What is Wool?

Wool is a category of textile fibers derived from the coat of mainly sheep, but also goats, muskoxen, rabbits, camels, llamas, alpacas, vicunas, guanacos, and even cattle and pigs.

While wool is grown to keep an animal insulated, it is not the same as hair or fur. Wool fibers are crimped and elastic, and they have scale, which gives wool it’s unique characteristics. Wool is also an elastic fiber, meaning that it resists distortion and has the ability to return to its original form.

Creating Wool

Wool is a very labor intensive fiber to produce. The process has seven steps.

Shearing

Making wool begins with shearing the sheep, which is done in spring the when the animals no longer need a heavy coat for insulation. The newly shorn wool is called a fleece.

Grading & Sorting

Grading and sorting break up a fleece into the various qualities of fibers, which come from different parts of the sheep. The fibers from the shoulders and sides of the sheep is used for clothing.

Cleaning & Scouring

The wool is stripped of contaminants The fibers are scoured with water, soap and alkaline ingredients.

Carding

Wool is given a final cleaning and straightening, the wool is separated into two types, worsted, and woolen.

Spinning

Wool is turned into thread by spinning it into a single strand of yarn. Multiple yarns are then spun together with other yarns (referred to as ply).

Weaving

The threads are then woven into a fabric

Finishing

The process of finishing adds desired characteristics to the wool.

The Best Wool

Wool is classified based on the diameter of the individual fibers, in units of microns.

Fine wool <= 24.5 microns
Medium wool 24.6-32.5 microns
Coarse wool >32.5 microns

Fine wool fibers are used for clothing, the thicker fibers are used for rugs and interior textiles.