Icelandic goat hair dress sporran in an Edwardian styling.

**kemileswallace** · 19th June 20, 05:38 PM

That's gorgeous! Really well done!

**Shinenotburn** · 19th June 20, 06:10 PM

Thank you Sir. I'm working on the next one now.

**Barb T** · 20th June 20, 05:34 AM

Lovely sporran! There must be a really interesting story behind actually getting the goat hair. I would love to hear it!

I've spent literally months in Iceland all over the countryside over the past 40 years, and I've seen millions of Icelandic sheep, but I can't remember ever seeing an Icelandic goat. I did a little Google searching, and, sure enough, there is an Icelandic goat as well, but it was on the verge of extinction in the mid-1960s, when there were only 60-70 goats in the whole country. An effort was made to save them (see articles linked below), and, in 2003, the population was up to about 350. By 2018, the total goat population had risen to about 1200, which is still a really small population. So that explains why I never saw any while I was in the field!

If anyone is interested, here's a 2014 article on saving the Icelandic goat, and another fascinating article (with a Game of Thromes connection) from 2018.

**Shinenotburn** · 20th June 20, 06:17 AM

Hi Barb,
Thank you for adding that article. I must admit I probably did not give it much thought once I found the source of the hair I was looking for.
Here is the link to that supplier.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IVORY-WHI...72.m2749.l2649

It looks like it might be a Chinese company to me.

As you will see from the website they work with a great variety of pelts.

PS. I bought one of your kilts a while back, second hand. It is truly a work of art and I love to wear it.
I will have you do a bespoke one for me someday.
Kindest regards,

Phil

**Barb T** · 20th June 20, 07:56 AM

Hi Phil,

I went to their website, and I think it's a virtual certainty that someone conflated Tibetan goat with Icelandic sheepskin (which IS readily available and the vendor on eBay also carries) and mistakenly arrived at the term Tibetan Icelandic goat. It's also possible that it is actually an Iceland sheepskin. Icelandic sheep have fabulous long-staple wool (adorably long, as you can see in the pics below):

When it's brushed out in a sheepskin, it's very smooth. I honestly wouldn't know how to tell a Tibetan goat skin from an Icelandic sheepskin in a picture, though!!!

Thanks for the feedback on the kilt! Which tartan?

**Shinenotburn** · 20th June 20, 08:58 AM

I thought as much, after considering the source. What I got is definitely long and silky hair, and a lovely colour. The pillow case was made in a way that takes a lot of small pieces and patchworks them together.This works for sporrans as it adds strength to the pelts. Horse hair sporrans are strands of hair tied in bunches and sewn onto a backer panel.
On this project the hair was all falling in the same general direction so I was able to achieve
the look I wanted with only two layers of hair on the front of the sporran. The longest hair on this stuff I'm using is 8" long.

I just want to say that these are beautiful animals and I would not think of harming one. I knew I was dealing with a product that was already processed. Just not to its highest and best use perhaps.
Still, after reading those articles, I wonder if the hair could be harvested like horse hair and bound and stitched to a base as the horse hair sporrans are?

As to the Kilt you made, it is in the Lochaber regional tartan I believe.
I'm very happy to meet you finally, even if it is only online.

Regards,
Phil

**Barb T** · 20th June 20, 09:48 AM

Happy to meet you, too!

Barb

**Shinenotburn** · 22nd June 20, 02:30 PM

This the second sporran I created from the same materials in the same theme. I laid down a set of gold tassels to see how they might look. Let me know which way you like it better.

I know I really need to work on my stitching at this point. It's pretty crude work.

**KnittedReenactor** · 12th July 20, 08:40 AM

Very nicely done! I do have two questions for you.
1. How were you able to mount the cantle to the sporran? Was there enough material thickness to drill and tap threads directly or did you have to attach studs?
2. Where did you find those golden tassels?! They make a fantastic levee dress version of your sporran.

Congratulations on the fruits of your hard work!

**Shinenotburn** · 12th July 20, 09:15 AM

To attach the cantel to the sporran I fashioned the top part of the backer panel to fit into the void of the frame fitting nice and snug. Next I drilled a small hole in either
side of the frame near the bottom. The hair come out from the center of the frame and will hang out over these connection points. I used seated screws to attach the frame to the backer board and small acorn nuts on the front of the frame to secure same. They are hidden behind the goat hair. The frame I chose had a wood core with the plated silver over top. When everything was assembled I cut a leather piece to go over the entire cantle and attached it with glue and some small brass tacks.

The belt hoops are attached to the backer panel so there is not a lot of strain on the cantle There is usually four little swivel fasteners on these type of frames so I used two on each sporran to help lock the backer panels into position. The nuts and bolts do the real securing in this case. The backer leather piece, although chiefly cosmetic, does help firm everything up somewhat.

I hope this explains the process I used well enough. I can draw it up if some makers want to try this style.

The tassels are form a surplus levee sporran I had bought some time ago on ebay. I though the goat hair was a more suitable compliment than the horsehair sporran it was on.

Anyways, thanks for the interest and your kind remarks.