In the meantime, I've been learning a little more about cashmere, thanks to The Fiber of My Being(http://www.thefiberofmybeing.net/), a spectacular place to learn about fiber, spinning, dyeing, and a great source for wonderful yarns. There are many educational tutorial videos there, also. Sales proceeds go to support their fiber animal rescue operation! That's right - they rescue animals in terrible circumstances, give them a new home and good care, and use their fiber to make yarn. A truly remarkable and worthy effort, IMHO.
Recent additions to the farm include goats, from which they are harvesting cashmere, cashgora and angora fiber. Their research has revealed that there is no particular breed of goat favored for producing cashmere, per se. A cashmere goat is a type of goat, which could be one of many different breeds, that produces hair with certain measured cashmere characteristics of softness and fineness. In addition, a goat that grows cashmere doesn't necessarily grow it for its entire life! A goat's coat typically gets thicker and coarser over time. So even more reason why cashmere is so darn precious and expensive!
