Mohair yarn – is something i learnt about in one of my trips abroad , it was a that love at first sight kinda feeling .. I have been a hoarder of mohair yarns of different brands and always had a feeling of why Indians are deprived of good yarn in India ! dont you get that feeling ?

Well now the wait is over and we are privileged to have our own Indian Manufacturer Ganga Acrowools produce the yarn.

A little About mohair yarn

Mohair is an animal fibre, made from angora goats. These must be the softest goats ever! 100% mohair yarn is so soft, fluffy and knotty that it would be impossible to work with. That’s why you’ll hardly ever encounter yarns that are made from 100% mohair. Most maufacturers combine mohair with another fibre. The most used are a silk thread or something synthetic, like micro or polyester. After plying mohair and the other fibre, a yarn is created that is much easier to knit or crochet with.

Grades of Mohair Yarn

Mohair material is of various different grade from normal mohair, kid mohair and super kid mohair. Even they are all mohair , the difference in thickness and length make the final products different in quality

The finest quality of mohair, is that obtained from the first shearing. It is called superkid or superfine, and is that shorn from only the youngest kids, usually those five or six months old.

The fineness of mohair, the determining factor of its quality , is measured in microns. Superkid that qualify for the name “baby” is from 24 to 26 microns thick.

The second shearing , performed after six months, produces kid of 27 to 28 microns of extremely fine quality, but not as soft as the first shearing.

The third and fourth shearings, given the name Young goats or Yearlings, produce a relatively fine fibre, 30 to 33 microns thick, that can be used for medium fine years, for fabric and for fine needlework.

From the fourth shearing on the fibre becomes adult mohair, from 30 to 40 microns, which although still an excellent fibre, can be used for needle work of medium quality, for bedspreads, shawls, etc.

Kid Silk mohair are mostly used for yarncrafts and largely commercially avialable.

Crochet or knit with mohair yarn

While the final product after working with mohair can be very rewarding – Utmost care must be taken while working with mohair and it definitely isn’t a yarn for mindless crocheting.

The yarn is fluffly in naturally , knitting or crocheting using mohair yarn can prove to be quite the challenge. When working with mohair yarn the material ‘sticks’ cos of friction or ‘knots’ easily. And making a mistake in a mohair piece can prove to be very upsetting, as untangling mohair is very hard, if not impossible.

Some Tips to cope with mohair yarn

Everyone have different experience working with mohair, i worked with soo many and i love it. here are some of my tips and tricks to work with mohair.

• Practice –> Practice the pattern with another yarn, like cotton. Once you’re used to the pattern and which stitches you’ll be doing, you can start your mohair project
• Keep it Simple and Sweet : If you just start working with mohair yarn, keep to easy and plain stitches, like single crochets or double crochets and keep away from advanced stitches, like bobble stitches or popcorns for a bit. Cluster stitches are ‘knotty’ enough with normal yarn, let alone mohair yarn.
• For First time users : Use needles at least one size larger than advised on the yarn wrapper. This will make it less fidgety to work with mohair yarn and you’ll be clearly seeing the stitches you’re making
• Club: Club it with another yarn of choice – acrylic, wool , et.al can make it slightly easy but you will need to be watchful
• Not for Mindless crochet projects: Watch your work closely. Yes, that means no Netflix binge-watching when working with mohair yarn! Unravelling mohair yarn is just horrible, if not impossible. So if you’ll be making mistakes, you better leave them and cover them up somehow. It’s, therefore, better not to make mistakes

Blocking Mohair Yarn Projects

Hand washing and then placing the finished project on a flat surface (on a mat or towel) is all you need to do in most cases – and it could actually be considered ‘blocking’ in the broadest sense of the term.

Wet-blocking mohair yarns: After washing and pressing out the excess water with a towel, place the garment on a dry towel or mesh sweater dryer and place it in its final shape, stretching any lace or other openwork designs to showcase them

Heartbeatsyarn from Ganga Acrowools

Heartbeats Yarn have now launched the new yarn in Kid Silk – this yarn is a ticket to yarn heaven

Do you love the lush and luxurious looks of mohair yarn? The softness? The gorgeous colors mohair .. the feel the texture then check the beautiful range of colors that have been launched and be sure the team at heartbeatsyarn will continue to surprise us.