What can be made from sheep wool, types and classification of fibers

Wool is widely used in many areas of life. This material has firmly taken its rightful place among the most useful materials that surround humans. It is difficult to list everything that is made from sheep wool today. Products made from this fiber reliably protect us from the cold. Soft and fluffy items of clothing in a variety of colors lift our spirits. Beneficial properties are used in the treatment of diseases.

Story

Scientists believe that wool fiber appeared before flax. Our ancestors learned to process sheep skins before mastering textile technology. Archaeological research suggests that the Egyptians domesticated the animal several thousand years ago. A sample of wool fabric found on the banks of the Oka River proves the appearance of the loom in ancient times.

In ancient Rome, from time immemorial, they already learned to crossbreed sheep. The result was a merino breed called Tarantino. The fiber was used to make clothing.

Material characteristics

Wool products have beneficial properties. This is due to the fact that the fiber mainly consists of the protein keratin. Users note the following positive properties of the material:

1. The ability to absorb human sweat while maintaining natural body temperature. The sweat evaporates into the atmosphere.
2. Self-cleaning property. Natural fiber does not accumulate germs and harmful bacteria.
3. Healing properties. The healing agent lanolin is made from sheepskin. It heals wounds, removes diaper rash and relieves inflammation. Wool normalizes blood pressure and sleep, soothes muscles and joints.

The most valuable is the fluffy thin fleece. It is this product that underlies the production of environmentally friendly branded clothing models.

Production, processing, sorting

The fiber production process has several stages:

1. Shearing is done by a shearer. In recent years, mechanical scissors have been replaced by electrical devices with removable attachments. They made the work of the master much easier and ensured high productivity. The fleece is removed carefully so as not to harm the animal or spoil the fiber. Dirty sheepskin should be removed immediately.
2. The shorn fiber is sorted according to length, color, thickness and waviness. The spring-cut fleece is considered the best.
3. Washing should not damage the fiber. Therefore, this work is entrusted to knowledgeable people.
4. After washing, the material is passed through a combing machine. To fix the lanolin, the fiber is treated with oil.
5. The wool is combed with brushes. Then they are passed into the loom in equal strips to obtain a thin thread, which is called roving. It is sent to a spinning machine, where several threads form one.

On another machine, finished fabric is obtained for the manufacture of various goods.

Directions in wool farming

Sheep wool can have qualities such as shine, color and others. They depend on many conditions and parameters:

• sheep breed and age;
• haircut period;
• feeding and grazing conditions.

There are 4 known trends in wool sheep breeding. Basically, the breeds differ in the thickness of the fiber.

Fine-fleece

Fibers from fine-wool animals have their own classification. They are divided into two types:

1. The thinnest ones are in the range of 10-14 microns.
2. Thin - from 15 to 25 microns.

The fiber length should be 75-100 mm. This material is obtained from wild sheep, merino sheep. The undercoat of some coarse-haired breeds also has the properties of fine fleece fiber. Merino sheep breeds are bred in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Desert and steppe conditions are suitable for them. The standard of quality is Australian and New Zealand merino fiber with a thickness of no more than 16.9 microns. The elasticity of the material allows it to withstand up to 20,000 bends.

Semi-fine fleece

Such raw materials are obtained from sheep raised in mild, humid climates. These include:

• Tsigai breed;
• new Russian breeds;
• Romney-Marsh, Lincoln breeds from England.

This includes crosses between some fine-wool and coarse-wool breeds. Fiber thickness – from 26 to 40 microns.

Semi-coarse-haired

The fiber thickness of semi-coarse-haired breeds ranges from 41 to 60 microns. Raw materials with these parameters will be obtained from sheep raised in mountain conditions. These are rough-haired and some varieties of long-haired breeds. The fiber of these sheep is coarser than merino, but is durable and of sufficient length (20-25 microns). It is convenient to spin. Products made from such raw materials have a silky shine.

