Wool

Wool is a special kind of fiber that comes from animals like sheep, goats, rabbits, and camelids. We can also find materials called mineral wool and glass wool that act a bit like animal wool, even though they are not made by animals.

Unlike plant fibers such as cotton, wool is made from protein and a little bit of fat. This makes wool different from cotton, which is made mostly from a plant material called cellulose. Wool shares this protein makeup with silk, another fiber that comes from animals.

Wool has been very important for a long time. It is most commonly used for making clothes, but it has also been used for many other things. Because of its special qualities, wool has helped create trade and grow economies in many places. Even today, wool is still a key part of making fabrics, and it is often mixed with other materials to create new textiles. After wool is cut from the animals, it goes through special steps to become the products we use. It is important for both everyday use and special creations, even in art.

Characteristics

Wool is most commonly obtained from sheep. It is usually a creamy white color, but some sheep breeds produce natural colors like black, brown, and silver. Wool grows from small cells in the skin called follicles, which are found in the upper layer of skin.

Wool has a natural wave called crimp, which helps the fibers stick together when spun into yarn. This crimp also makes wool fabrics thicker and better at keeping heat. Wool can absorb a lot of water, almost one-third of its own weight. It is also less likely to catch fire compared to some other fabrics and does not melt when it burns. However, some people can have allergic reactions to wool.

Processing

Shearing

Main article: Sheep shearing

Sheep shearing is the way people take the wool from sheep. A worker called a shearer cuts the wool off the sheep. The quality of the wool is checked by a wool classer, who groups similar wool together to help the farmer get the best value. Wool-classers sort the wool into four main types.

Scouring

Wool taken directly from a sheep is called “raw wool” or “greasy wool.” It has valuable lanolin, dead skin, sweat, and sometimes pesticides or bits of plants from where the sheep lives. Before wool can be used, it needs to be cleaned in a process called scouring. This can be as simple as a warm water bath or a more complex cleaning process using detergent and alkali in special machines. In north west England, special potash pits were built to make soft soap for cleaning white wool.

Sometimes, bits of plants in the wool are removed using chemicals. In other cases, they are taken out by hand, and some of the lanolin is left to make the wool water-resistant. This is used to make special water-resistant mittens or sweaters, like those worn by Aran Island fishermen. Lanolin taken from wool is also used in cosmetic products such as hand creams.

Fineness and yield

Raw wool has many impurities like plant bits, sand, dirt, and a mix of sweat, grease, and other natural substances. The wool from sheep can vary in strength, thickness, length, and how clean it is. To make wool cloth, the raw wool is processed into something called "top," which needs strong, straight fibers.

The quality of wool depends on its thickness, how it curls, how much clean fiber it has, its color, and how strong the fibers are. The thinnest and most valuable wool comes from special sheep called Merino hoggets. Merino wool is usually about 90–115 mm long and very thin, between 12 and 24 microns. Because it is so fine, Merino wool is often graded separately from wool from other sheep.

Wool from sheep raised for meat is usually thicker, with fibers from 40–150 mm long. Stress on the sheep while their wool grows can cause weak spots that might break. Different sheep breeds have different thicknesses of wool, which affects its value.

The finest Merino wool from Australia and New Zealand is called 1PP. This is the highest quality standard for Merino wool, measuring 16.9 microns or thinner. Only a very small number of the many bales of wool sold each year reach this top quality.

In the United States, the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 describes three types of wool. Wool is defined as fiber from sheep or certain goats, and may include fibers from camels, alpacas, llamas, and vicuñas, that has never been used in a product before. "Virgin wool" and "new wool" also mean wool that has never been used. There are also two types of recycled wool. "Reprocessed wool" has been made into a product and then broken down into fibers again without being used by someone. "Reused wool" has been used by someone before.

History

Further information: History of clothing and textiles and Medieval English wool trade

Before current era

Wild sheep had more hair than the woolly sheep we know today. Sheep were domesticated around 9,000 to 11,000 years ago, but it was only around 6000 BC that people began selecting sheep for their wool. The earliest known woven wool garments date back a few thousand years after that. Woolly sheep were brought to Europe from the Near East in the early 4th millennium BC. The oldest known European wool textile, from around 1500 BC, was found preserved in a Danish bog. Before shears were invented, probably in the Iron Age, wool was plucked by hand or with bronze combs. In Roman times, wool, linen, and leather were common clothes, while cotton and silk were rare and expensive luxuries.

