetic and artificial ones most frequently goes like this:

• down (80%) + silk (20%);
• down (30%) + viscose (60%) + nylon (10%);
• down (50%) + 25% polyester fibers (25%) + any other wool (25%);
• down (20%) + viscose (50%) + nylon (30%).

In contemporary production, 100% Angora fluff is occasionally processed using a laser beam, which makes the raw material more pliable and facilitates the spinning process. Mass production has not yet employed this technology, though. Additionally, it is rare to find clothing made of natural angora. However, one could argue that the capacity of rabbit fur to mat is a benefit. This feature is frequently used by manufacturers to create soft felt.

An enjoyable-to-touch woolen fabric is created by processing the angora raw material, which is then used to sew both knitted and woven goods. The fabric, which has a smooth texture, is created by weaving threads together simply and without the use of mercerization techniques.

Before dying, the resultant material’s natural color may be either white, black, or gray. For instance, Angara rabbits of various colors are bred primarily in India, and their wool is used to create naturally shaded undyed fabric. Nonetheless, they primarily breed albino rabbits on an industrial scale in order to produce Angora in large quantities. Their perfectly white fluff is best dyed.

The main properties of Angora fabric

• The characteristic features of this fabric can be expressed in just three words – lightness, the ability to retain heat, softness.
• Light weight – woven and knitted fabric made of down villi, hollow inside, very light.
• Soft and comfortable – pleasant to the body, does not irritate the skin and does not itch.
• High thermal conductivity and excellent heat-saving properties – Angora fibers filled with air warm well in the cold.
• Natural fiber is hygroscopic, this figure is 6-12%.
• In terms of water resistance, it has an average indicator.
• Good air permeability.
• Angora wool is resistant to stains and dirt.
• Easy to dye in different colors.

Customers list the following attributes as benefits of angora in their reviews:

• The versatility of the material – coats, sweaters, accessories, dresses, blankets are sewn and knitted from this type of wool;
• The special property of the fabric to warm in the cold and create comfort for the body in any weather – cold, warm, hot;
• Hypoallergenic;
• Low yarn consumption when knitting due to its lightness and volume.

The drawbacks that are most frequently mentioned are:

• Possibility of damage by moths during storage in the off-season – the need to protect angora products with special anti-moth agents. With properly organized storage of woolen items using special covers and protective equipment, this disadvantage can be considered conditional.
• Fragility and low wear resistance – the fabric is not resistant to abrasion and "baldness" – the villi can rub off and fall out of the base.
• The fabric is electrified.
• Angora is subject to deformation, and products made from it can lose their original shape, stretch, lose color if not properly cared for – for example, with frequent washing.
• Difficulties in caring for products – things cannot be wetted often, you cannot walk in the rain in such clothes.
• High cost of products made from high-quality angora with a high content of natural wool.

Luxurious woolen material angora is prized for its remarkable warmth, softness, and airy feel. This fabric, which is made from Angora rabbit fur, has special insulating qualities that make it perfect for cold-weather apparel. Its fine fibers are also very soft against the skin, making it a warm and comfortable garment to wear.

Main types of angora

Rabbit down fabric comes in various varieties. They vary from one another in terms of composition, thread weaving technique, fabric structure, look, and function. The types that consumers are most familiar with are traditional angora, melange, supreme, lana, and soft.

Traditional angora

Up to 20% of rabbit down, which is thinner than wool, is added to rabbit wool to create the fabric. It is very difficult to fix it in the fabric’s base when using only down.

Supreme

Durable, thin, jersey-stitched knit fabric that is smooth to the touch. It has lycra in addition to angora wool, which gives it elasticity. The material maintains its shape and stretches nicely. It keeps its warming qualities and lightness at the same time.

Melange

Woven material consisting of natural angora threads that have been slightly diluted with synthetic threads that are either a contrasting color or somewhat similar in tone and halftone. This mixture gives the fabric a pattern that resembles marble chips.

Soft

Synthetic knitwear, which entirely lacks natural wool. Its primary ingredients are 20% viscose, 70% polyester, and 5% elastane. Still, this is an extremely good angora fluff knockoff. The material feels good on the body and is light and soft. Its surface may be smooth or fluffy. Lurex can be added to yarn to create textiles suitable for crafting fancy objects.

Lana

A fabric with angora down and regular or fine merino wool mixed together. This kind of wool-based material is included in the elite fabric group.

Fabric with the addition of viscose and acrylic, polyester fibers

Low-cost materials include knitted and woven materials, which have a very low down base content (10–20%). Polyester, elastane, acrylic, and viscose make up the remainder. Even so, these low-cost varieties of angora fabric are comfortable to wear and fairly warm.

Angora metallic

The fabric has acrylic and silver-plated polymer fibers in addition to angora wool. These additions aid in stabilizing the down villi in the base and keep them from escaping the fabric.

Angora yarn

Many people who use knitting needles choose angora yarn for warm items in addition to woven materials. Light, soft, fluffy, beautiful things are made from strong, thin threads. Typically, these threads have 15–35% angora down; the remaining material may be viscose, for example.

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Where is fabric with an angora down base used?

In a few words, the answer to this question is: anywhere there is a need for lovely, sophisticated, and cozy things. Firstly, these are clothes and textiles for the home.

With the addition of cotton, viscose, acrylic, polyester, and other fibers, rabbit wool can be used to make a wide range of products:

• beautiful women"s, children"s and men"s clothing;
• warm accessories for winter and cool weather;
• home textile items – thin weightless blankets, bedspreads, soft, warm blankets.

How to care for an angora

Angora needs to be handled carefully. It is best not to wash it, not to get items made of it wet, and to avoid getting it dirty. Dry cleaning is obviously preferable for clothing made of fabric that does not tolerate repeated washings. Should this not be an option, you can clean items using angora. This mostly applies to low-cost items with minimal wool content. However, even in this instance, only hand washing—practically in cold water—is permitted.

The products in this instance cannot be vigorously wrinkled or rubbed. It is sufficient to submerge them in a solution made with regular shampoo, toss them around in a container multiple times, and let them sit for a few minutes. Next, give the items a thorough rinse in lots of water, squeeze out any remaining water with a terry towel, and lay them out on a level surface, being careful not to stretch them. The pile needs to be combed with a comb once it has dried.

Error – mostly from unfinished edges.

Feature	Description
Origin	Angora fabric comes from the fur of Angora rabbits, known for its softness and warmth.
Texture	It has a silky, smooth texture that feels gentle against the skin.
Warmth	Angora is excellent at retaining heat, making it ideal for cold weather garments.
Composition	Often blended with other fibers like wool or synthetic materials for durability.
Care	Requires gentle washing, preferably by hand, to maintain its softness and quality.

Distinguished by its distinct texture and softness, angora fabric is a warm and opulent fabric. This fabric, which is mostly made from Angora rabbit wool, is well-liked for winter apparel because of its outstanding comfort.

The combination of natural fibers in angora fabric increases its durability and warmth. Its insulating qualities and lightweight design make it perfect for a range of outfits, from stylish scarves to warm sweaters.

Angora fabric offers both comfort and style, depending on your preferences. It is a useful addition to any wardrobe because of its classic appeal and useful features, especially in the winter.

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