So much has happened since the last post. A family-sized blanket got knitted, coasters got crocheted and a couple of tiny knits for a tiny person got made. I also began knitting with Mohair, and was fairly excited about doing so. But now, honestly, I have mixed feelings about this fibre. Read on to know why!
What is Mohair?
Mohair is the yarn we get from Angora goats, and is one of the world’s oldest known and used fibres. The etymology of both words – Angora and Mohair – is quite interesting.
Angora comes from the name of the place the fleece-bearing goats were raised – Angora, which is today’s Ankara. They originally come from Tibet, but were introduced to Turkey in the 13th century. More information on the goats can be accessed at https://travelatelier.com/blog/warm-angora-goats-wool/ and https://putakputak.com/livestock/goat-and-sheep/angora-goat-characteristics-origin-habitat-and-more/.
Mohair comes from the Arabic word Mukhayyar, which technically means ‘chosen’, but in this context would mean ‘prime quality’. Sometime in the 15 century Europeans got access to this highly protected fibre, where they worked out how to spin and knit it into fabrics. Around this point of time, it got associated with the word ‘hair’ because of its texture probably.
For an untrained eye, Mohair looks like a strong and sturdy thread, with wispy thin hairs around it. But that’s not what it is like at all! Because Mohair is made up of long and short, straight and curly chunks of hairs, it has to be carded in order to blend all these hairs into one direction and into single strips. Three of these strips are then twisted together to form a strong ply, that can be knitted. But since the individual ends of the fibre escape out of this ply constantly, it creates a fluff or a halo, giving Mohair its ethereal look.
Mohair and Miss B
I bought two hanks of Mohair from Yarnkart, each weighing 100 grams. Imaad kindly agreed to wind them up into balls; I honestly couldn’t imagine having to wind 1800 meters of yarn on my own!
I knew the project that I was going to use it for – Miss B by Nancy Marchant. This is a pattern which seems to have been designed specifically to be knit with Mohair. Triangular in shape, with a lot of increases and decreases, this pattern is most definitely for an intermediate level of brioche knitters. While knitting with Mohair, the shawl tends to bunch up, but when it is stretched out – ah that’s where the magic lies!
The Good
Mohair is so very soft and lightweight – I constantly felt like I was holding a floaty cloud! Cue in my inner Agnes here – It’s So Fluffy!
There are some really cool aspects of Mohair that I genuinely liked:
Mohair is incredibly sturdy, and I faced no issues with it randomly breaking or splicing.
The surprising factor here was the warmth – I mean, I didn’t quite expect that! Though Miss B is a lacy airy pattern, the shawl is quite warm and perfect for chilly evenings. And on the other hand, it has moisture-wicking properties, to absorb sweat and keep the body cool during summers.
Mohair is hypoallergenic, which makes it an excellent choice for those who are allergic to wool.
It drapes beautifully. Really Beautifully. Not only with Miss B, but also with other options that I tried out.
It also dyes well, and it is incredible to see some really wonderful shades out there!
The Bad
Oh, the challenges I’ve had while knitting with Mohair – they derailed my Miss B twice. TWICE!
Knitting with Mohair is challenging as it is, but for a first-time user, I made a rookie error of knitting in Brioche. I should have chosen an easier pattern.
My major issue was with the fibres just blending into one another. Not only did this create confusion, but also made it impossible to tink. Frogging but of course is not even an option here, because tugging and pulling just made matters worse. The more I tried to frog, the more entangled it got. Which is why I abandoned ship the first time.
The second issue I had was probably a personal one. I usually watch some drama or show while knitting, even with Brioche. If there is any error, in any other fibre, I would just drop down to those stitches, do some open brioche surgery and move on. But with Mohair, the margin for error is so tiny – there was no way I could fix this without creating a fluffy nightmare. The pattern looked off due to misreading the pattern and not keeping tabs on number of stitches, and so I had to abandon ship the second time.
The third issue is that I was using metal needles, which caused the stitches to slide out easily. Though this is a plus while purposely doing it, its a headache when you just want the stitches to stay put on the needles.
I am told that Mohair on its own stretches out a lot and does not revert to its original shape. The answer to this is to use it with another fibre, which is what I finally did!
One last thing that bothered me about knitting with Mohair, whether independently or with another fibre, is that it SHEDS. A LOT. It certainly feels like I have a pet cat or dog near me. Wearing a light coloured t-shirt helped, but a black t-shirt will now forever remind me of my stint with Mohair. There’s a pro-tip to deal with this issue at the end of this post.
What’s next?
Learning from my mistakes, I am finally knitting with Mohair and Merino held together, on Melissa Clulow’s Bonjour Cowl. And I must say, my sanity is back! The body is in stockinette stitch, knitted in white Mohair and Merino, while the ribbing is 2×2, knitted in orange Mohair and white Merino to give it a dramatic flair.
Tips and Tricks
- Have a lot of patience. Knitting with Mohair is not easy in the first place, and certainly is a challenging task to tink or frog.
- In case you do feel the need to tink, freeze your project in a sealed bag for sometime. And once tinking is done, wind up the ball immediately. And most importantly, tink, do not frog, do not tug, do not pull – it will all end up in a fluffy chaos.
- Keep a tab on everything – the pattern, number of stitches, number of rows, colour changes, brioche formations – literally everything! Stitch markers and row counters are your best friends!
- Try to commit as less mistakes as possible. Fixing mohair is not for the weak-hearted, especially if working in brioche. Knit mindfully and deliberately, and try avoiding k-drama bingeing like me.
- Work in bright and well-lit areas. Darkness and mohair, just like black-coloured yarn, are not friends!
- Use sharp needles to knit with Mohair. Dull or rounded ones will just not lift the stitches off, or will tend to drop stitches, which is not a drama we need in life.
- Use wood or bamboo needles which have some friction, not smooth metal.
- Knit Mohair together with other fibres like silk or wool to achieve a shiny halo on any project. Also, I found this method easier to knit, as opposed to using Mohair independently.
- Choose patterns that are lacy to get that dreamy effect; one of the best charms of Mohair is its halo. Though this is easier said than done for someone new to Mohair.
- Mohair tends to trap dust and other fine particles, and that’s just unsanitary. Contain the Mohair ball or cone in a bowl or a mast while working, and protect the product with a cloth bag when done.
A pro-tip if you knitted a Mohair product or already own one, and are fed up with the hairs shedding – place it in a bag and freeze it for a couple of hours. This will drastically reduce shedding.
So that’s all what I have learnt about knitting with Mohair so far. I am still keeping an open mind, and hopefully will knit Miss B someday. Have you worked with this fibre ever? Lets talk in the comments!