I thought maybe it would be a good idea to show you how I process my mohair from start to finish. I hope to make a video soon, but for now, I'll have to settle for photos.
Not all the photos are not all of the same mohair.
Here it is in a nutshell.
#1. Having my beautiful Angora goats that grow this wonderful hair.
#2. shearing....what a mess!
#3. skirting...pulling out alot of the hay, leaves, bad hair, nasty stuff as much as possible.
another real mess!
Into hot soapy water to soak and wash (at least 3 times) and then rinse and bulk conditioning.
I usually wash about 1 lb. at a time. I have my own special blend I use wash the mohair so as not to ruin the natural softness and wonderful waves.
There is NO SUCH THING as a special soap for mohair. The products I use have all natural oils.
wet fleece laying out to air dry on towel to soak up moisture. Has to be turned over and fluffed up as it dries which can take 24-48 hrs.
After fleece is dried...all nice and fluffy
After fleece is dried, I have to separate each lock. It takes approx. 2-4 hours to do this depending on how tangled the mohair is.
As I'm separating I'm also pulling out more debris from each lock.
As I separate each lock, I sort into lengths, wave structure and texture.
Natural colors:: I sort according to length, colors, wave structure, and texture.
This is just one end combed. Fluffy!
The locks have to combed dry.
The whole lock is combed here before lightly spraying. So far there's been about 30%- 40% loss.
Lightly sprayed, completely combed out before trimming ends.
Ends trimmed. About 2"- 3" loss in length after it's done.
Ready to be rinsed and conditioned.
It takes approx. 1- 2 hours to comb just 1 ounce of mohair, depending on how knotted up it is, how long it is.
Long mohair takes sometimes twice as long, depending on the mohair.
After each lock is combed, each individual lock must be rinsed, conditioned, and rinsed again. I have to squeeze the excess
water out and then lay each lock out to air dry. It takes about 24 hours to dry.
After locks are dried, I trim the tops of each (the sheared end).
~~~this photo is before trimming the tops~~~
Beautiful finished product!
So as you can see, it takes alot of time to process just 1 order of mohair. The whole process from washing to finish takes
approx. 4 days.
Now, if I have to dye it it takes approx. an additional 2 days for processing.
Soaking in the dye. This has to stay at a constant heat level as much as possible for at least 20 minutes.
Then additive for setting the dye, reheat for about another 20 minutes and hope the dye sets.
I have left mohair in dye over night to set. It depends on the color and of course how well the hair takes the dye.
NOTE: There is NO SUCH THING as a special dye specifically for Angora mohair.
There is dyes for protein fiber which is what I use as apposed to synthetic fiber dyes.
After dying, the locks have to be washed to remove any extra dye, rinsed completely, and conditioned. I leave the locks in conditioner water for at least 1 hour.
Then each lock is laid out to air dry. this takes another 24 hours to dry.
~~~these are the same locks combed~~~
After the locks have air dried for 24 hours after dying, they have to each be separated to comb.
More separated locks after drying ready to comb.
I normally have 3-5 colors dying at the same time for separate orders. If a certain color doesn't turn out right, I have to start all over.
So, now you see what I do to fill orders for your beautiful dollies. There's a few things in between that is hard to get
photos of, but I've tried to explain along the way.
I really love doing this! I just want people to see what is basically involved in my process. Of course I do have a few secrets
I have to keep for myself because I've figured them out on my own.
I try to get at least 5-6 orders or more done per week....time permitting.
I guess I just want people to know that it's not an overnight thing doing these orders. I do them as fast as I can. I have to have each order done the way
each customer wants or it doesn't go out. If I'm not happy with it, you probably won't be either.
I have to pick out certain lock structures and lock textures for each project, the right length, and the right mohair for dying each color.
It's a very very time consuming process but the wait and the end result is so well worth it!
I love seeing the end result on the gorgeous dolls!
Thanks to all who choose my mohair....love you all!