Mohair

There are nine wild goat species, but only one has been domesticated and that is Capra hircus, whose wild ancestor is the bezoar ibex (Capra aegagrus). It is widely accepted that the goat was domesticated about 10,000 years ago, based on archaeological evidence pointing to the Zagros mountains in western Iran as the birthplace of the domestic goat. Sadly, whilst domestic goats have flourished and are found throughout the world, their wild ancestor has not fared as well and is now listed as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List, with an estimated 70,000 remaining throughout their range of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Turkey and Turkmenistan whilst it is unknown if they remain in Afghanistan. Natural habitats include forest, grasslands, shrubland, rocky areas and desert.
Of all the various breeds of domestic goats, there are two fibres that most knitters are familiar with cashmere and the focus of this article, mohair.
Mohair is harvested from Angora goats, which can be confusing given that Angora yarn comes from the Angora rabbit! Like Angora rabbits, the Angora goat originated in the region of Anatolia, in the city of Angora, modern-day Ankara, the capital of Turkey.
The Angora goat is unique in that they have curly locks. They are less hardy than most other goat breeds and thus in colder climates do not fair well at all. It is a relatively small goat, although there is considerable variance standing at 60-100cm at the shoulder and weighing in at 30-50kg. An adult can produce 2cm of fibre per month and they are generally shorn twice a year, producing 4-6kg of wool. As with all fibre producing animals, the softest fibre comes from the youngest individuals and the first shearing occurs when they have 10cm of fleece at about 6-months old.