Wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other animals, including cashmere and mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, hide and fur clothing from bison, angora from rabbits, and other types of wool from camelids. Wool consists of protein together with a small percentage of lipids.
It is one of the oldest forms of textiles.
wool, animal fibre forming the protective covering, or fleece, of sheep or of other hairy mammals, such as goats and camels. Prehistoric man, clothing himself with sheepskins, eventually learned to make yarn and fabric from their fibre covering. Selective sheep breeding eliminated most of the long, coarse hairs forming a protective outer coat, leaving the insulating fleecy undercoat of soft, fine fibre.
Wool is mainly obtained by shearing fleece from living animals, but pelts of slaughtered sheep are sometimes treated to loosen the fibre, yielding an inferior type called pulled wool. Cleaning the fleece removes “wool grease,” the fatty substance purified to make lanolin (q.v.), a by-product employed in cosmetics and ointments.
Wool fibre is chiefly composed of the animal protein keratin. Protein substances are more vulnerable to chemical damage and unfavourable environmental conditions than the cellulose material forming the plant fibres. Coarser than such textile fibres as cotton, linen, silk, and rayon, wool has diameters ranging from about 16 to 40 microns (a micron is about 0.00004 inch). Length is greatest for the coarsest fibres. Fine wools are about 1.5 to 3 inches (4 to 7.5 centimetres) long; extremely coarse fibres may be as much as 14 inches in length. Wool is characterized by waviness with up to 30 waves per inch (12 per centimetre) in fine fibres and 5 per inch (2 per centimetre) or less in coarser fibres. Colour, usually whitish, may be brown or black, especially in coarse types, and coarse wools have higher lustre than fine types.
Single wool fibres can resist breakage when subjected to weights of 0.5 to 1 ounce (15 to 30 grams) and when stretched as much as 25 to 30 percent of their length. Unlike vegetable fibres, wool has a lower breaking strength when wet. The resilient fibre can return to its original length after limited stretching or compression, thus imparting to fabrics and garments the ability to retain shape, drape well, and resist wrinkling. Because crimp encourages fibres to cling together, even loosely twisted yarns are strong, and both crimp and resilience allow manufacture of open-structured yarns and fabrics that trap and retain heat-insulating air. The low density of wool allows manufacture of lightweight fabrics.
Wool fibre has good to excellent affinity for dyestuffs. Highly absorbent, retaining as much as 16 to 18 percent of its weight in moisture, wool becomes warmer to the wearer as it absorbs moisture from the air, thus adjusting its moisture content and, consequently, its weight, in response to atmospheric conditions. Because moisture absorption and release are gradual, wool is slow to feel damp and does not chill the wearer by too-rapid drying.
Wool that has been stretched during yarn or fabric manufacture may undergo relaxation shrinkage in washing, with fibres resuming their normal shape. Felting shrinkage occurs when wet fibres, subjected to mechanical action, become matted into packed masses. Wool has good resistance to dry-cleaning solvents, but strong alkalies and high temperatures are harmful. Washing requires the use of mild reagents at temperatures below 20° C (68° F), with minimum mechanical action. The performance of wool has been improved by development of finishes imparting insect and mildew resistance, shrinkage control, improved fire resistance, and water repellency.
Woolen yarns, usually made from shorter fibres, are thick and full and are used for such full-bodied items as tweed fabrics and blankets. Worsteds, usually made from longer fibre, are fine, smooth, firm, and durable. They are used for fine dress fabrics and suitings. Wool that has had no previous use is described as new wool, or, in the United States, as virgin wool. The limited world supply results in the use of recovered wools.
9 Different Types of Wool
The pros and cons of each type of wool depend on the animal it comes from.- 1. Alpaca: A versatile medium-weight wool fabric used for many purposes like high-end suiting, coats, blankets, outerwear lining, and bedspreads, alpaca wool is a lustrous material that's soft, lightweight, warm, and durable. There are two breeds of alpaca—Huacaya and Suri—that produce different types of wool: Huacaya fleece is thicker and often used for knit items, while Suri is silkier and used more in woven apparel.
- 2. Angora: Taken from the Angora rabbit (not the Angora goat which produces mohair wool), Angora wool is a soft and fluffy fiber that retains the most heat and has the best moisture-wicking ability of any natural fiber. Since Angora fibers are fragile, Angora is often blended with other fibers to make it stronger. Due to a combination of its valuable attributes and difficult cultivation process, Angora wool products are typically very expensive.
- 3. Camel hair: A luxurious and warm fine wool with a natural golden-brown color, camel hair is typically combined with other less expensive types of wool to make it softer and more economical. Camel hair coats first became popular in the United States among polo players in the 1920s. Today, the softer undercoat of camels is still used for coats and other apparel, while its coarser outer hair is used as backing for carpets and upholstery.
- 4. Cashmere: One of the most luxurious natural fibers, cashmere has a high natural crimp, which results in an incredibly soft and lightweight fabric. Cashmere is costly because it's difficult to obtain (fibers must be combed from cashmere goats instead of sheared), and the cashmere goat produces a very scarce amount of cashmere wool per year. One other downside of cashmere is that it's not as durable as sheep's wool.
