Wool Fiber Book

wool

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PRIMORDIAL WARMTH....,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, FLOCK TO FABRIC..........................

A PRACTICAL HAIR.........................

ANIMALS FOR ETHICS.......................

A RANGE OF WARMTH......................

THE HISTORICAL.........................

THE VINTAGE............................

THE CONTEMPORARY.......................

WOOL SWATCHES..........................

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PRIMITIVE DISCOVERIES

The story of wool goes back to the days of the primitive man. Wild sheep were killed for food, and so naturally the wooly skins were found to be used as a durable fabric which supplied protection from weather and severe temperatures.

These findings trace back to Asia Minor during the Stone Age nearly 10,000 years ago. Later man began to discover spinning and weaving and thus woolens became part of the riches of Babylon. The sheep used for wool clothing and the warmth of the fiber allowed for man to spread into colder climates of the Mesopotamia.

THE FLOCKS GLOBAL CONQUER

The Persians, Greeks, and Romans dispersed the sheep and wool throughout Europe between 3000 and 1000 BC. The Romans specifically had their sheep accompany them wherever they built their empire into what is now Spain, North Africa, and on the British Isles. They then established a wool plant in what is now Winchester, England. The nomadic people of Syria conquered Spain in the 8th century and created an extensive wool export trade agreement with North Africa, Greece, Egypt, and Constantinople. After the Norman conquest of Greece in the 12th century, it caused a stimulation in weaving in Florence, Genoa, and Venice.

They sent hundreds of Greek weavers as slaves to Palermo, and their work was then copied by Italian weavers.

The thriving wool trade helped finace Columbus’ voyages as well as the Conquistadores.

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A RESTRICTED HERD In order to manage the wealth closely, Spain levied the death penalty on anyone exporting sheep until 1786. Within that year King Louis XVI exported nearly 500 Merino ewes to breed with sheep on his estate in Rambouillet in Northern France. This resulting wool from the Rambouillet breed is one of the most highly desirable because of its fine and long staple wool. England froze its borders to raw wool exports. England’s King Edward III, or “the royal wool merchant” also put a stop to woven good exports and domestic weaving of foreign wools. He then invited flemish weavers fleeing the Spanish invasion to settle in England where the wool industry had been thriving. By 1660, wool textile exports were two-thirds of Englands foreign commerce. Pelts were worn in Britan as far back as the late Bronze Age (3000 BC), however, England’s wool empire peaked during the reign of King Henry VIII. This was because he had seized the flocks of sheep from the monasteries and redistributed them to court favorites. Shepherds consequently were to be sent to prison for their inibility to pay their debts. This is one of the causes for immigration into the New World.

primordial warmth

WOOL IN THE NEW WORLD

Columbus brought sheep to Cuba and Santo Domingo on his second voyage to the New World in 1493. Cortez also took flocks along when he explored the territories of now Mexico and southwestern United States. The Navajo and other Southwest Indians are noted for their woolen rugs and colorful wall hangings. England had attempted to discourage a wool industry in North America, but only a few smuggled sheep had multiplied to around 100,000 by 1665. Massachusetts had then attempted to pass legislation requiring all young people to spin and weave this excess of wool. King George III of England decided to make wool trading in the Colonies a punishable offense.

This policy was one of the many other oppressive actions that provoked the Revolutionary War in America.

The Wool industry began to flourish dispite the kings attempts to disrupt wool comemrce. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson maintained flocks of sheep and new inventions like the spinning jenny, combing machines, and water powered looms expanded the industry rapidly. At the turn of the 18th century small flocks of sheep in the hands of the poneers started wool industry into Australia, New Zeland, and South Aftica.

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WOOL PRODUCTION The processing of wool is broken up into four major steps. First comes shearing, followed by sorting and grading, making the yarn, and lastly making the fabric.

SHEARING THE SHEEP

The first step in wool production is sheep shearing.

In most parts of the world sheep are sheared once a year in early spring or summer. The best wool is found on the shoulders and sides of sheep. Power shears are used to remove the fleece from the live sheep. Wool is also removed from sheep that are slaughtered for meat. This is treated chemically and referred to as pulled wool. It is considered to be lower quality than the wool from live animals.

GRADING AND SORTING

After removing the fleece from the sheep, workers then begin to remove any stained, damaged, or inferior wool and sort the rest according to fiber quality. These fibers are judged on factors such as strength, fineness (diameter), length, crimp, and color. The wool is then sorted and seperated into sections of differing quality.

SCOURING AND CARDING

Wool is scoured with alkaline detergents to remove the yolk and impurities. After drying, the wool is carded.

This process involves passing the wool through rollers of thin wire teeth. These teeth untangle the fibers and arrange them into a flat sheet called a web. The web is then formed into narrow ropes called silvers. This stage of wool is called raw wool, or grease wool.

