The Natural Fiber Connection Trivia Quiz

Answer: Milk protein

Milk fiber is very soft, almost silk-like. It was first created in the 1930s, and continues to be a popular choice for those wishing to work with natural fibres. It is created by removing all of the water from milk, then spinning the leftover casein protein with a chemical to produce a fibre that is used in knitting, crocheting, and weaving.

Answer: Muskox

The muskox has two layers of fur. The soft inner layer is shed each spring. This inner layer is known as qiviut, and is harvested either directly from the animal, or picked from branches and brush where animals have rubbed. Unlike wool, qiviut will not shrink at any temperature, so it is sought out for the creation of clothing despite its expense.

It is one of the most expensive fibers available, costing over $30 per ounce for raw, unprocessed, straight-from-the-animal product.

Answer: Mohair

Mohair is harvested from angora goats. It is known as the diamond fiber because it is noted for its high luster and sheen. Mohair is a very durable fiber, often sought out to add with other fibers because of its durability and elasticity. It also has a natural flame retardant property and ability to resist creasing, so it is good when using the textile for clothing.

Answer: Cashmere

Cashmere goats grow two layers in their coats - a soft, downy underlayer, and a hairier outer layer. Cashmere that will be used for fiber is harvested from the undercoat in the neck region from the goats. It typically comes with many of the outer hairs, so part of the process for creating cashmere fiber involves de-hairing. Once that is complete, the underlayer can be spun into a fiber that is mainly knit, woven, or crocheted to create a textile for clothing.

Answer: The silk worm spins a cocoon.

The silk worm spins a cocoon as it moves into the pupal phase where it will transform into a silk moth. The cocoon is made up of approximately one mile of silk that is developed in the salivary glands of the silkworm as it wraps the cocoon around itself. Once wrapped in the cocoon, the animal releases an enzyme that allows them to exit the cocoon when they reach the moth stage.

Unfortunately, this enzyme also destroys the silk, so all cocoons are boiled before the silk is unraveled. This gets rid of the enzyme, but it also kills the worm (getting the attention of animal rights agencies), but the worm is often eaten in China where the majority of silk is created.

Answer: Bamboo

In years past, the stiff bamboo was used to create the structural parts in some corsets and bustles. In recent years, the cellulose (soft material in leaves and pith in the stems) in the bamboo is extracted with steam, and combined with synthetics to make a semi-synthetic fibre for weaving and needle crafts that is quite soft and durable.

Answer: Once or twice a year

Sheep need to have their coats cut off (aka sheared) at least once a year. Some types of sheep have hair that grows faster, so they need shearing twice a year. If sheared more often than that, the fiber is too short and difficult to work with. Once sheared, the wool must be cleaned, spun, and dyed before it can be used for knitting, crocheting, and weaving.

Answer: Alpaca

Alpacas are prized for their coats. Like sheep, they are sheared, and their coats are cleaned, spun and dyed. The soft fiber that is created is actually called by the animal's name. This is unusual in the fiber world (e.g., sheep fiber is "wool", moth fiber is "silk", goat fiber is "cashmere", none of which have the same name as the animal).

Answer: Angora

The Angora rabbit is one of the oldest domesticated rabbits. These rabbits have very long, soft fur that is typically combed from the animal before being cleaned and spun. Rabbit hair does not contain the allergens that many of the other animal fibers like wool have, so angora is a fiber that is often used in making clothing.

Answer: Cotton gin

Cotton is a very common natural fiber. From the beginning of the 20th century through the end of World War II, cotton accounted for 81% of all fiber consumption around the world. The popularity of cotton has dropped ever since the end of the Second World War, but it remains very popular because of its lightness, ease of dying, and its softness and breathability. Little did Mr. Whitney know that his invention to help process cotton into usable fibers would lead to such a popular textile.