Rough-haired

The habitat of coarse-wool sheep breeds is deserts and semi-deserts. Coarse fiber is also obtained from meat and meat and dairy animals. The fiber thickness reaches 61 microns. The raw materials are used for the manufacture of outerwear, felt and carpets, which are durable.

Application of wool

Sheep wool is widely used in various fields. It is used in the production of many products, namely:

1. Carpets. Manufacturers use wool for the base, and make the surface fleecy. Such carpets are distinguished by their high density and beauty.
2. Bed dress. Six is ​​used in the manufacture of blankets, pillows, and rugs that are hygroscopic.
3. Cloth. Socks, stockings, sweaters and other items of clothing are sewn and knitted from wool fiber. Wool products provide excellent warmth.
4. Towels. The material absorbs moisture well and provides comfort after bath procedures.

For all its advantages, wool fabric has minor disadvantages. Some types of fiber have a habit of “biting.”

How are clothes made from sheep's wool?

People learned to make clothes from this material hundreds of thousands of years ago. If earlier these were simple capes made of poorly processed skins, now the most modern clothing samples are prepared from wool fiber.

The loom revolutionized the production of wool products. New technologies make it possible to create the finest threads for the manufacture of exquisite goods. Production processes are mainly automated and allow the production of products in huge quantities.

Subtleties of processing at home

The wool processing process has undergone major changes in recent decades. In the 90s, Russian sheep farming fell into decline. The orderly fiber procurement system fell apart. The number of livestock fell sharply. Gradually, technologies for cultivating raw materials began to become a thing of the past.

Over time, the situation began to change for the better. Farms and peasant farms appeared. The need to process their own products forced villagers to remember the craft of the recent past.

Livestock breeders realized that selling wool immediately after shearing was unprofitable. Moreover, sheep farming has become a family business. In conditions of developed technologies, there is no need to talk about a full cycle of processing raw materials on site. Primary processing is justified and includes the following steps:

1. Sorting. The process is tedious and responsible. Fibers even from the same animal differ in quality, length, and purity.
2. Cleaning. Raw materials have to be cleaned of plant debris, pieces of manure and other unnecessary elements.
3. Flushing.A mandatory procedure that makes the material presentable. Special products are used for washing. For every kg of raw material add 250-300 grams. powder. The washed wool is rinsed in hot water. The number of procedures depends on the degree of fiber contamination.
4. Drying. The raw materials are laid out on a mesh in a thin layer. The thickness should not exceed 1.5 cm. Otherwise, the wool will take a long time to dry.
5. Combing. This work is done in two ways. The most popular is the carding method, based on combing with brushes with fine bristles made of thin but elastic metal wires. The second method is called combing, but it is almost never used.

You can make yarn from the finished fiber with your own hands. Almost no one uses old spinning machines anymore. Electrically driven machines are used to produce high-quality thread.

How to make your own sheep wool blanket?

They make blankets from wool with their own hands. The process is simple, but labor-intensive. It consists of several stages:

1. Purchase of material. Both clean and unwashed wool can be found on the market. Washed material is more expensive and will require 2 times more. A blanket for an adult will need 2.5 kg.
2. Fiber interruption. For this work you need to prepare a long stick. The wool needs to be spread out, lightly sprinkled with water and beaten on it, turning it over regularly. The amount of material should visually increase by 2 times.
3. Preparing the cover. It is made from chintz or calico. One side is left open. The product is turned inside out.
4. Laying wool. The material is laid out on spread gauze. The fiber should be smoothed out with your hands and rolled at both ends. After this, you need to grab the unstitched edge of the cover and pull it onto the roll.Then turn the cover back. The wool will be inside. Having carefully smoothed it out, the blanket is completely sewn up.
5. Quilting a blanket. For this work you will need a thick cotton thread and a large needle. You need to step back 10 cm from the corners. The blanket needs to be pressed to the ground so that it lies motionless. Stitches are made at a distance of 10 cm. As the thread is completed, it is increased.