- 5. Lambswool: Also known as "virgin wool" since it's taken from a baby sheep's first shearing when it's only several months old, lambswool is extremely smooth, soft, hypoallergenic, and is difficult to wrinkle. Since every sheep can only produce lambswool once, it's a rarer and more expensive wool to purchase.
- 6. Melton: One of the toughest and warmest wools available, Melton contains thick wool fibers and is typically woven into a twill weave. Melton is relatively wind-resistant and good at water-wicking, making it one of the more weatherproof wools and a prime choice for woolen outerwear and heavy blankets.
- 7. Merino: This superfine, shiny wool is one of the softest types of wool and is perfect for regulating body temperature in both cold and hot weather, making it a popular choice for athletic apparel. Merino wool comes from the Merino sheep, which is native to Spain but today has its largest populations in Australia and New Zealand.
- 8. Mohair: Sheared from the angora goat, mohair is a lustrous but durable wool that drapes well and is often woven into a plain weave. Despite being relatively lightweight, it has good insulation to keep you warm. Mohair is often used in dresses, suits, baby clothes, sweaters, and scarves.
- 9. Shetland: Cultivated from the undercoat of sheep native to Scotland's Shetland Islands, this wool is an ideal choice for knitting due to its durable but soft nature. It's lightweight, warm, and available in one of the largest ranges of natural colors of any breed of sheep.
How Is Wool Fabric Manufactured?
The following are the main steps needed to manufacture wool.- 1. Shear the animal. The first step in the wool production process is to sheer the fleece coat off the wool-bearing animal.
- 2. Scour the wool. Sheep wool in particular contains a fatty grease called lanolin which must be cleaned from the raw wool before it's spun into yarn. It's a time-consuming process that can be achieved by soaking the wool in warm water, but typically large wool producers use chemical additives to speed up the process.
- 3. Sort the wool. Once scoured, the clean wool is sorted into bales.
- 4. Card the wool. Carding is a process of separating and straightening the raw wool fibers into long strands in order to make it easier to spin into wool yarn. Carding can be done by hand or using carding machines.
- 5. Spin the wool into yarn. The next step is to spin the wool into yarn using a spinning machine and one of two spinning systems: the worsted system or the woolen system. Worsted wool has the air squeezed out of it, creating a smooth, dense, and even wool. Woolen wool, on the other hand, is spun with air between the fibers, creating a lighter, fuzzier, and irregular wool. After the wool yarn is formed, it's wrapped around cones, bobbins, or commercial drums.
- 6. Weave the yarn. The yarn is now ready to be woven into wool garments or other wool textiles. Woolen yarns are typically woven into fabric using a looser plain weave pattern, where worsted yarns are ideal for a more tightly woven twill weave pattern.
- 7. Add the finishing touches. Wool manufacturers may choose to put the final item through any number of procedures to improve the wool quality. For example, fulling is a process where the wool item is soaked in water to interlock its fibers. Crabbing is a process that perpetually keeps those fibers in place. Decating is a process that uses heat to shrink-proof the item.
How to Take Care of Wool Fabric
Wool is one of the more durable fabrics in your wardrobe, but that doesn't mean wool garments don't require love and care. Use these tips to extend the life of your wool garments:- 1. Empty all your pockets before storing. This prevents the fabric of wool clothing from stretching out and sagging.
- 2. Hang your garment in a steamy bathroom. If you hang wool clothing in the bathroom during a hot shower, the steam will smooth out wrinkles. Avoid using an iron since direct heat can cause damage to the garment by changing the structure of the proteins in the wool fibers.
- 3. Take wool clothing to a dry cleaner. The occasional trip to the dry cleaner is the safest cleaning method, but if you wash your wool clothing at home, follow the washing instructions on the garment's label.
- 4. Dry wool clothing on a flat surface. This prevents wet wool garments from getting creases. Keep garments out of sunlight to avoid bleaching.
- 5. Store wool garments in a cool, dark place. In order to prevent light and heat from fading and damaging the material, hang wool clothing in a closet. Wool is also particularly attractive to moth larvae, so place mothballs near your wool clothes to prevent moths from ruining your clothing.
Wool
Common Textile Cost: 2 sp /lb. Fiber Type: Animal Fiber Source: Sheep Characteristics: Crimp, Elastic, Fire resistant, Soft, Warm Typically used in: Wool is the fabric of choice for blankets, cloaks, and any apparel made to protect against the winter cold. Clothing, Carpet, Blanket, Upholstery, Horse blanket, Saddle blanket, Insulation. Variant: Cashmere wool, Mohair, Pashmina, Angora wool, MORE Most expensive type: Vicuña Wool Game Mechanics: Natural Properties: Armor. • Artisan. +1 bonus to AC. Clothing • Normal. You have advantage on saving throws against extreme cold weather effects. Artisan. You automatically succeed on saving throws against extreme cold weather effects up to DC 10.
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Textile