Yarn Detective
Mohair vs. Alpaca: Battle of the Fuzz
Major trend: knitting with two strands of yarn held together. When one is smooth and the other is fluffy, the resulting fabric is warm and soft. It’s a trend that doesn’t seem to be waning—we all want to be cozy right now.
The most familiar fuzzy yarns are mohair/silk and Suri alpaca or Suri/silk. Both fibers bring the fuzz and can transform a plain wool yarn into to something otherworldly.
Suri/silk at left. Brushed mohair/silk at right.
The two yarns can work interchangeably—but they have different properties. When you look at them side by side, you’ll see it instantly. If I could hand you my swatches, you’d note that they feel different too.
Sit down so we can talk. I’ll put the kettle on.
Let’s start with the animals. Mohair comes from an angora goat, sometimes called a mohair goat. Their hair is curly and shiny, with no crimp but some elasticity. It’s a strong and durable fiber. Mohair has started to replace nylon in some sock yarn blends.
Suri comes from a Suri alpaca, which has long, straight, silky hair. Like mohair, Suri has no crimp but unlike mohair, it has no elasticity. Suri is a luxury fiber and feels like it.
Neither mohair nor Suri are wool. They contain no lanolin and are often a great choice for knitters with a sensitivity or allergy to wool. Their yarns are both warm and durable.
Suri/silk, left. Mohair/silk, right.
They often get combined with silk to add more luxury and shine. I used Rowan Kidsilk Haze (brushed kid mohair/silk) in the color Lavender and a local yarn, Fiberstory Suri Silk (brushed Suri alpaca/silk) in the color Lila.
When mohair gets brushed, as in Kidsilk Haze (my favorite mohair yarn), it has an incredible halo. Some knitters find mohair prickly—even kid mohair that comes from goats less than a year old.
The halo has … I won’t say stiffness … but it has body and can help hold stitches in place. This halo is what allows mohair yarns to shift gauges. It can be knit at a looser gauge than the ballband calls for and still hold its shape.
Suri has a softer, silkier quality even when brushed. Knitters who find brushed mohair/silk prickly or tickly almost always do just fine with brushed Suri/silk.
Suri has less of a halo than mohair and can’t shift gauge as dramatically, but it has a superior drape. Its softness is like your beloved teddy bear or that flannel shirt you’ve had since college.
If I had to describe their halos in a word, I would call brushed mohair hairy and brushed Suri fuzzy, with no shade to either.
They are both durable fibers that don’t pill, though their halos tend to bloom over time. They can be used alone in projects. The 1960s were the heyday for 100% mohair sweaters. I’m sure you’ve run across vintage patterns featuring mohair.
Right now, designers are showing real creativity using brushed mohair or Suri with a smooth yarn. Lots of knitters use a smooth Merino yarn, but any yarn will work. I used Rowan Felted Tweed in Bilberry in my swatches.
Left: Suri/silk with Felted Tweed. Right: Kidsilk Haze with Felted Tweed.
Using two yarns together lets you play with textures and color combinations. I like using colors that are close— but not exact—to give my fabric depth and glow.
The swatch with the brushed Suri/silk has smoother stitch definition. The Suri yarn is denser, with more fibers used to make up the yarn and less halo compared to the mohair. This quality makes it more prominent in the overall fabric.
The mohair/silk swatch stitches are more open. The mohair yarn is finer because the halo of brushed mohair is more robust, allowing it to hold itself up in the stitches and hold the stitches open. Brushed mohair reminds me of a cat. It can simultaneously slink through the smallest spaces and take up half of the couch.
The fuzz of the mohair tends to fill the stitches and gives a more textured look while the furriness of the Suri covers and smooths the stitches.
Both yarns give an ethereal look and feel to knitting. Which to choose? It comes down to preference. I like looking at the swatches from the side to really see how their halos differ.
Because I know someone will ask, and my curiosity is right there with yours: Yes, you can use both yarns together. These swatches use Felted Tweed and switch the mohair/silk and the Suri/silk every four rows. These colors make subtle stripes.
I might go for something bolder if I were making a project for myself.
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So interesting! Thank you.
Very nice review and demo of the yarns. What do they do after washing?
The swatches are washed and blocked.
Excellent deep dive into the differences between the two. Photos illustrated this perfectly. I recently completed Andrea Mowry’s Brume sweater in Suri and I am a complete convert. It is beautifully comfy to wear. Light, soft and cozy.
Your sentence about using mohair in socks reminded me of a Japanese book on mending. The author recommended using mohair to darn socks, and I tried it with some leftover Kidsilk Haze and it worked great.
Thank you for this, Jillian. Very illuminating. I do have one question: You write that Mohair is curly, but has no crimp. I thought those were one and the same. Can you explain the difference? TY!
Mohair and sheep like Wensleydale have curls like curly hair. Sheep like Merino and most other sheep have locks that are crimpy like a crinkle cut French fry – that’s what gives the elasticity and spring.
This is excellent and so interesting, Jillian! Thanks for another one of your fascinating blogs.
Which is warmer? I assume suri since it’s more dense… Does one tend to wear better than the other?
Good questions. Jillian, what’s your take?
Great article! I washed a vest that was made with mohair and wool and my halo was gone and the fabric was stiffer and difficult to block. What did I do wrong? Now that you have inspired me to try again, what would be the steps to wash & block for a mohair garment?
