Favorite Fiber of the Moment

German Angora

 

Article by Leslie Shelor

 

Pure German Angora Doe

There are conflicting reports as to the origin of the Angora rabbit, a large domestic rabbit with a long coat instead of the short coat of many other domestic rabbits and wild animals. The gene for long hair is recessive, and it is doubtful that long haired rabbits would have survived as a breed in the wild without human intervention to provide care for them. I've recently run across information that indicates that the Angora rabbit originated in the Carpathian Mountains, bred by indigenous people known as the Trelicians. According to this information, angora rabbits were developed in the 6th century and were valued by the Trelicians for the warmth of their wool. Even the name angora is claimed to have originated with these people, from the word meaning "not sharp". Currently I can find no other information about the Trelician people except for the mention of the development of angora rabbits. This claim needs further investigation.

At some point, however, probably in Europe but possibly even as early as Roman Italy, the Angora rabbit emerged in domestic herds and people soon realized that the beautiful wool could be spun into luxurious and warm yarn. In the early 18th century the angora became more popular in England and the first recorded exportations of the breed to France occurred in 1723, then to Germany in 1766. The angora became popular as an exhibition rabbit because of the beauty of their wool, but the animal that existed then was very different from the breeds of today. The attention they received as show rabbits as well as the usefulness of the fiber in the textile industry led to the development of the separate breeds.


French-German Angora Cross with French Characteristics

The French found that the soft coat of the imported English Angora did not suit their purposes and they crossed their stock with the Blanc de Bouscat, becoming the largest producers of Angora in the world until the 1920s. The wool of the French Angora is still considered most desirable by the fashion industry, because of the 'spike' that develops due to the number of guard hairs in the wool. The color of a French Angora is richer as well than that of the English Angora.

The English never developed a real Angora industry, but the Germans improved the original English Angora over the years to a commercial wool producing rabbit that yields great quantities of luxurious wool that has less guard hair than the French angoras. The market for the Angora produced by the Germans was the therapeutic underwear industry, which made long underwear from Angora wool. Although the wool was less desirable in quality, the quantity produced by a German Angora because each rabbit produced much more wool for the feed was a trait necessary for this industry. Eventually the wool produced by the German Angora reached astonishing quantities. A standard was developed and testing stations to measure the production figures of each rabbit were set up to determine the quality of the animals. A goal of 325 grams (11.46 oz) per shearing was achieved. The rabbits were sheared every ninety days. The original German Angora was an albino rabbit, because of the need for pure white fiber.

 

Blue German Cross (possibly English Background)

The Angora industry in Europe has dwindled over time, with China becoming the foremost producer of Angora in the world. France and Finland are also recorded as producers in the current market, because of the more unique qualities of the wool produced in their industry. Australia and other countries have so far been unsuccessful in developing a large international market for Angora wool. The International Association of German Angora Rabbit Breeders, based in America, was formed with a mandate to develop a larger market for American Angora but no progress has been made.

German Angoras were first imported to the United States in the 1980s and presented to the American Rabbit Breeders Association for acceptance. The club felt that the German Angora was too much like the English Angora, and required changes to the breed eventually led to the acceptance of the Giant Angora, with a breed standard. The International Association of German Angora Rabbit Breeders (IAGARB) was formed at this time because of this decision by the American Rabbit Breeders Association, with the goal of becoming an organization "that would serve and develop the commercial aspects of the U.S. angora industry, as well as preserve the standard of the German Angora rabbit." (from the IAGARB web site) A registry was envisioned as a means of promoting these goals, with only animals producing the minimum amount of wool required being registered. Judges were to document the qualifications. Currently there are just three judges in North America, according to the IAGARB web site. Due to the huge amount of cheap Chinese Angora being produced, the chance of a world market for American Angora from the German breed being developed is slim.


German Angora Bunnies

Although it is unlikely that a large market for great quantities of angora will ever develop for American producers, there is a demand for quality spinning fiber from the individual German Angora breeder. Many spinners enjoy raising their own fiber, and an Angora rabbit is an excellent choice for a fiber producer that requires little space and very little unusual care. Other hand spinners, with no interest in fiber production, find that purchasing smaller amounts of fiber from a producer that they know or are attracted to by an appealing web page adds to the experience of their craft or hobby. A sales point for many people is that they can actually see the rabbit that grew the fiber, understand the process involved in producing the luxurious wool, and even know the conditions that the rabbit lived under before the wool was sheared.

German Angoras are large, gentle rabbits, weighing between eight and eleven pounds. Pure German angoras are white; French or English angoras have been bred to pure Germans over the years in America to produce animals with variations of gray or brown wool. Every three months the rabbits are sheared to harvest the luxurious wool. The rabbits are very quiet for their shearing, sometimes even falling asleep in the shearer's lap. The wool can be harvested with short-bladed scissors or with electric shears. The wool produced can be spun fine into yarn, or blended with wool or other fine fiber and then spun. The coat requires little care between shearings, especially as the animal matures.


German Cross Angora Litter

The best German Angoras are excellent mothers, raising litters from 6 to 8 bunnies or more, generally with ease. A good German buck is an enthusiastic breeder. A good German Angora breeder takes into consideration the mothering skills, temperament and health of her chosen breeding stock, in addition to wool production figures. A rabbit that isn't quiet for shearing most of the time, or a rabbit that will not breed, is not a quality animal, no matter how much wool he produces.

Care of the Angora is much like caring for any domestic rabbit, with the consideration of the need for shearing every 90 days. A good and varied diet, with as much exercise as possible, helps prevent wool block, a condition in which the digestive tract of the rabbit stops working. Some lines of German Angoras in America have shown signs of heart problems, possibly due to the size of the breed. Other health issues are rare, especially with proper management practices.


Handspun Angora Yarn (Left), with angora blends

The German Angora is a lovely breed of impressive size and easy temperament. The wonderful luxury wool that the rabbit produces can be used to create beautiful apparel of elegance and an incredible softness and warmth. The fiber dyes well, in soft pastel colors that compliment the softness of the wool. Angora wool is slippery, and some new spinners find that it is more difficult to spin than sheep's wool. With experience and spun fine, pure Angora yarn is wonderful to work with and can be used, with care, for luxury garments. The addition of fine wool to Angora to add memory expands the usefulness of the fiber.

Each of the breeds of Angora in America has different characteristics and usefulness; no one breed is better than the others. The German Angora is a wonderful rabbit that produces quantities of luxury fiber for the hand spinner and makes a gentle companion for the pet owner who is prepared to deal with the density of the wool and coat care. Although raising German Angoras will probably never make a fiber artist wealthy, the rewards of caring for the animals that produce the wool for the art are not to be measured in financial gains alone.

 

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Leslie Shelor of Greenberry House, a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia, grew up surrounded with artistic and musical people around her.  An interest in fiber arts developed early, and she learned to spin in Maine with the shed coat of her Samoyed dogs.  Returning home in the 1990s, she was given her great-grandmother's spinning wheel and became interested in learning much more about fiber and fiber arts.  Eventually she became a breeder of German Angora rabbits and produces quantities of luxury Angora fiber, spinning and creating unique designer yarns and apparel. She blogs At the Top of Squirrel Spur and is co-editor of Fiber Femmes.