Now I want a goat?

I recently had the amazing fortune to attend a fiber focused retreat in Washington state run by the team behind the Farm & Fiber Knits magazine. Over three days we visited small farms north of the Seattle area, chatting with farmers and dyers, fellow knitters, weavers, and crocheters and oohing and aahing over sheep, livestock dogs, and more exotic fiber animals. I learned so much about different fibers, how to work with their different characteristics, and got a glimpse at different kinds of working farms.

What I was really looking forward to was the sheep. I was hoping to see some Shetlands and Finns, specifically. Alpaca fiber is lovely, but I never dreamed of having an alpaca or two. It’s sheep all the way. But then I met the goat. Specifically, a Pygora goat.

I never really cared for goats; they aren’t my dream livestock animal. But I never knew a goat could look like this! Locks like a Gotland sheep, but with soft inner coat fiber like mohair or cashmere. Smaller than the average sheep— honestly more the size of the livestock dogs—they can be sheared using a standard pet groomer’s set up.

Now my dream flock includes a Pygora or two.