What the heck is goat down? Isn’t yarn made from goat fiber call mohair?
That’s what someone asked in comments when I mentioned I’d seen Taiga yarns had added “goat down yarn” to their product line. My answer? “Heck if I know!”
I like to knit, but I can’t claim to be an expert on fiber. I know a little. I know what Americans call “mohair” is wool spun from the angora goat. But not all goat yarn is mohair; the yarn from cashmere goats is called, cashmere.
Of course, this got me thinking: Goat ==> Cashmere. Goat ==> Mohair. Maybe Goat ==> Really good stuff!
I decided to order a skein, which as some blog visitors have read, I swatched. I love the stuff! (I also asked The General to examine it; he found it more than worthy.) But, I still didn’t know the difference between mohair, which I love, and goat down, which I love, and cashmere, which I also love. It occurred to me to ask Edward of Taiga. So I did.
Edward explained that Russian Goat Down is the fiber from a special breed of goats used to make yarn knit the traditional Orenburg lace shawls.
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Hey, Orenburg shawls are world renowed! At Stitches, Galina Khmeleva teaches knitters how to work these shawl! There are at least two books discussing them listed at Amazon.com. (If you click you can learn the title names etc. of the book. Afterwards, if you are cheap like me, go to the library! My library lets me email in requests, so I tend to visit Amazon, find nice titles and then email the library. Yes, I said I was cheap.) I was bit curious about the goats themselves. I decided a bit of Googling to track down the breed name was in order. One web page said goat down came from “The Russian White Goat”; another said it came from “The Orenburg Goat”, others “The Ural Mountain Goat”. Many just said “A special type of goat”. |
Ok, I still don’t know the name of the breed. Edward told me, and the web sources confirmed, the goats are dual purpose. They produce milk and fiber. But, not much fiber, according to Edward, each goat produces only 2.2 lbs of precious fiber a year.
If anyone happens to know more about goat down, Orenburg shawls and or Russian knitting history in general, pipe up! I’d like to know and I’m sure others would like too also. Meanwhile, I will visit the library and see what I can find.
Still, I don’t need to know more to know the yarn is really wonderful. I will be knitting a lace scarf out of my skein. It’s going to be yummy!
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Lucia Liljegren: Copyright 2005-2007 Rights to all site content including knitting patterns, generators and haikus reserved.
Very nice! I have done some googling before and read about the renowned Russian shawls too. There is one book about those patterns in the lace knitting section of SchoolHouse Press:
http://www.schoolhousepress.com/lace.htm
Gossamer Webs Design Collection
There are so many yarns from the Taiga line (goat down, silk blend, viscose and linen … ) I’d like to try that it requires enormous self control not to order … as I am in the Yarn Focus Challenge right now. But it is good to get your opinion.
Comment by Agnes — 4/12/2006 @ 12:26 pm
I’m on the cusp of buying some angora goats. Then eventually breeding the cashmere feature into them. I don’t know if I’m up for russian goats, though. Although maybe I should keep digging into that………
Comment by jenifleur — 4/12/2006 @ 12:45 pm
Jen, I read you bought yourself a spinning wheel. Talk about from the hoof to the needles!
These goats also provide milk, which I guess would be ok if you want to milk goats. Are you up to that?
Comment by lucia — 4/12/2006 @ 12:50 pm
I could help you with making goat yogurt, kefir and cheese…..goat milk has a lot of healing qualities……
Just a thought…
It it too bad that I live in a climate where goat yarn is not justifiable….I don’t even get cold feet…too bad…
Angelika
Comment by Angelika — 4/12/2006 @ 4:40 pm
Well, I’m sure you could knit up 2 lbs of thin yarn for Orenberg lace shawls even in Mexico!
Comment by lucia — 4/12/2006 @ 5:02 pm
Visit SkaskA Design, LTD http://www.skaska.com/
They can answer any and all questions. Galina has brought the Orenburg Shawls to the for front of lace knitting. She teaches amazing classes throughout the counrty.
Comment by Elaine — 8/22/2006 @ 12:22 pm