fabric knowledge

1. WOOL & OTHER ANIMAL
HAIRS

2. Wool is the dense, warm coat of sheep, also called a fleece. The hair of sheep
has many unique properties that make it well suited to textile production,
something humans realized approximately 8000 BCE, when sheep first began
to be domesticated. Wool is used in a variety of textiles and can be found
woven or knitted.
It pulls moisture away from the skin, wool has several qualities that distinguish
it from hair or fur: it is crimped, it is elastic, and it grows in staples (clusters).
Wool is favored for textile production because it is easy to work with and takes
dye very well.

3. Step 1: Shearing: In this process, fleece
of the sheep is removed along with a thin
layer of skin. Nowadays it is done by
machines which are used by barbers to
shave off hair. Shaving off the hair happens
in the hot weather so that sheep can live
without their protective coating.
Step 2: Scouring: After removing the
fleece from the body of sheep, it is
washed to separate dirt and grease from
the fleece.

4. Step 3: Sorting: After the process of scouring,
fleece is separated according to their texture.
Hair of similar texture are kept at one side and
the another type of texture in the other.
Step 4: Picking: After sorting the
fleece, a fiber that is called burr
is picked out from the hair.
Step 5: Carding: It is a mechanical process
that disentangles, cleans and intermixes
fibers to produce a continuous web or sliver
suitable for subsequent processing.

5. Step 6 : Dyeing: After carding and
separating burrs, they are dyed in
the required colour.
Step 7: Spinning: After dyeing wools, the
fibres are then combed, straightened and
rolled into yarns.

11. Hand spinners also use fiber from animals
such as llamas, camels, goat, yak, rabbit.
These fibers are generally used in
clothing.

15. USES OF WOOL
The major uses of wool is in garment production, but this fiber can
be used for many other things. Around 80% of the world's wool
goes into garments like sweaters, hats, pants, scarves, socks,
gloves, mufflers, shawls and coats, leaving 20% to be used in some
surprising and interesting ways.
People have been utilizing wool for thousands of years for both
decorative and functional purposes like stuffing for furniture, horse
rugs, saddle cloths, carpeting, felt, wool insulation blankets,
drapes, upholstery, table clothes and more.

17. ADVANTAGES
 Warm
 Lightweight
 Wrinkle-resistant
 Fire-resistant
 Absorbent
 Dyes well
 Comfortable
 Durable
 Creases well
 Easy to tailor
 Strong
 Recyclable

18. DISADVANTAGES
 Affected by moths
 Shrinks with heat
and moisture
 Needs special care,
dry cleaning
Absorbs odors
Scratchy on skin
Weakens when wet
Harmed by bleach,
perspiration

19.  www.wisegeek.org
 www.blackberry-ridge.com
 www.goodhousekeeping.com
 www.ag.ansc.purdue.edu
 www.animals.mom.me
 http://en.m.wikipedia.org
 www.nwwoodsman.com
 www.reference.com