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gabriela · Member

Desperate with mohair!

Heather M · Senior Member

This is roving; I use it also. Just cut off the length you want and root with it normally. Some of the hairs will be different lengths, but so are the hairs on most people's heads. I usually root my hair so that it is longer than what I want on the baby and then trim it up.

firefall · Member

Hi...I am a very newbie. Just getting my supplies arranged....when it comes to the hair...A friend suggested alpaca hair...first shearing. Can you give me any more info on that? She has a reborn with that and it is gorgeous, but she only knew that it what was used.
I have other questions but thought I'd ask this one first.

sara zata · Guru

The last baby I rooted, I found that my needle was blunt and after I changed it the hair seemed to root nicely. Maybe try a new needle. XXX June. weirdface

Also there is a post somewhere here on the forum where you can get your mohair from Debbies Mohair, and she will send you a sample of all the colours and prices. Pat B, maybe able to help with this one. weirdface

-- Edited by sara zata at 06:55, 2008-11-11

firefall · Member

Just asking....was that a dumb question and where do I need to go to get the answer??? confused

sara zata · Guru

No it wasn't a dumb questipon, alpaca hair is realy nice and fine, if your able to getthen go ahead as I have done onewith it in it's natural state. You can also dye it with human hair dye and use shampoo and conditioner. I dyed one of mine after I had finished rooting and glueing. It turned out nice, the lady that ordered it, loved it. xxx June.

Judymae · Veteran Member

I bought the long piece of mohair and found the same thing. I believe it is normal and you are doing fine. My problem is I was told there is and up and a down and that this will make a huge difference in your outcome. So far I haven't had a proble but I marked the end I started cutting from and maybe I lucked out and started on the correct end. I have always bought the shorter strands up till this one.
JudyMae

Buffington · Guru

I ran across the same problem and fixed it myself as no one else knew what to do. That hair like that is not called roving (sorry... ok oops!!! guess I got them mixed up. Well what do you expect for me only having 2 braincells? lol).

Anyway, just pinch a section of the hair in your fingers and holding the other end, lightly but firmly pull. It shoudl come out in short sections. this will make it softer too. But with this kind of mohair (and if you paid that little you got the bottom of the barrel, sorry) it's actually small sections put together to make it look long. It's not actually long like that but I don't know how they get it to stay together in a long bunch like that. Maybe its like spinning your own yarn, you take a peice, go so far, then before you get to the end add some more. ???

The little peices you are getting are the left over small peices that just got put into the bunch. They are not broken, and you are not braking them off, they are just that way.

Personally (IMHO) one should never pay less than 10GBP ($20USD) for any mohair. As they say... "you get what you pay for."

I have heard people talk about alpaca hair being nice for reborns. I have a very large mesh bag full of it, 3 colors, and baby hair to boot. I'm just too chicken to try it on one of my dolls. Plus I gotta wash and card it all! Oh some day! :o

-- Edited by Buffington at 04:26, 2008-11-12

-- Edited by Buffington at 15:58, 2008-11-13

Date: Nov 13, 2008

Heather is correct to call this long rope of assorted lengths a "roving". The kind Pat refers to is actually called Wefted mohair ....similar lengths of mohair, sewn together to form a "fringe" of hair that's used to make mohair wigs.
To use the roving, do as suggested by Judy Mae and mark the end you cut. Sometimes you can tell by looking at the hair very closely which end was the "cut end" and which end has more finely tapered "grown out" ends. In the long run it probably doesn't matter that much, as long as you always root in the same direction then the hair will lie more smoothly, not tangle as easily and feel smoother to the touch.
You could use actually mohair wefts by cutting the hair off at the sewn (wefted) edge and rooting it. Then you know for certain which direction it goes!

Hope this helps.
aww

DK

Date: Nov 13, 2008

I thought I'd mention that I think you can buy wefted mohair from Seeley's
link: http://www.seeleys.com/Categories.bok

just in case you want wefted mohair aww

DK

gabriela · Member

These are wonderful advices, because i thought i had to throw those pieces of hair i bought. I´ll try to make them work. i thought i had to buy those 100 usd and more locks of mohair to do a good rooting. I guess that depends more on the rooting skills right?

Buffington · Guru

The mohair makes the biggest difference because even if you are a great rooter, if you have really inexpensive or "bad" mohair, you can't do much to it to make it better. But you don't need (IMHO) to buy the really crazy high-priced stuff either. Usually a good range for the good stuff can be between like $25-$60 USD. Secrist had some really GREAT ultra mohair that was just TDF but I haven't seen any lately. I know some of our dealers have some, like dollsbysandie. I think she still has some left.
Otherwise mohairbydebbie has some great stuff too. Not sure what she has at the moment (she's on ebay) cause she's been having a battle with medical problems.

sara zata · Guru

Pat B, I bought my alpaka washed and on the hide, that makes a difference, you dont have to do much to it then. I just cut a small piece off and root with it and do the same again. I have a short one and along one, you can usually get it from doll shows. I did Brian with it as he had white hair in his original pic and I didn't colour that one. XXX June.

Buffington · Guru

Thanks June!
I also bought my angora goat hair "on the hyde". Matter of fact... I now own 4 hydes. Beautiful, not frizzable (is that even a word? lol) and I just cut of an mount of hyde and hair that I want, color it with a non-ammonia hair dye and wait for it to dry, then have at!

I have one that I use only for my AA bubs and I dyed it a very dark coffee brown. Looks great!

I might have to look for alpaca hair on the hyde. I have a very large bag of baby alpaca hair that needs the works... wash, card, comb! I have head it's really nice stuff to work with for rooting! I have 3 natural colors of hair. Maybe next summer I'll actually get it out and do all that to it so I can use it. Not doing me any good in the wardrobe you know! hehehe

sara zata · Guru

Yes, I know. I have today, got 4 kits out ready to paint, washed and dried them all ready or tomorrow. They aren't any good sitting in the box either. So yes, I know what you mean. I'm realy a bit ofa horder, materials, laces, you name it. But untill we get into the house, which souldn't be too long now, I can't put my hands on it. XXX June

Buffington · Guru

I have lots of stuff I "hoarded" too! like laces, fabrics, ceramic greenware, blah blah blah.... half of it I have put in a 10'x20' storage locker and can't really get to that either. So I know exactly what you mean June!
I come from an extremely poor family when I was growing up and we never had much, so I guess that's why I stock-pile stuff. My friends say I can start my own this-n-that shop with all I have.
Also many many doll kits from different companies just waiting to come to life (poor things in the box) :(

But someday, when I get time (or when I'm done with college)!