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| Various types and colours of wool, and a picture made from wool in the lower left, Wool Expo, Armidale, NSW (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep, goats, llamas, camels and certain other animals, including rabbits and cashmere goats. It grows from follicles in the animal’s skin, just like the hair which grows from our skin. It has some unusual qualities which make it a very useful fibre. Its cells still carry on trying to stay in balance with the surrounding moisture even when the wool is no
longer alive and growing. This is why wool is said to breathe. It absorbs and evaporates moisture. It is also soft but strong and resists dirt and tearing.
As with many discoveries of early man, anthropologists believe that the use of wool came out of the challenge to survive. In seeking means of protection and warmth, humans in the Neolithic Age wore animal pelts as clothing. Finding the pelts not only warm and comfortable but also durable, they soon began to develop the basic processes and primitive tools for making wool.
People soon began to develop and maintain herds of wool-bearing animals. The wool of sheep was soon recognized as one of the most practical to use. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, wool trade prospered. The English had become proficient in the raising of sheep, while the Flemish (Flemish are an ethnic group speaking Flemish and live in northern and western Belgium) had developed the skills for processing. As a result, the British began to sell their wool to the Flemish, who processed the raw material and then sold it back to the English.
While most people picture only sheep when they think of wool, other animals also produce fine protein fiber. Various camels, goats and rabbits produce hair that is also classified as wool.
The fleece is removed from the animals with special clippers. This is called shearing. The shearer aims to remove the fleece in one piece. This usually takes only a few minutes. After the fleece has been shorn, it is examined for quality and then graded. The sheep will grow a new coat for the following winter and can be shorn again.
What for centuries was a small home-based craft, has grown into a major industry, with Australia, Argentina, South Africa 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.
The annual global output is now estimated at 1.3 million tonnes. 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.
Sheep
The sheep was one of the first animals to be domesticated, over 10,000 years ago. The value of the
winter woolly coat for making warm clothing and carpets led people to keep sheep, and breed them
to retain their wool into the summertime. Woolly sheep such as the Merino have fine wool suitable for clothing or coarse hair for carpets. Australia, New Zealand and South America have the right climate and pastures for sheep rearing and there are vast sheep farms or ‘stations’ here.There are now more than 800 breeds and over 680 million domestic sheep.
Camel
The versatility of the camel and its ability to survive and perform in the harsh arid and semi-arid areas of the world have earned it names such as “ship of the desert”, while its strength and docility have been exploited for agricultural, transport and riding purposes. It is, however, the animal’s unparalleled ability to convert the scanty resources of the desert into milk, meat and fibre for the pastoralists of tropical Africa and Asia, that have gained it the most reputation. Camel hair is light and durable and has low conductivity. It is thus considered excellent for making blankets and other warm garments. The best hair is supposed to come from young animals.
Llama
The llama and its close relatve the, alpaca, are grazing animals which live in open, dry country from Peru to the southernmost tip of South America. They are related to camels, though they have no hump. Alpacas and llamas are valued for their long, fine wool. Llamas are also used to carry heavy loads in high mountain areas. Their blood contains more red blood cells than that of any other animal.
Goats
Goats were one of the first animals to be tamed by humans and were being herded over 9,000 years ago. They are a member of the cattle family and are believed to be descended from the wild goat, bezoar. They are cloven-hoofed animals that feed on plants, chewing the cud (ruminating) as cows do. Goats are usually stockily built, with coats made of thick, often coarse hair, to protect them from the cold and fierce winds of their upland homes. The coats of Angora and Kashmir (cashmere) goats are used to produce wool for garments. Now there are many varieties of tame goats, kept for milk, meat and skins.
Rabbits
The Angora rabbits are a variety of domestic rabbit bred for their long, soft wool. They have a humorous appearance, as they oddly resemble a fur ball with a face. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat and Angora goat. The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid 18th century and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century. They are bred largely for their long Angora wool, which may be removed by shearing, combing, or plucking. The value of Angora is 50 times that of sheep wool.
Cashmere wool
Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from Cashmere and other types of goats. The word cashmere derives from an old spelling of Kashmir. Cashmere is fine in texture and strong, light, and soft. Garments made from it provide excellent insulation. The original undyed or natural colors of cashmere wool are various shades of grey, brown and white.
woolmark
International Wool Secretariat’s
symbol for products made from
pure new wool. It is one of the
world’s best-known trade marks.
