Permies Poll: What is your favorite animal fiber to work with?

Ohh boy, this one is a bit out of my knowledge realm so if I make a glaring error please correct me.



I'm back again with a new addition to my Permie Poll series with a new question tailored towards those who create anything and everything with animal fiber. What is the question you ask?



I tried my best to include what I think are potential fiber sources but feel free to comment below and I will add yours if it isn't on the list!

Otherwise, please feel free to vote and discuss why your choice is your favorite.

I appled qiviut, but I want to own that that's aspirational -- I haven't actually worked with it.

Also, you might want to change "angora" to "angora rabbit" just to be clear. Probably anyone with an opinion will know that angora goat fiber is called mohair and that angora is rabbit fiber, but for instance, I'm not sure if that's the standard around the globe.

Something about the humble sheep's wool that I am drawn too.

My partner has stated she will crochet me a blanket if I supply her the yarn. My wallet is starting to feel light with how much I need to get my hands on!

One day I might learn to spin.

Timothy Norton wrote:Something about the humble sheep's wool that I am drawn too.

My partner has stated she will crochet me a blanket if I supply her the yarn. My wallet is starting to feel light with how much I need to get my hands on!

One day I might learn to spin.

Oh, my. There are so VERY many types of sheep's wool, and they vary SO VERY MUCH in every way, that most of the spinners in my fiber arts guild absolutely adore some, while despising others... I have probably 6 or 7 different breeds of sheep fleeces in my craft room, and some, I'm looking forward to spinning, others are very intimidating. Yak is one of the softest fibers I've ever touched - and I'm looking forward to trying it - but I'm also super intimidated by it. Camel is also very soft and lovely, but seems easier to work with, blended with other fibers, like wool. The mohair/cashgora my goats produce is also lovely, but I'm not sure the staple length/fineness are going to be easy to work with, and maybe I should blend it with some Shetland sheep, for more strength and bounce. I would love working with silk, but find as I'm spinning it, it prefers to catch on every microscopic snag on my hands, making it a serious challenge... I can't even vote...

I love knitting with alpaca—so soft!—but spinning it is a bit of a challenge for me. It’s so darn slippery after being used to sheep’s wool. And sheep wools are so widely varied for so many different purposes!

Last vote in apple poll was on September 19, 2024