Angora Rabbit Wool Weaving
Darkot is located in Munsiari tehsin of Pithoragarh district. Angora rabbit’s fibre is light, soft and silky textured and especially known for its good thermal insulation characteristics. However sheep’s wool also has good insulation characteristic but, weight of rabbit’s wool decrease in weight by 20% when compared to sheep’s wool. Angora rabbits are highly bred by many families of Darkot village.
Fibre is shorn once in every three months. The sheared wool is carded and spun into spools and spindles. The prepared thread is loaded into loom and weaved to make shawls, mufflers and sweaters. Women folk make knitted products with rabbit fibre during their leisure time.
Angora Rabbit:
Angora is one of the varieties of rabbit bred which is especially known for its extreme soft and long fibre. In Darkot village, Angora rabbits are largely bred for their long angora wool for making rabbit wool products. The silky textured angora wool products are ideal to wear in high-altitude regions. Rabbit fibre is sheared once it’s grown long enough for thread making and spinning. In Darkot, two colours of rabbit fibre available are white and brown.
Rabbit Care:
Rabbits are very delicate, hence more care is taken. They are placed in very clean and cool place. They are fed with dry grass and wheat and provided lots of water to drink. Life span of rabbit is 12 years.
