Fiber
Here at Chicken Scratch, we keep Angora rabbits, which are very wooly rabbits who shed their wool once every three months or so. The wool they provide is gorgeous--colored in bands of dark and light, and it is a dream to work with--soft and smooth with a wonderful hand to it. If you are a hand spinner, this is the wool you would want to work with.
Due to the fact that Angora wool is seven times warmer than wool, it is not recommended that you use it alone to make a garment. Rather, it is a wonderful wool to blend into something else, be it sheep's wool or Alpaca or Llama, or even goat's wool. It will add a soft touch and a gentle hand, and the Angora will add a "halo" to your yarn as well, which is very beautiful. Also, Angora wool, though it has color to it, can be dyed any color you want, if you need something other than the natural color. It takes dye like a dream!
Our wool is harvested by hand from our rabbits, a process called rooing. We do not shear, and we do not comb it out. Rather, we spend the time to hold our bunnies, pet them, and talk to them while we gently pull the wool from their coats. Does it hurt? No, absolutely not. The wool has already been released by their bodies, it's just hanging on to the other wool in their coats. It's rather like an itchy sweater at that point, and all our rabbits rather enjoy being plucked. Usually it's a very calm experience, and one we all enjoy (unless they are convinced they're missing out on something and would like to go see what it is--they can be a lot like little kids sometimes!).
The Rabbits
All our rabbits have unique coloring and therefore make a unique wool. Some give us a lot at a rooing, some less. Weights are listed along with prices. If you would like more pictures of the wool you will get, please email us, and we'll send them along. We tried not to make this page TOO picture heavy.
Buckley
Buckley is a male English Angora, who gives us some of the longest wool of all our rabbits. He is an Opal buck, meaning his wool is a white/grey mix that's just on this side of lavender. Not only is his color beautiful, but his crimp is just amazing. The wool you receive from Buckley will be lighter to darker shades of his gorgeous lavender-grey.
Wool Available from Buckley
1 oz raw wool, clean, uncarded, 3-4" staple length. $10.00
Daphne
Daphne is Buckley's sister, which shows in the quality of her wool. She is a Chocolate Agouti English Angora, giving us wool that ranges from the softest of creams to umber. And the hand! Her wool is, by far, the softest of any of our rabbits. It's like silk with a body to it that has to be experienced to believe.
Wool Available from Daphne
1.15 oz raw wool, clean, uncarded, 3-3/12" staple length. Junior coat. $11.50
1.2 oz raw wool, clean, uncarded, 3-3-1/2" staple length. $13.25
Philip Johnny Bob
Ah, Philip Johnny, what can we say? Philip Johnny (or PJB to his closest friends) is one of the two rabbits who started our love affair with English Angoras. He is a rabbit with a mind of his own, and was named after a children's book character, who is very much the same. Wool-wise, Philip Johnny is a Black Tort, giving us wool that ranges in color from creamy tan to smoke grey. It is as unique as he is.
Wool Available from Philip Johnny Bob
1.35 oz raw wool, clean, uncarded, 3" staple length. $13.50