Other Animal

Characteristics Of Animal Fiber Yarn

Some of the most common alternative animal fibre yarns come from the camelid family. These include camels but also alpacas, llamas and their rare cousin the vicuña. One of the main features of these camelid yarns is the long staple length of their fibres giving really luxurious soft fibres. These yarns are generally very warm and durable and often have a slight halo to them.

Possum yarn is another common fibre especially in the southern hemisphere. These yarns are extraordinarily soft and warm. 

You can also buy yarn created from other animals but these yarns are much rarer. You can make yarn from cows milk, dogs and even crabs to name a few.

Many of these more exotic animal fibre yarns are blended with sheeps wool or cotton to give added strength, durability or texture. 

Uses of Other Animal Fiber Yarn

Other animal fibre yarns can often be substituted for any woollen knits as they are similar in handling to sheeps wool. It is always important to swatch when switching fibres and yarns. 

Care of Other Animal Fiber Yarn

We recommend hand washing all your hand knits and crochets. When using other animal fibres always follow any instructions on the ball band and was with a mild detergent or wool wash

Selecting the right yarn

When selecting yarns it's important to be aware all yarns handle differently and will give varied textures and drape. This is why it's important to knit or crochet a gauge swatch. This allows you to both check the feel of the fabric and the needle size to use (again all knitters have a slightly different tension)

For more information about substituting yarns click here.

For more information about gauge swatching click here.

If you need more help finding a yarn for your project feel free to send us a message, and we’ll get back to you with our expert advice or even pop into your local store.

FAQs

What animals can you make yarn out of?

While many are familiar with yarn from sheep's fleece there are many other animals used to create yarn. Commonly known animals used for fibre production include Alpaca, Silk (from the silkworm), Yak, Goat (cashmere), Rabbits (angora) but there are many more.

Camels and their close cousins from the camelid family of animals such as Vicuña,  Llamas and Guanacos create beautiful luxurious yarns due to the long staple length of their fibres.

Possum yarn is considered one of the softest and warmest yarns in the world. Most of this yarn comes from New Zealand where possums are seen as pests.

Dog hair can be used to create yarn and when processed properly shouldn't have an odour even when wet.

Cow’s milk can also be used to make yarn. The milk is processed in a similar way to cheese to create a protein powder, mixing it with alkali and forcing it through spinnerets.

What are animal fibres called?

Yarns created using fibre derived from animals and insects are referred to as protein yarns. The most widely used examples include silk and wool.

Which animal wool is best?

All animal yarns have their own benefits and disadvantages. It is important to match your yarn to your project and maximise the unique properties of each yarn.