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MAKING THE FABRICS Wool manufacturers then kit or weave yarn into a variety of fabrics. Wool can also be dyed and undergo finishings to give them the desired look and feel. The finishing of fabrics made of woolen yarn begins with fulling which involves wetting the fabric thoroughly with water and then passing it through rollers. Fulling makes the fibers inerlock, mat together, shrink, and gives additional strength and thickness. Worsted wools go through a process called crabbing where the fabric passes through boiling water then cold water to strenghen the fabric.

WORSTED AND WOOLEN YARN

The processes used in making yarn vary slightly, depending on the length of fibers. Carding length fibers are used to make woolen yarn. Combing length fibers and French combing lenth fibers are made into worsted yarn. Woolen yarns are heavier, softer and have a fuzzier surface than worsted. Worsted wool is lighter and highly twisted, but it is also smoother and less bulky, making it easier to transport. Making worsted wool requires more extensive processing. Fibers are arranged parallel to each other. The smoother the hard-surface worsted yarns, the smoother the wool it produces.

Fine worsted wool can be used in athletic attire becasue of its heat resistance and breatheable and absorbant nature.

SPECIALTY HAIR FIBERS: SPECIALTY HAIR FIBER ALPACA CAMEL HAIR CASHMERE

SOURCE Alpaca- South American branch of the camel family (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Argentina) Two humped Bactrian camel (Central Asia)

GUANACO LLAMA HUARIZO

Kashmir (Cashmere) goat (Himalaya Mountains of India, China, and TIbet; also raised in Iran and Iraq) Angora gote sire and Cashmere goat dam (New Zealand) Guanaco(South America) Llama (Andes Mountains) Llama sire and alpaca dam

MISTI MOHAIR

Alpaca sire and llama dam Angora goat (South Africa, United States)

QUVIUT

Domesticated musk ox (Alaska)

VICUNA

Vicuna- South American camel family (Andes Mountains)

NEW ZELAND CASHGORA

CHARACTERISTICS Noted for its luster, fineness, softness, and durability Weak fiber the tabards easily; usually used in the natural tan color Extremely fine fiber; drapes well; outstanding softness; abrades easily Similar outside Similar Similar Similar

to mohair with low to medium luster; seldom found New Zealand to alpaca to alpaca to llama

Similar to llama Especially good for novelty loop yarns; very good abrasion resistance; slippery; smooth hand; good luster Provides exceptional warmth

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Weak fiber with smooth hand and high luster; softest; finest, and most expensive textile fiber; usually used in the natural tan color

CHEMICAL STRUCTURE Wool is a natural protein fiber that grows from the follicles of the sheep’s skin. It is like human hair in that it is composed of keratin type proteins.

Chemically, these proteins contain five elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur. These elements are combined into 19 amino acids linked together in polypeptide chains DURABILITY AND RESILIENCE

Wool fibers are molecular coils that make the fiber incredibly elastic.

The chemical polypeptide chains in the fiber back upon themselves to act as a spring which elongates and retracts. This molecular crimp allows fibers to be stretched up to 50% when wet and 30% when dry and bounce back to their original shape when released. Unfortunately when wool fibers are wet they become weak.

Elastic recovery takes place more quickly in humid environments, so steaming wool garments will freshen the fabrics and are recommened for pressing wool. This flexibility also makes it more durable. A wool fiber can be bent back onto itself more than 20,000 times without breaking.

This natural elasticity makes wool fabrics resistant to tearing. Also the outer skin of the wool fiber acts as a protective film, giving wool cloth greater abrasion resistance.

THE BENEFITS OF WOOL • Resists Wrinkles • Resists Soiling • Durable • Repels Moisture • Retains Shape • Resists Flames • Comfortable in all Seasons

FELTING ABILITY

The structure of the outer scaly layer of wool gives its ability to felt. Under the agitation, friction, and pressure with heat and moisture, the scales interlock, preventing the fiber from returning to its original position.

Felting shrinkage is irreversible. This ability to felt can be an advantage as well as a disadvantage. Felting that is called fulling or milling can create a softer finish for woven fabrics and can provide for a wide variety of industrial uses. The disadvantage of felting is that it makes the washing of wool fabrics difficult. Treatments have been developed to prevent felting shrinkage that will allow fabrics to be machine washed.

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FIBER ABSORBENCY Wool is considered to be a hygroscopic fiber; it takes up moisture in vapor form. Tiny pores in teh epicuticle make the fiber semi-permeable, allowing vapor to pass through teh ehart of the fiber. Wool can easily absorb up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp or clammy. The capacity to absorb makes wool a “temperature regulator” because it can protect the body in both cold and warm conditions. Wool always absorbs moisture from humid atmospheres and releases it to the drier environment as it creates a balance in moisture conditions. This characteristc makes wool a versatile fabric perfect for all seasons. It also absorbs perspiration well and keeps a layer of dry air next to the skin to help hold in body heat. When atmospheric moisture is absorbed, the hydrogen bonds are broken and react chemically with the wool molecules to generate heat. This makes wool a good protector against hypothermia, and heat. Wool expodites the evaporation of perspiration.

