Mixing Mohair With Other Yarns

Question: I truly enjoy your articles I’ve found on the internet. I’m an “advanced beginner” weaver and had the opportunity to buy some mohair very inexpensively from a guild member and have been reading some of the comments online about the difficulty of weaving with mohair. I notice that some folks recommend combining mohair with less sticky yarns to avoid some of the difficulty and was wondering if I could use the mohair as weft and use another “easier” yarn as warp. If I did so, what would be some alternate yarns I could use that would have the same “shrinkage” factor and look good with mohair if sett at the same measurement. Thanks for any info you can provide.

I have used brushed mohair for years in the warp and the weft. I warp back to front for this (it is the only time I warp back to Front). I sett the mohair that we use at 6 epi and weave it in plain weave to control the shedding. I will attach a handout that is very helpful when warping with mohair. I have also made many blankets with a Harrisville Shetland Warp and a brushed mohair weft. For this, I warp back to front as I do all other warps except mohair. There is a video demonstrating me warping on the School of Weaving – Season 1: Episode 1 – Making a Good Warp. I weave them in a 2/2 twill setting the Shetland at 8 epi and weaving the mohair at 8 ppi. The Shetland controls the shedding in the twill because it fulls more than more. Both versions of these blankets require wet finishing or fulling.