We all know Acrylic, Cotton and Merino. Some of us might even use Tencel, Cashmere or Baby Alpaca. But there are some fibers out there which are a bit less common, more unique and some even a bit strange...
Let's talk about those less known, harder to find fibers and get to know them better.
YAK
Yaks are a long-haired mammal of the bovine family, mainly found in the Himalayan region, Tibetan plateau, and some areas of Mongolia and Central Asia.
White Yak
Yak coat is actually composed out of 2 different layers. Yak wool is made out of the fine undercoat and is as delicate and soft as cashmere. It will keep you warmer than sheep’s wool, it regulates moisture, is breathable, and in addition, it is allergy friendly.
Yak Yarn is wonderful to knit or crochet. It is ideal for fine sweaters, jackets, scarves, or hats. Being soft and airy, it does not irritate the skin and therefore makes a great choice for winter cuddly wearables.
Big yarn brands have recently started to include more yak yarns (pure or blended) in their collections, which slowly makes this fiber more easy to find in LYS and online yarn shops. The prices do tend to be on the higher range, but that is to be expected from a yarn that's not very easy to produce in mass quantities and is all that luxurious.
Bison
Bison are a large mammal of the Bovine family, most commonly found in North America and Europe. American bison live in river valleys and on prairies and plains, while European bison most commonly live in lightly wooded to fully wooded areas as well as areas with increased shrubs and bushes.
American Bison
Bison coat is quite hard to collect. In the springtime, bison rub off their coat against bushes, rocks and posts. This exotic fiber is then collected and sorted before being spun into yarn. It is the undercoat of the bison that is suitable for being made into yarn.
Bison wool is light and delicate. It produces a soft, highly insulating and hypoallergenic yarn, which will make very warm and winter worthy garments. Items made with bison yarn will get softer with washing.
Bison yarn is pretty rare and only a small number of speciality yarn companies carry it. It is therefore quite expensive and can get as high as $200 and sometime even more for 100g (3.5oz).
Qiviut
This is a pretty recent addition to the selection of animal fibers. The Qiviut is wool produced of the coat of muskoxen. These animals have inhabited the Arctic for many thousands of years, and their long shaggy hair is well adapted to the frigid climate. The outer hairs, called guard hairs, cover a second, shorter undercoat that provides additional insulation in winter. This undercoat falls out when temperatures climb at winter's end. Qiviut refers specifically to that soft undercoat. Because the hair falls off in large chunks of their own accord, the harvesting of qiviut is very easy and happens naturally, eliminating the need for shearing.
Muskox in the snow
Qiviut is naturally a soft grayish-brown color, and is one of the warmest and most luxurious fibers in the world. It resembles cashmere, but is softer, finer and fluffier. The absence of oils in the fiber makes it less allergenic, and therefore more suitable for people suffering of wool allergies. Despite its lightness, the qiviut has considerable strength. It can withstand temperature shock and agitation without shrinking, pilling, or felting. Clothing made from qiviut are said to become softer and more beautiful as they age.
Global production of qiviut amounts to 5 or 6 tons annually, making it one of the rarest animal fibers in the world. Due to its rarity, Qiviut yarn is almost ridiculously expensive, with prices ranging to as much as $150 for 20g (1oz) of 100% Qiviut yarn.
Camel
When you think about a Camel, the first thing that may come to your mind are very short-haired creatures who live in the warm and dry Sahara Desert, and you might think - "This will not make for very nice yarn". However, Camel Wool, commonly called Camel Hair, is usually derived from the Bactrian camel subspecies. The Bactrian camel, also known as the Mongolian camel, is a two-humped subspecies, native to the steppes of Central Asia.
These camels have two layers of hair: guard hair, the outer layer of hair which is coarse and straight; and the undercoat, which is soft and fine – this is the layer which is used in camel wool.
Bactrian camel
Unlike other wool production methods that typically involve shearing off the animals’ hairs, camel wool is harvested when the Bactrian camels shed their winter coats during the spring, which makes this harvesting system not only sustainable but cruelty-free. The individual hairs are extremely fine with a fiber diameter of 16 to 20 microns. Therefore, the wool feels very soft on the skin and is comparable to cashmere. A camel’s hair is thermo-regulated to keep them warm in the cold and cool in hot temperatures – this translates into warm yet breathable fiber.
Camel yarn has a light sheen and a very fine fluff. Due to the natural shades of the camel hair, dyed camel yarn has rather muted colors. This yarn is suitable for sweaters and cardigans as well as accessories such as shawls and hats.
Camel fiber might not be as popular as other fibers, however, it has its unique features, which is why it is still very much a part of the global fiber and yarn industry. You can find quite a large selection of camel wool blends and even some 100% camel wool yarns out there. They are mostly produced and sold by high end yarn studios and private indie spinners and dyers, but you some larger yarn brands have also recently started to include them in their selection.
Llama
The llama is a domesticated South American camelid. Unlike its distant cousin the Alpaca, llamas were merely pack animals used to carry heavy loads and their fiber was never considered to be usable, due to it's coarseness. However, today, there are also llamas that have fine fleece.
White Llama in Peru
After shearing, it takes 2 years for the llama's coat to re-grow. Therefore, although each shearing yields about 8 pounds of fiber, that only amounts to 4 pounds per year.
Llama fiber is very similar to alpaca fiber. Just like alpaca, llama fiber contains no natural oils or lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic. In fact, in terms of fiber arts, both fibers can be considered as the same fiber.
