It’s no secret that the world’s softest garment fiber
comes from a docile and adorable animal called the Angora Rabbit. Quiet
and calm by nature, these animals have been used in fiber harvest for
hundreds of years, and are thought to have originated in Turkey. Turkish
fiber markets throughout history have also taken credit for the
origination of the Angora Goat (who produce fiber known as ‘Mohair’, not
angora) and the forerunner to the Persian cat breed.
Europeans have bred and
mass-marketed Angora wool for centuries, the French being responsible for
the popularization of it around 1790. North America would not see the
import of these ‘exotic’ rabbits until 1920. The North American
Angora market today is still relatively considered a “cottage industry”
with the bulk of fiber producers promoting and marketing their own
product.
Four distinct breeds of Angora
rabbits exist today: the English, French, Giant, and Satin varieties all
possessing their own unique breed characteristics.
The “English” breed is considered to be the
smallest, at 5 to 7.5 pounds with a compact body containing few guard
hairs in proportion to the wool. The wool of this breed wraps tightly when
spun, and is the most popular breed for show because of its amazingly
prolific hair/fur on the face and ears. This specific breed of Angora may
require daily grooming to keep its fiber free of debris and mats that can
appear, causing the wool to lump up. These are sweet and gentled natured
rabbits, who are excellent around children, but only with encouragement
and parental supervision as to the daily care and maintenance of the hair.
This breed is not recommended for anyone who does not have the time to
spend in daily grooming.
The “French” breed is a larger breed than the
English, at 7.5-10.5 pounds. This rabbit has more guard hair ration to
wool, which allows for more intense and varied colors in the fiber. Most
color on the body of a rabbit is contained in the guard hair, rather than
the under-wool that is normally light or white in color. This French
Angora breed is considered the “easy-care” breed of Angoras, normally only
requiring a once weekly grooming, and is the best choice for novices or
youths.
The “Satin” Angora weighs in at 6.5-9.5 pounds
and has a shiny, satiny quality to its wool fiber. The hollow distinction
to the fiber of these rabbits accounts for the intensity of coloration
available in the breed, which does also appear in all white. Most spinners
prefer this fiber for ease of spinning, and the dense coat is considered a
pleasure to groom and harvest.
The largest breed of Angora Rabbits is the
“Giant” variety, weighing in at 10-20+ pounds! This breed is distinctive
as it is only recognized at show in the ‘non’ color - White, and as it is
the largest of all the Angoras, produces the most fiber from its superbly
dense coat. This breed does not molt, or shed its hair naturally as do the
other breeds, and so wool must be harvested by hand shearing.
