Mohair Yarn: Halo, Silk Blends and Care
Mohair comes from the Angora goat. In a brushed knitting yarn it creates a fuzzy halo, so the visible fabric includes more than the thin core strand: that matters when judging openness, stitches and substitutes.
- Fibre origin
- Animal fibre: Angora goat hair
- Fabric behaviour
- Lustre; brushed constructions add a surrounding halo
Look at the whole strand
The fine central thread of a brushed mohair yarn can look much thinner than the fabric it makes. Spread a sample over a contrasting surface and inspect both the loops and the fuzz between them. Do not infer the finished transparency from the core alone.
Silk blends and held-together fabric
DROPS Kid-Silk is a specific example of a 75% mohair and 25% silk blend. If a pattern combines a mohair strand with another yarn, sample the two together: the pair changes the surface and fabric, not merely the ball count. Each strand must supply the length actually worked.
Make detail easy to read
A halo can change how clearly a texture or colour boundary appears. Before choosing a complex cable or tiny motif, inspect it in the proposed yarn. A plain companion strand and a brushed one should be judged as a single finished fabric, including the edging and any seams.
Gentle handling keeps the surface useful
Follow the blend’s own care band. Kid-Silk specifies hand washing up to 30°C and flat drying; that instruction is not interchangeable with a different mohair product. Mohair South Africa recommends folding knitted garments for storage rather than hanging them. Avoid forceful brushing that pulls at the fabric.
Try this before a full project
Work a small section with the mohair alone and another held with the planned companion. Compare openness and stitch visibility after finishing; use the pattern’s actual combined-gauge sample to calculate garment size.