Natural Fibers

These goat breeds provide beautiful, luxurious fiber.

- CHRIS MCLAUGHLIN

When visitors drive up to our Northern California foothill farm, they immediately notice the fluffy, long-horned beasties dotted all over our pastures. If they have never met us before, these visitors will always tell us how they love seeing our beautiful “sheep” and ask what we do with their wool. I smile and take a deep breath, because this is where the fun starts.

I enjoy nothing more than sharing that we raise Angora goats as opposed to sheep, and they produce mohair (like the suit) as opposed to wool. The most interesting part is that nearly everyone we talk to has no idea that natural fibers can be produced by goats!

The mistake is easy to make. After all, they are sheep-sized and look all squishy and pillowlike. In fact, Angoras aren't the only goats that offer beautiful, luxurious fiber. On behalf of fiber goat breeders everywhere, when it comes to natural fibers, we've got a goat for that!

WHY NATURAL ANIMAL FIBERS?

No matter how many times humans attempt to synthetically duplicate the strength, comfort and durability of animal fibers, fiber artisans and conscientious folks everywhere find themselves drawn to the ones only nature can provide. It's not surprising, as it's a tall order to fill. Consider the following compelling reasons to reach for natural fibers instead of their synthetic counterparts.