Produced by
Patti Moreno
Contributor to:
How to Shear a Pygora Goat
I’ve come a long way baby! From a city apartment near the East River to shearing pygora goats on my urban farm in New England. What a difference a day makes. Today, I’m shearing my Pygora goat with my friend, Sam, who has been raising goats for nearly a decade.
In the United States, pygora goats are sort of a new thing. In the early 1980s angora goats and pygmy goats were first cross bred and became a new American breed of Goat! They produce different grades of fiber that is used to make yarn. The goat I’m shearing here has a more cashmere-type coat. Some pygora’s have more of an angora type coat and some are right in between. The pygora fiber is 7 times warmer than regular wool. Pygoras are sheared twice a year. Once I have a large amount of fiber I will send it to a mini mill for dehairing (removing the guard hairs) and washing, then have it blended with silk and merino wool. Because the fiber is so warm on it’s own, it‘s best to blend it with other fibers. In one year, from 2 goats, I ended up with about 10lbs of pygora fiber before it was dehaired.
Stay tuned for more on spinning, goats, and luxurious fibers.
