high loft wool sweater

^ no problem on the thread drift- I've learned a few tidbits on natural fibers :)

I pulled the pin on the cashmere sweater (15 oz), it should be warmer than my lambswool sweater (9 oz)- how much I'll find out soon; I know it won't buck the wind/weather nearly as well as my tight woven guide sweater, but it won't need to either

Hi Justin

> Has anyone you know, or that you've heard, ever done any serious study or research
> into using Angora Rabbit fiber more as a "fill" rather than in knitted or woven
> garments?
Now that you mention it, I have to say no. Interesting idea – just what should one test for I wonder? How well it resists being packed down or felted up would have to come into it I think.

> I thought that Merino was traced back to Spain and near the Pyrenees?
This may be so. From http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/macarthurs-and-the-merino-sheep

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In 1796, John Macarthur bought his first merino sheep from a flock of Spanish merino sheep reared in South Africa. At the time, sheep were used for both their meat and their wool and the quality of the fleece from the breeds already imported to Australia was very poor. Other farmers in the region also bought merino sheep in 1796, but they cross-bred their merinos with other breeds, which resulted in coarse wool of a low quality.
The merino sheep was originally bred in Spain, a country with a warm climate like Australia. Unlike many of the other European animals imported to Australia at the time, the breed thrived as it was able to cope with the summer heat.

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So we have merino sheep, and they have been bred for fine wool, but there is now some understanding that the breeding may have gone as far as is possible (ie as fine as possible) with this animal.

Cheers

"I pulled the pin on the cashmere sweater (15 oz), it should be warmer than my lambswool sweater (9 oz)- how much I'll find out soon; I know it won't buck the wind/weather nearly as well as my tight woven guide sweater, but it won't need to either"

Hi Mike, it's hard to say without looking at it, but sounds like it may be warmer. But again, more weight doesn't necessarily mean more warmth. That mostly Mohair sweater i have only weighs 7 oz, in size medium, and with a windshirt, it's warmer than my Merino and Cashmere sweaters that weigh from around 10 to 14 ozs or so. It really doesn't look like it should be that warm. It's practically see through in a lot of areas. It's a weird, ring knit, with loose, fuzzy fibers all over the place. I may take some pics and share it later. It reminded me of the first time when i tried on a Cap 4 Hoody with a windjacket. I was surprised by the amount of warmth.

Btw, while i like cashmere, i've shied away from it–all my cashmere sweaters have developed little holes. While talking one time with my Father in law, whom is an erudite type, about cashmere he mentioned a similar thing–he said all his cashmere sweaters developed little holes in them, and he had since switched to merino which that doesn't happen too. He did some research into it, and found that there is a mite that loves to eat cashmere.

I suppose one could get around this, by occasionally spraying your sweaters with a pungent essential oil-distilled water mix (something like peppermint, clove, cinnamon, or the like), if you don't mind smelling of these scents. Anyways, just a heads up.

> He did some research into it, and found that there is a mite that loves to eat cashmere.

Yeah, and it loves to eat sheep wool just as much – except that a lot of clothing wool is now routinely treated in the factory with a moth-proofing agent. Typically they use Mitin FF or Permethrin during the dyeing process.

Dunno what sustained contact with the stuff does to humans though. (Not too much, I am told. Just don't EAT it.)

Cheers

in my closet the mites will eat all wool, but they start with the most expensive stuff.

"It is not warm when wet – it can be quite lossy while it dries over 12-24 hours."

Think about the effects of evaporative cooling during periods of lesser activity like a snack break or a tricky downhill section while the wind is blowing.

Roger replied to my questions of Angora testing, "Now that you mention it, I have to say no. Interesting idea – just what should one test for I wonder? How well it resists being packed down or felted up would have to come into it I think."

Angora felts the least of many animal fibers because it has the smallest and least pronounced scales. I remember reading an Indian research paper wherein they were actually applying plasma treatment to Angora fibers, as to increase surface friction so that it could be spun easier and more efficiently, because apparently they viewed it as a cheap, easy to source, and fairly efficient alternative to down. I can look for the article. The problem with Angora is that it doesn't spin as well as other fibers–it's more slippery. It can be done, but it takes skill or specialized machinery. One could increase this slippery nature by application of a DWR–this is actually what i did with one of the quilts* i made.

Regarding compression etc, that is a good question for which i do not have an answer. It certainly will be better than Kapok, because it's less brittle/stiff, but doubt it's as good as even lower quality down because much of down is even finer than Angora fibers. However, the fact that it's got enough flexibility and strength to be spun and then knitted, seems to bode well for some durability in being compressed but also probably not as good as lower quality down.

It would shine more in smaller items like hats, mittens, jackets, etc, and not quilts or bags. I'm considering in the near future, combining Angora with polypropylene microfibers to see how that works. PP mostly because of extreme light weight, cheapness, decent durability, low moisture absorption, and because loose microfiber PP fibers are readily available in bulk quantities–because it's a common material added to concrete.

* I made a very odd quilt, out of a combo of 2.5 oz Apex, with Angora and 550 Duck down mixed together, while spraying the Angora with a fluorocarbon DWR (to decrease potential felting or matting issues). It ended up being heavier than i wanted it to be. I'm going to re-purpose the down and angora for smaller items.

> It would shine more in smaller items like hats, mittens, jackets, etc, and not quilts
> or bags.

Hats, yes, jackets maybe but pack straps would trash it, mittens – unlikely imho. They get thrashed! A pair of synthetic micro-fleece ski gloves don't last me more than a couple of seasons. Muffs might be good.

Cheers

The best wool sweater I ever owned was mohair. It looked like gorilla hair and was awesomely warm.
I love cashmere and have a few sweaters and I put all my cashmere in zip locks with a dryer sheet after cleaning. Insects don't like dryer sheets and it keeps the mites and moths from eating the wool.