# Does anyone spin Lionhead?



## Elsbet

My son got a pet lionhead this spring, and she is putting on a LOT of wool- not like an angora, of course, but more than I was expecting from a lionhead. It seems like a decent quality fiber so far, and she's still just a kit. 
Are these rabbits worth raising for fiber? The fact that they have less hair on their bodies appealed to me since we live in the south, and I was worried about raising angoras down here with the heat. I raised them in Maine, but they suffered in the mid summer even up there. We froze a LOT of water bottles for their cages! Seems like everyone has lionheads down here, though.


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## RiverPines

For me they wouldn't be worth it.
It takes a lot of fiber to make a little yarn. A lion head just doesn't have enough. I just couldnt see feeding and caring for a fiber animal thats not going to give me but a small sum of fiber.


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## Elsbet

Ok, thanks. I wasn't sure if as they get older they give much fiber, or if our kit just has a lot of baby-down.


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## Nellie

I think if it's just a pet anyway, go ahead and spin up the fiber. Can't hurt!


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## sheepish

Mix the fibre with lambswool to get more quantity with the soft fluffy feel.


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## Wisconsin Ann

Spinning in the fur with almost any sheep's wool will give the wool a softer feel. You might try spinning cotton with it, too. I don't know if that can be done, mind you, but it sure would be an interesting texture  Doesn't take much angora to change the feel of a wool in spinning....I'd guess lionhead would be the same?


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## Elsbet

I think her fur would give lambswool a pretty color- she's sort of an orangy buff. I think since we have her anyway, I'll give it a try. But I probably won't get into breeding them for fiber- might just think about raising angoras again and see how they do.
Thanks all.


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## jhuebner

We have We have 4 of the 6 woolly breeds. We do not have English Angora or Jersey Woolies ... Giant, French and Satin Angora's ... and American Fuzzy Lops, 

Lion Heads aren't usually included in either group, (angora or woolly) ... but they are developed from Jursey's and Netherlands (I think) 

... but... We do MIX our Fuzzy Lop wool, it is great for that, they don't really have enough to use alone (less than 0.2 oz per molt) unlike the French that have 1+ ounces 2-4 times a year (per molt) or the Giants that can have over a pound of wool 2x (clipped) per year.

Enjoy your fluffy bunny, and enjoy the "bit o wool" you do get  

Oldhaus Fibers & Rabbits
ARBA Rabbitry #A342
Amana, IA 

www.oldhaus.net


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## rabbitgeek

I agree with the other posts.

Might as well save the wool and blend it with sheeps wool. Just to stretch the wool you do get.

OR you can take up needle felting. Make a little body from sheepwool, then needle felt the lion head wool to the outside of the body for a little creature figure.

Lionheads don't have much wool compared to the other wooly breeds. A Fuzzy Lop in molt can fill half a grocery bag with wool.

Have a fun day!


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