Two Bunnies and a Wheel:

Northwest Angora

It all began over 12 years ago when the "Easter Bunny" delivered two angora rabbits to her kids. It was love at first sight for Gretchen Beedle, who went on to breed and show 100 angora rabbits across the United States.

From Fluff to Fiber

With so many rabbits producing fiber that needed to be harvested every three months, Gretchen soon found herself with more fiber than she could possibly sell. So she asked a friend to teach her how to spin.

"I'd been a knitter since I was 13," she explains, "but I was always knitting with synthetic yarn." She promptly fell in love with the unique and luxurious qualities of angora yarn.

Northwest Angora is Born

Once she was hooked on natural fiber, Gretchen decided to shift her energy from breeding angoras to producing a fine, natural yarn from their fiber. She passed her rabbits to another breeder who was delighted to have her breeding stock. "I was thrilled that they were passed on to someone who cared for them as much as I."

Current Offerings

Gretchen currently offers four different fiber blends through her Northwest Angora Web site: angora and merino; angora, merino, and bombyx silk; angora, wool, and tussah silk; and llama and merino. Colors are extremely limited, but please don't let that deter you from at least trying her yarns.

She also offers kits for scarves, socks, hats, gloves, mittens, and booties. You can buy just the patterns, just the yarn, or both combined in kits.

Knitting for Life

Gretchen firmly believes in the therapeutic qualities of knitting, especially with good yarn. "There is nothing more soothing to me than a pair of bamboo needles and a fine, natural yarn in my hands," she says.

Additional Resources
 Read our review of the angora, merino, and bombyx silk blend yarn.
 Visit Northwest Angora online.