12th and 13th centuries

During the 12th and 13th centuries, large estates accumulated in Cistercian houses, and raw wool was shipped from North Sea ports to textile cities in Flanders, such as Ypres and Ghent, where it was dyed and made into cloth. As trade grew in medieval Europe, the Champagne fairs focused on wool cloth production in small centers like Provins. The wool trade became a major economic force, driving growth in the Low Countries and central Italy.

14th and 15th centuries

Wool remained important to the English economy in the 14th century, symbolised by the Woolsack in the House of Lords. After the Black Death (1346-1353), the English textile industry grew, and by the 15th century, Italy became the leading force in the European wool trade. Florentine banks and guilds, like the Arte della Lana, built their wealth on wool, processing English, Abruzzo, and Spanish merino wools.

16th century to modern era

In the 16th century, Spain controlled the export of merino lambs, and Italian wool exports to the Levant declined, replaced by silk. After the Restoration of 1660, fine English woolens competed with silks, aided by the Navigation Acts. By 1699, England forbade its American colonies to trade wool except with England.

Calico Acts

Further information: Calico Acts

Over time, British laws controlled the wool trade, and smuggling wool was once a serious crime. The Industrial Revolution brought mass production to wool manufacturing. Australia’s economy grew with sheep raising, and by 1845, Australian wool trade surpassed Germany’s, supplying Bradford, the centre of industrialised wool production.

20th century

As synthetic fibers became popular, demand for wool dropped, leading to lower prices and reduced production. In the early 1970s, superwash wool technology was developed, allowing wool to be machine-washed and tumble-dried by treating the fiber to prevent shrinkage.

21st century

In December 2004, a bale of very fine wool sold for AU$3,000 per kilogram in Melbourne. In 2006, the United Nations declared 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres to highlight wool and other natural fibers. In 2007, a new wool suit was created in Japan that could be washed in a shower and dried quickly without ironing. In June 2008, the finest bale of wool ever auctioned sold for a record price of AU$2690 per kilo.

Production

Wool comes from sheep and other animals like goats and rabbits. About 2 million tonnes of wool are made each year, and most of it is used for clothes. China makes the most wool, while Australia makes the most special type of wool called Merino. In places like Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado in the United States, people also raise sheep for wool.

Some groups worry about how wool is made, saying that certain practices can hurt the animals.

Marketing

Australia

About 85% of wool sold in Australia is sold by open cry auction.

Other countries

The British Wool Marketing Board runs a system to help UK farmers get the best prices for their wool.

In New Zealand, less than half of the wool is sold at auction. About 45% of farmers sell wool straight to buyers or end-users.

In the United States, sheep farmers sell wool through private or cooperative warehouses. Many states have wool pools. Sometimes wool is grouped locally before being sold at a warehouse. Wool with test results is preferred. Imported wool for clothes and carpets goes to central markets, where big merchants and makers handle it.

Textile Uses

Most wool is first turned into yarn before it becomes clothes or other items. Different kinds of wool make different kinds of yarn. For example, recycled wool, called shoddy, is made by breaking apart old wool fabric and spinning the fibers again. This makes the fibers shorter, so the new fabric is not as good as the original. Recycled wool can be mixed with raw wool or other fibers to make it stronger.

Wool is used to make many types of clothing. Thinner wool is softer and used for gentle fabrics, while thicker wool is stronger and used for outerwear. Wool helps keep people warm because it does not let heat pass through easily. It is also used to make blankets, rugs, and even insulation. Wool can also be turned into felt, which is used to cover piano hammers and reduce noise in machinery.

Events

Buyers of Merino wool, like Ermenegildo Zegna, give special awards to Australian wool growers. In 1963, the first Ermenegildo Zegna Perpetual Trophy was given in Tasmania for growers of very fine wool. In 1980, a national award was started, and in 1998, another award for special wool was added.

In 2002, a new award was created for extremely fine wool, and wool from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and South Africa could enter. In 2008, New Zealand won for the first time with wool that was very fine.

Since 2000, Loro Piana has given a prize for the world’s finest bale of wool that can make 50 suits. The prize goes to a grower from Australia or New Zealand.

The New England Merino Field days happen every two years in January around the Walcha, New South Wales area. The Annual Wool Fashion Awards are held in Armidale, New South Wales, in March to show how designers use Merino wool. In May, Armidale also hosts the New England Wool Expo with many wool-related activities.

In July, Bendigo, Victoria, holds the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, the largest sheep and wool show in the world. It includes competitions for wool, sheepdog trials, and shearing. The Australian Fleece Competition, the biggest competition for measured wool, is also held there annually.