One of the rarer, more interesting animals whose wool is used to make yarn is the yak.

The yak lives in extremely harsh climatic conditions in the mountains up to 5.2 km above sea level.

Ruthlessly exterminated for meat for a long time, wild yaks currently live in the wild only in Tibet and India.

Domesticated about 1000 years ago, they are kept in Tibet, Mongolia, Tuva, Altai, Pamir and Tian Shan.

Although the yak is huge (an adult male can weigh up to 1000 kg), its wool is quite expensive due to its rarity. The wool can only be obtained once a year by combing it by hand during spring feeding.

Combing produces two types of wool:

From the outer layer, which covers the entire body of the animal, coarse, strong, long-haired wool is obtained, from which belts, ropes, rugs are made.
The undercoat, which grows only in the cold season and protects the animals incredibly well from the high altitude cold, produces a wonderful, soft coat of short hair.

Excellent yak wool yarns are spun from the undercoat.

Yak wool is characterized by exceptional air permeability and particularly good thermal insulation properties. Its purpose was to protect yaks from cold and wind in extremely harsh conditions of the highlands, the same function is performed by knitwear made of yak wool threads – it warms us in winter and even prevents the accumulation of moisture, as it evaporates it perfectly.

Yak wool threads are characterized by strength. They are significantly stronger than sheep’s wool threads of the same diameter.

Because the thread is strong, knitwear from this wool practically does not tangle.

It does not have the smell of sheep wool because yak wool does not contain lanolin.

Knitwear does not wrinkle and is suitable for people with allergies.