WOOLEN GARMENTS

WOOL

IN THIS JOURNEY WE WILL LEARNWhat is wool

Its sources

Its types

Rearing

processing

Weaving and End Product

WHAT IS WOOL ????

Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats angora from rabbits

Sources of WOOL• Wool comes from sheep, goat,

yak, camel and some other animals. These wool-yielding animals bear hair on their body.

Types of wooL

lWool name Animal Region Characteristics Length Cross-section

uses

Mohair Angora goat

India U.S.A., South Africa, Turkey

Long length, softness, Springy nature, excellent luster, very little ability to felt

4-10 inches

25-55µ vast variety of textiles

Cashmere Tibetan goat

India Tibet

Downy handle, fluffy nature, brown or grayish white colour

1.5 – 3 inches

15 µ shawls

Alpaca Peruvian goat or llama

India Peru, Bolivia

Brown, gray or black in colour

10 inch 10– 35 µ lining or men’s wear

Production of Wool

 Australia: 25%  China: 18%  New Zealand: 11%  Argentina: 3%  Turkey: 2%  Iran: 2%  United Kingdom: 2%  India: 2%  Sudan: 2%  South Africa: 1%  United States: 0.77%

REARING

Rearing means to look after the

sheep by providing shelter ,food and health

care. The person who

look after the sheep is called a

Shepherd.

Rearing of sheep

Lets, now learn the process involved in processing of wool

Wool land

SHEARING

The fleece of sheep along with a thin layer of skin is peeled from the body using large razor or with electrically-driven shearing machine

A Sheep is Sheared once a Year Shearing is done by hand or

Mechanically The fleece recovered from a

sheepcan weigh between 6 and 18 pounds (2.7 and 8.1 kilograms)

Grading and Sorting  In sorting, the wool is broken up into

sections of different quality fibers, from different parts of the body

 The best quality of wool comes from the shoulders and sides of the sheep and is used for clothing

 Lesser quality comes from the lower legs and is used to make rugs/carpets

SCOURINGWool scouring is the process of washing wool in hot water and detergent to remove the non-wool contaminants

“Grease wool" contains sand, dirt, grease, and

dried sweat Weight of contaminants accounts for about 30 to

70 percent of total Fleece The wool is scoured in a series of alkaline baths

containing water, soap, and soda ash or a similar acids.

The byproducts from this process (such as (lanolin) are saved and used in avariety of household products

Rollers in the scouring machines squeeze excesswater from the fleece

Carding  The fibers are passed through a series

of metal teeth that straighten and blend them into slivers

 Carding also removes residual dirt and other matter left in the fibers

Carded wool intended for worsted yarn is put through Gilling and combing, Two procedures that remove short fibers and place the longer fibers parallel to each other

 Carded wool to be used for woolen yarn is sent directly for spinning.

Combing is straightening and stretching the fibers to obtain maximum spinning capacity.

 spinning is a process of making or converting fiber materials into yarns

Dyeing is the process of adding color to textile products like fibers, yarns, and fabrics

Woolen and Worsted Yarn  woollen is a type of yarn directly

made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air

Worsted is a fine yarn made after Gilling and Combing and considered as high quality yarn

DifferencesWoolen Yarn Worsred Yarn

Spun from short wool fibers(1-3 inches long)

Spun from long wool fibers(more than 3")

Fibers are washed, scoured and carded

Fibers are washed, scoured, carded, combed and drawn

Low twist Tighter twist

Bulky, uneven yarn Fine, smooth yarn

Heavier weight Lighter weight

Does not hold crease well Holds crease well

USE OF WOOL

In addition to clothing, wool has been used for blankets, horse rugs, carpeting, felt, wool insulation

 it is used to absorb odors and noise in heavy machinery and stereo speakers

As an animal protein, it can be used as a soil fertilizer, being a slow-release source of nitrogen.

Wool felted and treated with lanolin is water resistant, air permeable, and slightly antibacterial

Some Fun Facts On Wool

•Wool is comparatively stronger than steel.•Wool is fire resistant•Wool can absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture

Efforts by Rana Ali Haider

Saqib Aftab