FLAME RESISTANCE

Wool contains moisture in each fiber, so naturally it resists flame without any chemical treatment. Instead fo burning freely when touched by flames, wool chars and stops burning when it is removed from the flames.

Wool is self-extinguishing. It will not support combustion and this is why wool blankets are recommended for use in extinguishing small fires.

DYING ABILITY

Wool absorbs many dyes deeply, uniformly, and directly without the use of combining chemicals. It is amphoteric which means that it reacts with both acids and bases alloing it to accept acid and basic dyestuffs.

Dyes penetrate into the inner medulla core of the fiber where a reaction occurs to make the color change permanent except under extreme and prolonged fading conditions.

COMPRESSION RESISTANCE Compression resistance values are used to asses the suitability of wool for specific end uses. It is the force per unit area required to compress a fixed mass of wool to a fixed volume. It is related to fiber diameter and the form and frequency of crimp. Low and medium R to C wools tend to be softer, more lustrous, more susceptible to felting, easier to process and produce strong fabrics. High R to C wools have a harsher handle, and are resistant to felting and are bulkier

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animals for ethics

ANIMAL CRUELTY

Shearers are usually paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast work without regard for the welfare of the sheep. Shearers have been witnessed punching sheep with shears or fists and shearing sheds can be considered one of the worst places in the world for animal cruelty. When the sheep begin to produce less wool, millions each year are loaded onto extremely crowded, multitiered cargo ships and sent on terrifying journeys to the Middle East or North Africa, where their throats are cut while they are still conscious. In Australia where more than 50% of the worlds merino wool is produced, lambs are forced to endure a gruesome procedure called “mulesing� which is an attempt to smooth the genetically modified wrinkly skin of the lamb that collects urine and moisture in which flies and maggots are attracted to. Mulesing is a procedure that restrains live sheep onto their backs and then huge chunks of skin are carved away from the animals backsides without any painkillers. Other times, vise like clamps are attached to their flesh until it dies and sloughs off. Sheep can be spared maggot infestation through humane methods such as diet regulation, spray washing, and breeding other types of sheep better suited for the Australian climate.

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Fecal matter from sheep contaminates waterways in areas where sheep are farmed. Manure generated from livestock has significantly contributed to the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gasses over the last 250 years. In that time, the concentration of methane has increased by more than 130 percent in the U.S. “Enteric fermentation,” or livestock belching and passing gas, accounts for roughly one-quarter of annual agricultural methane emissions. In New Zealand, methane emissions from enteric fermentation, coming mostly from sheep, make up more than 90 percent of the nation’s greenhouse-gas emissions.

Sheep “dip,” which is a toxic chemical used to rid sheep of parasites, presents disposal problems and can harm the environment. The scouring, or washing, water uses detergents and other chemicals in order to remove contaminants in the greasy wool, which creates the problem of disposing of the waste water without contaminating the environment. In unmodified plants, a single scouring line produces a pollution load equivalent to the pollution produced by 30,000 people. The traditional method of wool scouring uses large amounts of water to wash the wool.

Typical scouring plants can consume up to half a million litres of water per day.

Lastly, large areas of land are cleared in order to make grazing lands for the sheep. The sheep are normally introduced species into certain areas of the world, so they have an effect upon the local wildlife.

ECO-WOOL

The International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) has adopted a new organic wool standard (closely aligned with GOTS) which they hope will be accepted by its members. In addition, many companies use the term “eco wool”, which means the wool is sheared from free range roaming sheep that have not been subjected to toxic flea dipping, and the fleece was not treated with chemicals, dyes or bleaches – but this is wide open to interpretation and exploitation. According to the IWTO, “Eco wool” must meet the standards set by the EU Eco-label.

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SPECIFIC APPAREL USES • Sweaters • Dresses • Coats • Suits • Jackets • Pants • Boot Linings • Socks • Hats • Scarves

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a range of warmth

THE USE OF WOOL

People have been utilizing wool for thousands of years for both decorative and functional purposes. Today, essentially every wardrobe contains woolen garments, plus garments that contain wool along with some other natural and or synthetic fiber. This fiber has a number of advantages, including durability, flexibility, and water resistance.

Varying grades of wool can range from extremely soft fibers which can be used against the skin to more coarse fibers which are more suited to tasks such as stuffing and insulating. The variety of uses of wool ensure that every little is wasted. Currently, about 90% of the wool used

by U.S. mills is used as apparel wool in the production of worsted and woolen fabrics. American sheep producers provide about 20% of the total, the balance being imported primarily from Australia and New Zealand.

