Cashmere Fiber Combing — Preparing Mongolian Goat Cashmere

Cashmere is the undercoat fiber of goats. Mongolian goats (Capra hircus) grow fine undercoat fiber to survive cold winters. This fiber has a diameter of 14-19 microns, which is finer than sheep wool (20-40 microns). One goat yields an average of 200-500 grams of cashmere fiber per year.

In spring during April-May, when the air temperature consistently rises above 10 degrees Celsius, goats begin to shed their undercoat. You can tell shedding has started when fiber begins to protrude from the sides and haunches of the goat. Combing too early leaves the goat without sufficient cold protection.

Prepare a steel comb (toothed comb). The traditional Mongolian comb has a wooden handle and steel teeth. The spacing between teeth is 2-3 mm. A comb with teeth that are too fine will break the fiber. Also prepare a collection bag (cloth bag).

Keep the goat calm. Seat it on its haunches and gently tie its legs, or have an assistant hold it. A stressed goat produces lower quality fiber. Before combing, manually pick out any plants, dirt, and debris stuck in the goat's coat.

Start combing from the sides of the goat. Gently stroke the comb down to the skin to separate the undercoat. Leave the coarse outer guard hair and collect only the fine inner undercoat. Comb in one direction — do not move back and forth.

After finishing the sides, move to the haunches, chest, and back. The haunch fiber is the finest and highest quality. Avoid the belly area — the wool there is short and dirty. Combing one goat completely takes 1.5-2.5 hours.

The combed fiber contains a mix of fine undercoat and coarse outer guard hair. Manually separate the guard hair (40-100 microns) by hand. This directly affects the quality of the cashmere — too much guard hair mixed in lowers the grade.

Sort the Mongolian goat cashmere by color: white (most valuable), grey, brown, black. White cashmere is in highest demand because it is easiest to dye. Collect each color separately. Mixed-color cashmere is considered lower quality.

Shake the sorted cashmere to remove dirt, sand, and other debris. Pick out stuck plant seeds one by one by hand. Since Mongolian goats graze on native pastures, the cashmere typically contains a lot of grass and plant fragments.

Add mild detergent to warm water at 35-40 degrees Celsius and gently soak the cashmere. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Do not wring or stretch — the fiber is delicate. Change the water 2-3 times until the rinse water runs clear. Do not use cold water — the cashmere will felt.

Gently squeeze the washed cashmere to remove excess water. Spread it on a drying rack and dry in the shade. Do not dry in direct sunlight — the color will fade. Drying takes 1-2 days. Properly dried cashmere feels soft and lightweight.

Weigh the dried cashmere. One goat yields 200-500 grams of cashmere. White goats tend to yield more. Record the weight, color, goat identification, and date. Mongolian cashmere is valued at 40-100 US dollars per kilogram on the world market.

Place the clean, dry cashmere in cloth bags. Do not use airtight plastic bags — cashmere needs to breathe. To protect against moths, you can add lavender flowers or birch bark. Store in a cool, dry, dark place. Properly stored cashmere retains its quality for many years.