Wool is a natural fibre produced by sheep, which grows in the same way as hair by humans. It became somehow an umbrella term for other natural fibres produced by other animals. In such context the term is often used for the following fibres:
mohair – from hair of angora goat
angora –from angora rabbit hair
camel hair –more from undercoat camel hair (specially for textile products)
alpaca –hair of south American camelid (similar to lama)
After shearing, wool is processed according to the future use. The natural oil in wool – lanolin – coats each fibre, so it feels soft and slightly greasy if not treated. Depending on the final requirement, it must be cleaned in a soap solution to remove its natural grease and dirt. Machinery is then employed to extract seeds and burrs and other foreign matter which may remain.
What kind of wool we become from different breeds?
The list of domesticated sheep breeds is very long. The sheep of today is a product of selective breeding and cross-breeding over centuries. There are breeds with fine or coarse wool, adapted to a wide range of environment – climate, soil, herbage and terrain. Some breeds can better survive in milder climates. Such breed is Merino sheep, which origins proclaim to be from North Africa. Now the main supplier of this kind of wool is Australia and New Zeeland.
Merino wool is better suited for cloth, due to its highly valued properties of not being coarse and having smooth touch on the skin. Production of felted materials from merino wool is also possible, but the properties of this felt are less durable than from coarser breeds.
The European breeds produce mostly coarser quality wool, which is better suited for durable felted products, such as shoes and bags.
So what exactly is felt? Felt is a non-woven textile made of a disordered, difficult to separate fiber material. Unfortunately the term “felt” ist not protected exclusively for its initial meaning and roots, so it is also used for synthetic fibers. When you hold both pieces – synthetical and wool felt in the hand, you …
Each piece of vegetable tanned leather is unique. You cannot expect flawless homogeneous surface, even color distribution and same weather resistance you might know from products made from chrome tanned leather. The vegetable tanning process imparts typical natural characteristics, which makes each leather piece unique. There might be small marks from insect bites or scars [...]
What is wool?
Term wool is often misused.
Wool is a natural fibre produced by sheep, which grows in the same way as hair by humans. It became somehow an umbrella term for other natural fibres produced by other animals. In such context the term is often used for the following fibres:
mohair – from hair of angora goat
angora –from angora rabbit hair
camel hair –more from undercoat camel hair (specially for textile products)
alpaca –hair of south American camelid (similar to lama)
cashmere – from hair of cashmere goat
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What is the process to obtain wool we use?
After shearing, wool is processed according to the future use. The natural oil in wool – lanolin – coats each fibre, so it feels soft and slightly greasy if not treated. Depending on the final requirement, it must be cleaned in a soap solution to remove its natural grease and dirt. Machinery is then employed to extract seeds and burrs and other foreign matter which may remain.
Freeimages.com ©2007 Joseph M. Zlomek
Sheep breeds
What kind of wool we become from different breeds?
The list of domesticated sheep breeds is very long. The sheep of today is a product of selective breeding and cross-breeding over centuries. There are breeds with fine or coarse wool, adapted to a wide range of environment – climate, soil, herbage and terrain. Some breeds can better survive in milder climates. Such breed is Merino sheep, which origins proclaim to be from North Africa. Now the main supplier of this kind of wool is Australia and New Zeeland.
Merino wool is better suited for cloth, due to its highly valued properties of not being coarse and having smooth touch on the skin. Production of felted materials from merino wool is also possible, but the properties of this felt are less durable than from coarser breeds.
The European breeds produce mostly coarser quality wool, which is better suited for durable felted products, such as shoes and bags.
Source: https://www.iwto.org/sheep
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