Wool processing info

Scouring

The first industrial process wool is subjected to is the scouring process.  The wool is scoured with a detergent in hot water by slowly propelling it through a series of large bowls to remove sand, dust and wool grease (or unpurified lanolin).  After scouring the wool is squeezed to remove excess water and then dried in a large hot air drying chamber to a predetermined moisture level.

Carding

After scouring, the wool is teased out by a large machine consisting of different sized rollers covered in sharp metal points.  The machine is called a carding machine and also removes sticks, leaves, grass and seeds which contaminate the wool and interferes with further processing.  The wool is now in a thin web, which is rolled into a sliver.

Combing

The carding process breaks some wool fibres, while not all vegetable matter is removed.  Then the sliver is now combed out by a revolving, finely toothed combing cylinder to remove the bits of broken fibre and the remaining vegetable particles.  The combed sliver is twisted, collected and rolled up into a ball of 5 or 10 kg, called a wool top.

Hand spinning 

Spinning

Before the combed wool can be spun into a yarn, the sliver comprising the top must be thinned down and mixed with other slivers to even out thick or thin areas and to get it to the correct thickness.  Now it is called a roving.  


The spinning process is a simple, simultaneous drawing out and twisting operation and the winding up of the spun yarn onto a tube on a fastly revolving spindle.

Preparation

After spinning, the quality of the yarn is improved by processing it on a machine, which measures its thickness, while at the same time cutting out short, thick areas (called “nips”), rejoining the ends and winding it up onto bigger bobbins.  Deformed ends can be wound and plied together to create twofold or even threefold yarns as required by the weaver or knitter.

Weaving

Weaving is an age-old process, today performed on higher speed, computer-controlled looms.  Yarns running lengthwise are the “warp” and yarns crossing the warp at right angles are the “filling” or the “weft”.  Then individual warp yarns are lifted mechanically, in a predetermined pattern, to allow the shuttle to propel the weft yarns through.  In this manner, a wide variety of weaving patterns are possible.

 Knitting

Knitting of wool yarns, as with weaving, is today performed by modern, high speed machines.  These machines are either circular in form (with the knitting needles arranged around a cylinder), or rectangular in shape (called flat bed machines).  In the former case, wool is knitted in tubular form and is then cut by using patterns.  In the latter case, the panels of the garment (front, back, sleeves, etc.) are knitted directly on the machine.

Dying and Finishing

Wool products can be dyed beautifully to all shades.  It can be dyed in top form (after combing), or in yarn form, or after the yarn has been woven or knitted.  

Wool can even be treated with chemicals to make it machine washable.  After weaving, the cloth can be “finished” to produce a host of different effects – the “woolly” look for jackets or coats by gently brushing out the fibres, or the sleek “clean” look of worsted suiting by processing the cloth using heat and steam, etc.

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