RAW WOOL SPINNING

Highlight of the article:The current widespread use and demand for wool is so great that there is little doubt that wool will continue to maintain its position of importance in the fabric industry. Only a major innovation that encompasses the many attributes of wool—including it warmth, durability, and value—could threaten the prominence of this natural fiber.

- MS. SABA SHAIKH

Today, wool is a global industry, with Australia, Argentina, the United States, and New Zealand serving as the major suppliers of raw wool. While the United States is the largest consumer of wool fabric, Australia is the leading supplier. Australian wool accounts for approximately one-fourth of the world’s production.

What for centuries was a small home-based crafthas grown into a major industry. The annual global output is now estimated at 5.5 billion pounds. Though cotton is the number one plant used for fabrics and the number one fiber overall, the number one source for animal fiber is still wool.

Wool comes from sheep which are generally shorn once a year (some breeds are shorn twice a year, and there’s some sheep that shed their hair naturally like other animals).

Important wool characteristics are:

• diameter (nowadays mostly measured in micron - that’s one thousandths of a millimeter)

• crimp (the “zig-zagging” of one fibre) - fine wools are generally crimpier than coarse wools

• amount of grease (Merino and its crossbreeds have very greasy fleeces)

• average fibre length (in cm or inch)

• colour

• whether the fleece consists of one kind of fibre (as for most breeds) or whether the sheep is double-coated, i.e. has a fine undercoat and coarse outer hair. That is the case for some “primitive” breeds like Soay, Heidschnucken or Ouessant.