Mohair wool explained, from fibre to UK suppliers

What angora wool is

Angora wool is the fleece of the angora rabbit, an Oryctolagus cuniculus bred for a downy fibre 12 to 25 microns in diameter, which makes it softer than merino at 15 to 18 microns and finer than cashmere at 14 to 19 microns. It is not a blend name and not a goat fibre; the word "angora" for rabbits and the word "angora" for the goat are two separate breed lines. The rabbit is combed every 8 to 12 weeks, and the combed down is washed, carded and spun into a lofty, airy yarn that felts less than a short wool staple but shrinks if the wash is too hot, so hand washing at 30 degrees C keeps the halo intact.

Angora wool and angora fibre

Angora fibre is the raw combed down before it is spun; angora wool is that same down after carding and spinning into yarn, and the two terms overlap because the fibre becomes the wool the moment it is processed. The distinction matters when you read a label: "100% angora fibre" is the raw material, while "angora wool yarn" is the spun product you buy. A 25 g skein of angora wool yarn, for example, runs about 190 m, and that low mass per metre is what gives the knit its light, floating hand feel.

Where the word angora comes from

The name angora comes from Ankara, the city formerly called Angora in central Turkey, where the angora rabbit was first recorded as a fibre breed in the 18th century. The angora goat, a separate breed from the same name, was documented in the same region, so one place name now tags two different animals. When a UK shop lists angora wool it is selling the rabbit fibre, and when it lists mohair it is selling the goat fibre, even though both rows share the "angora" label in their histories.

How angora wool traps heat

Angora wool traps heat because each fibre is a hollow, crimped tube that holds a pocket of still air between the yarn and the skin. The crimp gives the yarn loft, and the loft is where the warmth lives, so a knit of angora and wool that measures 4.5 mm thick out of a 25 g skein holds more insulating air than a dense 3 mm knit of the same weight. Angora wool is often called the warmest natural fibre per gram, and that claim holds because warmth scales with the volume of trapped air, not the mass of the fibre. The practical limit is that the trapped air only insulates while it stays still, so a heavy wind strips the boundary layer and the same 4.5 mm knit feels cooler in a gale than in a calm.

The hollow fibre and its loft

The angora fibre carries a central medullary channel, a hollow core that runs much of its length, which is why it is light, springy and slow to compress. That hollow core is the reason a 90 g per square metre angora knit out-performs a 130 g per square metre plain wool knit in still, dry cold, and it is the reason the halo looks so dense even though the yarn is barely there. A 25 g skein of pure angora, spun at about 360 m per 100 g, fills the same loft as a far heavier solid wool, and the difference is measurable in the gram weight of a finished beanie.

Why angora wool feels warm on the skin

Angora wool feels warm on the skin because the fine 12 to 25 micron diameter sits below the 20 to 24 micron threshold where most people register the prick of a coarser fibre, so the halo lies flat against the skin and the trapped air stays close. That same softness is the trade-off, since a fine, light fibre carries less structure than a coarse wool, which is why knitters set angora wool in a blend with merino or a superwash wool for body. A 70% angora, 30% wool mix, for example, keeps most of the loft but adds the spring of the wool, and a 50/50 mix of angora and wool is the middle ground most UK sock and hat patterns assume.

Angora wool versus mohair and merino

Angora wool, mohair and merino are three keratin fibres with three different jobs: angora supplies loft and softness, mohair supplies halo and drape, and merino supplies spring and structure. The table below fixes the fibre numbers so you can read a label and know which fibre is doing the work.

The weight column is the one to trust when you compare warmth: a 90 g per square metre angora knit traps air for less mass than a 130 g per square metre merino knit, while a 110 g per square metre mohair knit sits between them and adds the glossy halo that makes a cardigan look expensive. A 50/50 blend of angora and wool, set against a plain mohair yarn, is the comparison that decides most UK knitting projects, because the angora wool mix buys softness and the mohair buys drape.

Is angora wool warmer than merino?

Yes, angora wool is warmer than merino in still, dry cold, because the finer 12 to 25 micron fibre and the hollow core trap more air per gram than the 15 to 18 micron merino. The answer flips in wind and rain, where the merino's denser, springier structure holds its loft and the angora halo compresses. A 4.5 mm angora knit and a 4.5 mm merino knit of the same 25 g per 190 m yarn will feel close indoors, but the merino wins on a wet hill, and the angora wins in a still room, which is why a 70/30 angora and wool blend is the compromise for a UK winter that is both damp and cold.

Where to buy angora wool in the UK

You can buy angora wool yarn in the UK through the online counters of the big wool merchants and through the smaller UK-based spinners who comb and spin their own angora. The UK angora and mohair trade runs through a handful of established yarn lines, so the practical question is which one ships to your postcode and how much a 25 g skein costs. The price band below is the one to expect at the shelf, and it is where the "angora wool for sale" searchers land.

UK yarn ranges and price points

A pure angora wool yarn sells in the UK for about 7 to 12 pounds a 25 g skein, and an angora and wool blend runs 4 to 7 pounds for the same 25 g, while a 100 g ball of an angora blend is typically 15 to 25 pounds. The pure angora costs more because the rabbit is combed rather than sheared and the raw down is light, so a 25 g skein holds roughly 190 m of yarn. If you are budgeting a hat, three 25 g skeins of a 50/50 angora and wool blend, at about 5 pounds each, is a 15 pound kit, and a full angora and mohair cardigan runs toward 12 to 16 skeins, which is why the blends are the sensible middle for a first angora project.

Online and in-store options

The large UK wool merchants stock angora wool yarn under their own labels and under imported lines, and they all ship nationwide, which makes them the default for a shopper outside a town with a dedicated yarn shop. The smaller UK spinners who comb angora rabbits themselves sell direct, and their angora and wool blends are priced at the upper end of the 7 to 12 pound range for the 25 g skein. A local craft shop will carry a limited angora selection, but the full angora, mohair and merino range is an online purchase for most UK knitters, so the "angora wool uk" search is really an "angora wool online" search with a UK postcode filter.

Care, blending and the angora and wool mix

Angora wool needs gentle care because the fine 12 to 25 micron fibre felts and shrinks under heat and agitation, so the 30 degrees C hand wash and the flat dry are the two rules that keep a 4.5 mm knit lofted for years. The angora and wool blend eases the care, because the wool fibre adds structure that the pure angora lacks, and it is the blend that most UK knitting patterns in angora wool are written around. A 50/50 angora and wool yarn knits up faster than a pure angora, wears thicker, and still keeps the halo that makes angora wool worth the extra cost over a plain merino.

Where to go next

CRAFTKnitting patterns in angora woolAngora Wool Knitting Patterns for Warm WearFIBRESAngora and woolThe Fibres in Thermal Underwear, Explained