Llamas come a large variety of colors, which means yarn made of llama fiber can have an extended range of natural colors without having to be dyed. Llama yarn has high thermal capacity, lightness and high wear durability making it a very desirable yarn for sweaters, hats and coats.
Recently, more and more yarn brands have discovered the advantages of llama fiber, resulting in a large selection of yarns containing 100% llama wool as well as a good range of blends containing llama wool. Big brand mass production means comfortable and affordable prices, which is always good news for us yarn lovers.
Guanaco
Never heard of Guanacos? Well, you’re probably not alone. An ancestor of the llama, the guanaco is a camelid native to South America. It is the least known member of the South American camelid family, which includes the llama, the alpaca and the vicuña.
Guanaco
The wool and fine fur of the guanacos were already popular within the indigenous people of the Andes, who used the fur and leather to build tents and the wool to make blankets and clothing. In the course of the 19th century, guanaco blankets and coats were the most important trading article of the Tehuelche Indians.
Today, although the guanaco is not protected or classified as an endangered species, The guanaco is still considered threatened in most South American countries. All trade with guanaco products is strictly regulated, making exportation almost impossible. Special certification & licensure is required of guanaco breeders located primarily in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile & Peru.
The guanaco’s soft fiber is valued second only to that of the vicuña. This combination of very high quality product and regulated trade make guanaco fiber (and yarn) extremely expensive and very rare.
Vicuña
The Vicuña is the smallest amongst the Camelid family. It is a very graceful and soft mammal that resides in Western South America.
Vicuña - The queen of the Andes
Vicuña is the most luxurious and expensive fiber in the world. The vicuña animal is known as the “bearer of the golden fleece” as well as "the queen of the Andes".
In ancient times, vicuñas were sacred to the Incas and valued for their ultra-soft fine wool. Only emperors and their families were allowed to wear this precious fiber.
Vicuña is also the finest fiber in the world. This exquisitely fine wool has a micron count that is only 8 to 13 microns. For comparison - cashmere fine wool averages around 14 microns, while extra-fine merino wool usually starts around 19 microns. The fibers are hollow and filled with air, making the cloth amazingly warm and light. It is so soft and sensitive that it is usually left untreated in its natural color – a warm cinnamon shade. Any chemical treatment to alter the color could ruin it.
Vicuña wool is as good as gold. Each of these animals produces only about four ounces of fiber each time, which makes it even more precious. The yarn produced by this fiber is only sold by the most exquisite and luxurious stores. If you wanted to make your very own creation using Vicuña yarn, a ball of 1oz would cost you as much as up to $300, and in many cases you would have to pre-order it...
Possum
When referring to fiber and yarn, the possum we are talking about is the Brushtail Possum. The common brushtail possum is perhaps the most widespread marsupial of Australia. It is found throughout the eastern and northern parts of the continent, as well as some western regions. Since its introduction to New Zealand by fur traders in the late 19th century, the non-native brushtail possum population has reached staggering proportions largely due to the lack of natural predators that would otherwise maintain an ecological balance. The consequences of their rapidly increasing numbers are many, including damaging impacts on New Zealand’s native flora and fauna. To try and regulate the devastating growth of their population, several New Zealand based yarn companies started harvesting their fur for the fiber industry usage. These companies are committed to the responsible management of the brushtail possum population in New Zealand, and when you choose to buy their luxury yarns, you are taking part in their sustainability efforts.
The Brushtail Possum fiber has some rare quantities. First, there are no scales, so the fiber itself resists pilling. Possum blend garments stay looking new for ages. The more possum fiber in the blend the more the garments resist pilling and lasts longer. In addition, it has a hollow structure, so the fiber has a very high warmth to weight ratio. For example, a merino and Brushtail Possum blend fiber is twice as warm as any other wool blend in the world. Possum wool is extremely soft and luscious, making it a natural choice for projects such as scarves, shawls, sweaters, gloves and essentially any item that is meant to keep you warm and cosy.
Cashgora
Cashgora is the result of cross breeding between cashmere and angora goats. The resulting fiber produces a yarn with the best qualities of each goat breed: strength and shine from angora with the softness of cashmere. The fiber is very similar to cashmere, just slightly longer and coarser which makes Cashgora more durable and less prone to pilling.
It is a fairly new fiber and is currently only produced in Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Cashgora goat being combed
Cashgora is a renewable resource – it protects the goat during winter but is no longer needed in the spring. The coat is combed in April, and is then sorted, dehaired, washed and spun. The average yield is approximately 400 grams or 14 ounces of combed fiber per goat (For comparison, an average Merino sheep produces around 4-5 kg of wool).
The Cashgora yarn is dyed over the original silver/brown skeins and results in gorgeous, rich colors with a unique luster and shine. It is said once you touch it, it becomes a must-have!
Now that you've learned everything you need about these fibers, perhaps you are wondering how you might get your hands on them. Well, here is a short list of online shops which sell some of these:
World of Wool: https://www.worldofwool.co.uk/
Windy Valley Muskox: https://windyvalleymuskox.net/
Port Fiber: https://portfiber.com/
Zealana: https://zealana.com/
Urban Yarns: https://www.urbanyarns.com/
Pascuali: https://www.pascuali.de/en
Mrs. Peacock Yarns: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MrsPeacockYarns
And if you still didn't find what you were looking for, you can always search Amazon or Etsy. The selection isn't huge, due to the rarity of the fibers. But if you do end up working with one of them, I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below.
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