Spinner's Alphabet: A

By Amelia © February 16, 2026

Follow along with me while I explore the A to Z of spinning. Today marks the letter A, a great place to start.

A

is for Angora - angora rabbits have lovely angora fiber (so warm!). Angora was one of the first three fibers I learned with. I had Romney, Mohair, and Angora. Angora was definitely the hardest of the three. It is a very fine fiber, very slippery, and this particular one was fairly short staple to very challenging for a beginner indeed. I managed a few yards - enough for two rounds in the hat I made from my first yarn. And when I wear that hat, I feel the warmth of the angora. It is a hollow fiber, which contributes to how warm it is.

Now that I've been a spinner for decades, I know that even 10% angora in a blend is enough to add its warmth and let me feel its amazing softness. It is delightful blended with merino. One of the most amazing blends I've spun was angora, bleached yak, and cashmere - that spun into such a delightfully fine single that I made a 4-ply to bring it back to a sport-to-DK-weight yarn. Lovely, lovely blend. The fibers all contribute to its lovely halo. I have not yet come across a pattern worthy of the yarn, but perhaps a nice shawlette as there is only an ounce of it.

There are several varieties of Angora rabbits. English and French Angoras have lovely natural color but can have shorter staple. German Angoras are white, but have lovely long staple. Then there are Jersey Woolys, which are small rabbits with Angora fiber. I tend to find the nicest fiber at wool shows from the rabbit wranglers themselves, though you can also find white Angora combed top commercially. From the shepherd it is usually still in a cloud or occasionally a batt. Avoid compressing this or storing it in plastic, as it will matt and felt if not given room to breathe and a dry environment.

Other fun A's:

Art yarn - the county fair judge often says, that it is architecture, planning, and follow-through that define an art yarn

Angora goats - their fiber is called Mohair, confusing, I know! and is quite different from Angora fiber from rabbits.

I invite you to add more A's in the comments - just list your A-word-related-to-spinning or give a little bit more about it. Perhaps take this up on your own blog and post a link to it in the comments. All are welcome.

Be sure to check back in a week or two for B!

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© February 16, 2026 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.com/