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2. Fleece
The shorn wool coat is called a fleece. It is also called "grease wool"
because of all the oil and lanolin in the wool. This fleece must be
cleaned before it can be processed into wool yarn. There is much
vegetable matter, manure and natural oil that must be removed.
Sometimes as much as 50% of the weight of the fleece is not wool.
3. Skirting a fleece
The wool from the back end of the sheep, their legs and sometimes their
belly is too full of manure to use. These are referred to as "tags" (as
in the phrase "tag end"). These are removed first before washing the
fleece; this process is called skirting, as all the edges of the wool
coat are removed. The fleeces are also sorted into the various types:
fine from coarse and short from long.
4. Washing the wool
The grease must then be removed from the wool. This can be done using
soap or detergent and a lot of water or it can be done by submerging
the wool in an acid bath which dissolves all the vegetable matter as
well as the grease (this is called scouring).
5. Picking
The washed and dried wool is then "teased" or "picked" which is the
beginning of the process of opening up the locks of wool and turning it
into a consistent web. The wool is put through a picker which opens the
locks and blows the fluffy wool into a room. At the same time a special
spinning oil is added which helps the wool fibers slide against each
other but also helps them stick together as a fine web through the
processing.
6. Carding
The wool fibers are then put through a series of combing steps called
carding. This can be done with small hand cards that look much like
brushes you would use on a dog. It can also be done on a larger scale
with machine driven drums covered with "card cloth" which combs the
wool many times by transfering it back and forth from one drum to the
other as it is passed down the series of drums. We have "woolen"cards
which produce a wool web with the fibers coming off in random
alignment. This is in contrast to "worsted" combing that lines up all
the fibers (as you would see in thread).
7. Roving
The final step in the carding process divides the web into small strips
called pencil rovings. These are collected on large spools on the end
of the card. These spools of pencil roving will be placed on the
spinning frame to make yarn.
8. Spinning
The roving as it comes off the card has no twist. It is held together
by the oil and natural hooks that exist on the surface of the wool
fibers. The spinning frame will put the actual twist on the roving and
turn it into yarn. This is collected on wooden bobbins. The frame we
have is small but it can spin up to 90 threads at one time.
9. Wind and/or skeining
When the wooden bobbins are full of yarn, they are placed on a cone
winder and the yarn is transferred to paper cones for use in weaving
and knitting machines. It could also be put into skeins of yarn which
are the form that knitters like to use.
10. Finishing
There are many ways of finishing the yarn. It is sometimes necessary to
remove the lubricant by washing, which also "sets the twist" which
allows the fibers to open up, fluff out and make a loftier yarn.
Sometimes the wool is woven or knitted directly from the cone and is
washed and blocked in its final form (as cloth, socks, sweaters, etc.).
3776 Forshaug Rd, Mount Horeb WI 53572, 608-437-3762
Please direct comments or questions to: Anne@blackberry-ridge.com