Dear friends,
Mohair is a frequent topic here at the ranch.
We spend our days tending Angora goats, carefully stewarding their health so they can produce the very best fiber.
But there is another essential part of the story — an ingredient that completes the recipe.
Wool.
We blend our mohair with wool for good reason.
Mohair is beautifully silky, but it doesn’t have the natural bounce or memory that wool provides.
Wool springs back. It holds its shape.
When blended together, they create the best of both worlds.
The classic wool sock and throw become softer and comfier.
So where does our wool come from?
The mohair in our socks is blended with fine white wool sourced from the Mountain West.
In the textile world, “merino” often refers to fine wool rather than strictly the Merino breed itself.
The wool in our socks is 21 micron and comes from sheep raised in the western United States.
Some may be Merino. Others may be Targhee, Rambouillet, or similar fine-wool breeds, depending on the ranch.
Our throws are designed around natural colorways, which brings its own challenges.
When we developed our oatmeal blend, I was fortunate that the mill had fine brown wool on hand.
We blended it with shades of red and brown mohair to create that warm, natural tone.
But when it came to our gray throws, there was no ready supply.
The mill did not have black or gray wool available and had no source.
So I began searching.
After a great deal of calling and asking, I found enough fine black and gray wool in California to blend with our gray mohair.
That wool made our light and dark gray colorways possible.
When I founded Caprine, two things mattered deeply to me: that our products be made in America, and that the fiber in them be grown in America.
The domestic wool market is established and strong. The natural colored mohair market, however, is not.
One of my long-term goals is to help create demand for naturally colored mohair so small Angora goat farms across the country have a viable market for their fiber.
As Caprine grows, I hope to purchase mohair from other farms and ranches.
In doing so, we celebrate natural color, strengthen domestic fiber systems, and help keep small farms doing what they love: raising Angora goats.
It truly becomes a win-win.
When you purchase a pair of socks or a throw, you’re doing more than buying something warm and beautiful.
You are voting for the family farm. You are saying small batch matters.
You are choosing quality over import. You are participating in a renewed appreciation for American fiber production.
And I am incredibly hopeful about where that renaissance is headed.
For those who have been following along on social media, an update on Rose - our mama goat who underwent emergency surgery after her uterus ruptured.
The past few weeks have been emotional ones here.
She is now two and a half weeks post C-section and continues to recover one day at a time.
She is still touch and go. We are watching her closely, but she is resting comfortably and her baby is thriving.
The vet will be out Thursday afternoon to check on her again.
Thank you for the messages, the prayers, and the kindness you’ve extended to her and to us. They mean more than you know.
In many ways, Rose’s story reflects everything we’ve shared above.
Fiber, wool, mohair, mills, sourcing - it all begins with animals in our care.
Real lives. Real responsibility.
What we create under the Caprine name is only possible because of the daily work of tending, watching, learning, and walking through hard seasons.
Thank you for valuing that process. Thank you for supporting American fiber and the family farms behind it.
And thank you for caring not just about what you wear, but about where it comes from and the lives connected to it.
Season by season, we are building something meaningful together.
With love,
Angela
Angela
Click here to explore and enjoy our cozy mohair socks and throws.