Was it still stiff after it was dry? Did the wool felt at all?
I wash and block my mohair like I do wool and always air dry.
When my halo gets flat ( it happens to the best of us) I lightly brush the fabric with a soft brush like a boar’s hair brush.
I always find your yarn discussions so fascinating. And with these yarns and these colors, simply gorgeous.
Had to add: I am just basking in the purplieness of it all.
Yes!
Thank you for this beautifully illustrated comparison, Jillian!
Isn’t it amazing what a thin strand of fluff can add to even the humblest of yarns?
I’m so grateful for this article as this question has been on my list forever! Mohair prickles for me so I never use it ,but once in awhile would like that little bit of fluff added to a project. Now I can!
Suri is so silky, you will love it
Thanks, Jillian!! I’ve been wondering about this very question.
Thank you for this deep dive! If I knit a garment with a strand of SW, if I paired it with a mohair or Siri, would that help prevent it from stretching out overtime? Does it have enough grip to do that, or would I be expecting too much from the little strand?
*If you have time to answer my one-off question, big THANKS!*
Yes! Those extra strands are mighty. Mohair doesn’t have elasticity and the most aqua net type of halo. Suri is silky so maybe it’s a :little: slippery, but the silk combined with it will hold the SW steady
That is so good to know! I have a fair bit of SW yarn in my stash from my early days of knitting. I now prefer non-SW yarns, especially for garments. This little trick will allow me to make use of what I have. Mohair and suri to the rescue!
*suri (darn autocorrect)
I’ve just added a suri + ? swatch to my day’s plans.
As a fan of coziness, the surge in Suri alpaca/silk blends has been wonderful. I have knit with kidsilk haze, in particular, and find I can’t wear it without a substantial layer underneath, but my fuzzy Suri sweaters are comfortable if they touch my skin. And SO soft.
Thanks for this analysis!
I’ve abandoned silk mohair from next-to-skin garments in favor of suri due to the itchiness of mohair for me. It makes a huge comfy cozy difference! I plan to save the mohair for blankets and accessories. Thanks for another informative and helpful letter Jillian!
The trip sounds wonderful. Please continue to host them as this is not the year for me. Something to look forward to enjoying.
Great article, I always wondered about the differences between the 2 and now have answers. Thank you
“It can simultaneously slink through the smallest spaces and take up half of the couch.”
Hahahaha – the perfect description! That’s what I love about mohair: so cuddly, yet so much body. Judging from your analyses, suri might be too drapey for me, as I prefer my garments to keep their shape.
I love a good Yarn Detective yarn!
You have done it again! I love reading about different yarns. Thank you for opening my eyes to using two yarns together. I think I just might try it now.
Hi Jillian! Fantastic article, thank you! I love the purples and am looking at the yarns online. For the Suri, the “lila” colorway is a very pale lavender. Is it possible that you used “smash”? All the best –
Thanks for the information. I have a cropped mohair vest I knitted 50 years ago in university. I can only wear it cross country skiing in cold weather over 2 other layers. Even then it scratches.
I’ve just started a vest with 2 strands: Siri and merino, with a larger gauge. The soaked swatch is soft and held its shape. I’ll be wearing this vest frequently, and comfortably.
Always enjoy learning about the fiber characteristics and how they knit up.
Thanks for this.
I miss Rowan’s Lima.
I love the idea of knitting with both mohair and Suri for the stripping effect. Who knew? I grew up in Southern California and had several mohair cardigans…they never bothered me. Now in my 70’s it’s a no-go, so sad…I did knit a Musselburgh hat half in Suri & half in sock & absolutely love it! Thanks for the breakdown & informative article (and the great writing style)!
‘striping’ It’s a no-go for stripping, as well
Does one shed more than the other please.
Loose floating fibres can’t be had in my home due to health issues.
So late to see this post, I just have to chime in anyway! It was about 3 years ago when I had that random thought to combine some random mohair w anything and everything. I felt like I discovered America, and was busy creating swatches for days. So fun.
Back again to say I love the analogy that mohair behaves like a cat. I totally understand that, and am guessing the author is a cat lover!
I’ve often wondered about this exact topic. Thanks.
I enjoyed your article so much! I’ve never knit with suri and now I’m very curious to try it. I feel great having learned so much about these fibers before I’ve even had breakfast, haha!
I love the look of mohair and now I’m curious to try suri. I have a question about mohair and that is have you ever heard of or had anyone experiencing a severe breathing allergy to mohair? Last fall I bought a kit with gorgeous yarns of mohair and as I was working on it day by day I felt as if my breathing was getting compromised and I thought I was getting some sort of a chest cold but I had no other symptoms of being sick. After a few more days of working with the yarn I realized that it had to be the yarn that was causing it I put the yarn in a plastic bag and set it in my garage and haven’t looked at it since. Within 24 hours my breathing symptoms went away. I’m wondering if anyone has experienced this.
Hi. I know colors can look different on monitors etc but I’m trying to make sure I get the right color. Lila on the Spun website looks really different from the picture in the article. Can you please help? Thanks.
smash – https://spunannarbor.com/collections/fiberstory/products/suri-silk?variant=42734314225877
lila – https://spunannarbor.com/collections/fiberstory/products/suri-silk?variant=42734313439445