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Welcome To The Fiber Zoo |
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Merino Sheep Bactrian Camels Alpacas Angora Goats
Welcome to The Fiber Zoo!!!
Meet the animals that live on our farm and find out what we do with their fiber!!!
Merino Sheep are first on the list ---
they are animals that started our farm and are the focus of what we do.
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Merino sheep has made its mark on the history of fiber throughout the
world. Associated with the Spanish wool industry since the 700's, the
credit for cultivating these high-quality fiber animals is given to
Romans. During the height of the Roman Empire, Roman colonizers around the
Mediterranean began breeding and processing the wool they got from the
fine wool sheep in the Middle East. By 716 Arabian Moors invaded from North Africa and for 500 years controlled most of what eventually became Spain. They were excellent agriculturalists introducing the latest irrigation, cultivation and animals breeding techniques. The Moors also developed a thriving weaving industry; reportedly in the 8th Century there were 16,000 looms in Seville. In 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella drove the last of the Moslems from Granada and the Merino sheep associated with Spain's successful woolen industry became the property of the Crown. This situation prevailed until Napoleon's victories in Europe put an end to the Spanish monopoly of the sheep. Today, Australia and South Africa are the largest producers of Merino wool. In the United States Merinos are a minority breed. |
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Merino wool is the finest fiber grown by sheep, is the "gold standard" by which all wool is judged. For centuries, Merino sheep have been prized for their soft, lustrous fleeces that don't itch. |
Bactrian Camel
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Say hello
to my two favorite boys. My son Montana, and "Ollie the Camel" our bactrian
camel. This picture was taken in the summer of 2004 when Oliver
(Ollie the Camel is his nick name) was 2 1/2 years old.
As you can see he's missing much of his down - down is the soft fiber undercoat that covers Ollie during the cold winter months. Once a year, in the spring bactrian camels shed, by the time fall rolls around the down is all grown back and he has a very warm coat for the winter.
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In the spring when Ollie sheds I collect the down. It then gets blended with a small percentage of Merino wool and made into yarn. This fiber is similar in softness, warmth and lightness to the fiber found on cashmere goats.
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Camelids (the family of animals that include camels, llamas, alpacas, vicunas and guanacos) originated in North America 40-45 million years ago. Around the Pleistocene Era the ancestors of the camel began a migration across the land bridge at the Bering Strait to Asia. At the same time the "New World Camelids" (alpacas, llamas, vicunas and guanacos) began a journey south to Latin America. When these migrations were completed all camel life in North America died out. After their arrival in Asia, the camels spread out through Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. Bactrian camels (the camels with two humps) populated the areas of modern day Mongolia, Afghanistan and Tibet. The dromedary (the one humped camel, sometimes called the Arabian camel) is found in the warmer regions of the Middle East and Northern Africa. Bactrian camels live to be about 40 years old, they grow to be between 7 and 8 feet tall measured from their humps down and they weigh between 1,200 to 2,000 lbs. |
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Bactrian Camel |
Dromedary |
| Camels are often thought of as obstinate, ill tempered animals. Nothing could be further from the truth. Both types of camels were domesticated around 3,500 years ago and in the cultures that they live they are indispensable to the development of the society. In Mongolia today domesticated camels still provide many of life's necessities particularly for the nomads of the Gobi Desert. These powerful animals can carry humans and their wares. Over a 4 day period a camel can haul 375 to 600 pounds at rates of 29 miles a day and 2.5 miles an hours. They are well adapted to harsh climates and can travel 100 miles without water. They retain water efficiently and a thirsty camel can drink 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes. In remote areas of Mongolia these animals provide many of life's necessities including camel hair which is woven and felted into clothing, blankets and tents (called Yurts), dried camel droppings fuel fires, their milk and meat is eaten by these people. |
No Ill Tempered Camels Here!!! |
Alpacas
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Everyone loves alpacas! Cousins to the camel, alpacas, llamas, vicunas and
guanacos are called "New World Camelids". All of these animals along with
the camel originated in North America. Sometime around the Pleistocene Era a
migration of these animals began, with the "New World Camelids" going south
to Latin America and the "Old World Camelids" - or as we know them camels -
going over the land bridge at the Bering Strait leaving North America for
Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The result is today there
are no native Camelids in North America.
Like sheep, camels and cattle this group of animals was instrumental in the development of the society from which they originated. Alpacas were first found in recorded history in the high Altiplano region of South America - Peru, Bolivia and Chile, over 6,000 years ago. Alpacas similar to the llama but smaller with heavier fleece are thought to have evolved from the wild guanaco. (Guanacos and vicunas unlike the llama and alpaca are classified as wild animals and are considered endangered.) |
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Before the arrival of the
Spanish in the New World the Incas cultivated the alpaca maintaining
systematic breeding programs which included separating animals for color
characteristics. Evidence also exists that alpacas were worshiped. Legends
indicate that these animals were thought to be a gift from Pachmana, the
Earth Mother who would allow them to stay as long as humans cared for them
properly . The arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 1600's brought the destruction of the Incan civilization and the scattering of the alpaca herds. The Spanish conquers did not see the value of these animals preferring the merino sheep of their homeland. All available grazing land was taken up by merino sheep the Spanish introduced. Alpacas and their Inca caretakers were force from their lands to the higher mountainous regions above 4,000 meters. |
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For sometime Alpaca fiber
remained a secret, but in the mid 1800's the industrialized English
textile industry "discovered" the beauty of alpaca fleece. (It is around
this same time the British began spinning mohair from the angora goat.)
Textiles created from the fiber were soft and lustrous and before long
exports of the fiber from South America to Europe began. Today the heart of the alpaca textile industry is in Arequipa, Peru. While alpacas are now found in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England and other European countries they represent only 10% of the alpaca population with the other 90% found in Peru, Bolivia and Chile.
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Angora Goats
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Right now "Goat Boy" is the only goat in residence on the farm. He is Ollie's constant companion a little like the Lone Ranger and Tonto (or Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in "Twins"). Goats have a reputation for being trouble makers ---nothing could be further from the truth. The angora goats I've had have been nothing but fun. They're very intelligent, friendly and inquisitive. |
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It is
believed that Angora goats originally came from Central Asia - China,
Afghanistan or Iran. When the Persians ruled over Byzantium (Istanbul) they
brought the angora goat with them to Turkey. This goat became known as the
Angora goat because the best of these animals came from the province of
Ancyra (now Ankara) Turkey's capital. At this point the story gets a little like the history of merino sheep in Spain. From early times angora goats were common pets in Turkish households. Families learned how to spin the silky fiber from these animals and made beautiful, fine woven garments. The government understood the value of these animals to the economy and until around 1830 refused to allow any of their goats to be exported. Fiber from these animals could only be acquired as yarn or woven fabric. Once exports began the British developed equipment for spinning mohair and Turkey was struggling to meet the demand for British mohair. To increase production these small animals were bred to the larger Kurd goat (which had coarse fleece in many colors) and then bred back to pure bred angoras. The resulting animals were larger, hardier more productive than the original angoras with silky fiber. Today's angora goats are smaller than dairy goats with beautiful colorful fleeces and gentle, social personalities. |
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| By the way, confusing thought it may be, the fiber produced from angora goats is called mohair and the fiber known as angora comes from rabbits!!!! |
Harvesting Camel Down
