Marvelous Mohair

November 2, 2012 in Debbie Bliss, Louisa Harding, Queensland Collection, shawl, Sweaters

Mohair yarn comes from the fiber of angora goats. (Not to be confused with angora yarn, which comes from angora rabbits.)

Some knitters and crocheters shy away from mohair because it’s hairy appearance makes them think it will be itchy.

I want to encourage you to not be afraid! Mohair, especially kid mohair, can be very soft and cuddly.

If I’m not sure about a yarn I hold it against the inside of my elbow or against my neck to see how I’ll react. The skin in those areas is fairly sensitive so I know if I’m ok there I’ll be able to make a sweater.

Mohair is on my mind because Wild Purls, a yarn store in Montana, keeps posting pictures of their pretty display of Debbie Bliss Angel yarn on their Facebook page.

Wild Purls Mohair Tower

Debbie Bliss Angel display at Wild Purls

Isn’t that just beautiful? It’s like a calorie free layer cake!

You can see they have both the original Angel yarn and the Angel print yarn there around the bottom layer.

What could you do with all that pretty 76% Super Kid Mohair, 24% Silk blend yarn? Well, let me give you some ideas.

Debbie Bliss Angel

Lacy Mittens

These pretty mittens are in the Angel book.

These pretty mittens from the Angel book take just one ball of Angel yarn.

Small projects like these allow us to indulge in luxurious yarn. The three yarns in the Angel family (Angel, Angel Print, and Party Angel) come in 220 yard balls, so it’s easy to make a one skein project.

The Angel book also has sweaters and shawls.

There are also projects using Angel yarn in the last few issues of Debbie Bliss magazine.

Striped Stole

The Striped Stole uses Angel and Bella yarns

This Striped Stole is from the Spring/Summer 2012 issue and uses both Angel and Bella yarn.

Queensland Collection

Caracara yarn from Queensland Collection is a 50% Acrylic, 30% Nylon. 20% Kid Mohair blend. It is more affordable than the Angel yarn, but still soft and fluffy.

You might remember that I made a Scaruffle using this yarn in the spring.

Caracara Shawl

Make it with or without the rosettes.

There are 10 new colors of Caracara this season. To go along with them we’ve release two free patterns using this yarn.

The free pattern for this simple ribbed shawl uses six balls of Caracara.

If a shawl is too much of a time commitment right now, there is also a free scarf pattern that uses two balls, but still has the pretty rosettes on the ends.

Luxury Mohair

Another yarn to tempt you is our Luxury Mohair, which is a 75% Kid Mohair, 25% Silk blend. It is available in eight colors and has a generous 273 yards per hank.

Luxury Mohair

The edging on this shawl is amazing.

This beautiful shawl is in the Luxury Collection book and uses six balls of Luxury Mohair.

Isn’t the edging just stunning?

Louisa Harding Simonetta

While we’re on the topic of stunning, let’s not forget Simonetta yarn from Louisa Harding.

Warbler

Warbler is from the new Sorella book.

There are eight new colors of this 60% Nylon, 26% Kid Mohair, 14% Metallic Polyester blend that has 264 yards per ball.

You can probably still find copies of the Simonetta book at your local yarn store.

The new Sorella book has patterns that use Simonetta and a variety of Louisa’s other yarns.

The Warbler sweater shown here uses Simonetta and Grace Wool & Silk in coordinating colors. Think of the possibilities in color combinations!

Araucania Yelcho

The final yarn I’ll highlight is Yelcho from Araucania.

There are three new colors of this 60% Wool, 20% Kid Mohair, 10% Silk, 10% Nylon blend. It is a bit thicker than some of the other yarns I’ve mentioned, but still has 275 yards per hank.

Yelcho dress

This cozy dress is crocheted.

This fabulous crocheted dress is a free pattern on our website.

It is worked flat from the bottom up and seamed. An experienced crocheter who doesn’t want to commit to an entire dress could probably figure out where to start the pattern to make a pullover or tunic length garment instead.

This dress has a fabulous cabled edging on the hem, cuffs, and collar.

Go See For Yourself

I hope I’ve given you an idea of the range of projects you can make using mohair yarns.

This post just scratches the surface of the mohair blend yarns we have available. You can see more yarns and get project ideas on our website.

You should head down to your local yarn store so you can pet some of these yarns in person and get a better idea for how soft they are.

Where do you fall on the mohair spectrum? Do you love it or shy away?