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Subject: the rare Mongolian wooly lizard
Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2000 17:47:03 -0500
From: Carol Weymar
Great to read that the subject of the rare Mongolian wooly lizard has come up on this list. It is almost impossible to
find good information about this unusual fiber and hopefully we can pool our knowledge on the subject.
All
I have been able to find written on the wooly lizard comes from a very old text I bought at a library book sale. The book
is tattered and the pages are brittle and water-stained, but I'll pass along to you what I was able to learn from it.
The wooly lizard, often called the Mongolian wooly lizard (which is a misnomer since the reptile is actually native to
China and has migrated northwards in order to escape the contamination of local rivers by vinyl handbag factories) is a large
amphibian, often measuring nearly eight feet in length, not counting the tail which is not wool-bearing.
It
is a carnivore with razor-sharp teeth and its claws are long and also extremely sharp. This causes a severe problem with shearing.
Sadly, as we all know, the supply of Mongolian shearers has dwindled in recent years, owing largely to the diminished supply
of yaks and the abundance of factory jobs where clothing is made to be shipped via China to Wal Mart.
The unhappy
fact that so many wooly lizards go unsheared each year contributes to the rarity of the species since the lizards spend much
of their time in water. When the wool is allowed to grow long, it takes on great amounts of water and many lizards just sink
to the bottom like stones from the weight of the wet wool.
After several years of discussion, the Mongolian
Minister of the Interior has put up a proposal to begin training wooly lizard shearers and this program is expected to be
in full gear by the year 2005. Just how many wooly lizards will be left by then is anybody's guess.
The fiber
itself is a study in contrasts. Although it has a micron count very near that of cashmere, the fiber is strong and quite prickly,
due probably to the scales which are sharp and readily visible to the naked eye. The color is a greenish-gray which starts
out quite light in color around the neck and darkens as it gets near the tail. Although the color is generally considered
to be putrid, the fiber does take dye very well.
Spinning the wool of the wooly lizard can only be done for
brief periods since the fiber tends to scrape the skin from the fingers of the drafting hand. This effect can be mitigated
somewhat by blending the fiber with a firm wool, taking care to match the staple lengths, which in the case of the wooly lizard
often approaches 14 or 15 inches.
The resultant yarn is best used as a singles, since a two ply 100 yd skein
can often weigh a pound or more. Little use has been found for it.
Everything taken together, the fiber of
the wooly lizard presents both challenges and rewards not found in other fibers. We are in debt to Ron for having brought
this subject to the list and hopefully our understanding and experience will now grow.
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