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wool tartan

Tartan, arguably the best-known cloth in the world, is not peculiar to Scotland, although it has become the country’s national costume, occupying a unique place in its history. From the times of the early clansmen through to the traditions of the modern Highland regiments, the kilt, plaid and tartan have constituted the unmistakable costume of the Highlander. It has come to be linked with the virtues of courage and hardiness, with love of an area and with the music, poetry and culture of the Highlands.

Many aspects of tartan and Highland dress are controversial and the subject is surrounded by a number of myths. For example, the word ‘tartan’, now associated by most people with the precisely patterned, intricately cross-barred and multicoloured cloth, is itself a matter for argument. Some authorities claim it derives from the IrishScots words tuar and tan - meaning ‘colour’ and ‘district’ respectively. An Old Spanish word of similar root, tartana, which means ‘shiver’, and refers to a very fine, quality cloth, has been proposed as yet another possible source. The Gaelic word for tartan is breacan, meaning ‘chequered’, ‘variegated’ or ‘speckled’. tartan is generally defined as a fabric woven in bands of coloured yarn that repeat in sequence, not only across the width but along the length of the cloth. A new hue is formed wherever bands of a different colour cross.

There were normally six main stages in weaving tartan: gathering the wool, preparing the fibres by combing it to the desired texture for soft or hard tartan, and spinning by a method involving a drop spindle, or distaff and spindle, in which the yarn or thread was spun by the fingers and wound round the bottom of the spindle. (This was later replaced by the spinning wheel, and ultimately by modern machinery.) The wool was then dyed, woven and finally stretched.

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ITALIAN SELVEDGED TARTAN WOOL TWILL 100% Wool. 60” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-PLAI-16-PURIVR60

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ITALIAN WINTER WHITE BASKET-WEAVE 100% wool. Open weave midweight fabric. 60” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com NOVL-WOOL-04-IVR60

WOOL BOUCLE 100% wool. 58” Wide.

Measure Fabric Parlor JS301

chanel tweed

The iconic Chanel tweed jacket, which was invented in the 1920s, was one example of the way in which her designs were so different than those of her predecessors. The jacket was designed to give the wearer a freedom of movement that had never before been experienced while wearing such a garment. Coco Chanel famously borrowed the masculine tweed fabric even though it was a considered a cheap fabric. Coco Chanel was selective, she adored the fabric and only used tweed produced by the Duke of Westminster’s factory. She then lined the jacket in fur in order to increase the cost and subsequently its status. It was structured to feel like a cardigan, rather than a restrictive suit jacket. The differentiation were the silk lining stitched directly to the tweed, boxy cut and the three-part construction of the sleeves.

In the 50s and 60s, Chanel reintroduced the Chanel jacket in pastel colors. The Chanel suit became a status symbol for a new generation, with its slim skirt and collarless jacket trimmed in braid, gold buttons, patch pockets, and,sewn into the hem, a gold-colored chain ensuring it hung properly from the shoulders. It is still reworked throughout collections by Karl Lagerfeld. The remarkable thing about Chanel’s novel tweed jacket is that the style has proved to be so enduring. Season after season, decade after decade, the Chanel suit continues to be one of the trademarks of good taste and style.

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the contemporary

THE USE OF WOOL

Thom Browne is still best known as a menswear designer, and the fundamentals of menswear are channeled through his clothes for women as well. Any lady on the hunt for the perfect, tailored, gray flannel blazer will have no trouble finding it here. Perhaps a nod to his beginnings in menswear, Browne worked with a variety of traditional wool suitings in patterns, including Prince of Wales, houndstooth, checks, and a variety of plaids.

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WOOL COATING 100% Wool. 60� wide.

Measure Fabric Parlor JS290

DASH CHECK SUITING 100% Wool. 60� Wide.

Measure Fabric Parlor JS207

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HOUNDSTOOTH WOOL BLEND Wool/polyester blend. 58” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-PLAI-08-BLKWHT58

DESIGNER PLAID SHETLAND WOOL 100% Wool. 60” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-PLAI-45-BRN60

thom browne pre-fall 2013 18

WOOL SWATCHES

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ITALIAN BOILED WOOL 100% wool. Mid weight hand boiled. 52” Wide.

Made in Italy.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-BOIL-05-BRN52

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MIDWEIGHT PLAID RAYON BLEND Wool/Rayon blend. 58” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-PLAI-42-BRN45

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HEATHERED PLAID WOOL FLANEL 100% Wool. 60” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-PLAI-12-BRNGRY60

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ENGLISH DORMEUIL CAMEL HAIR WOOL COATING 100% Dormeuil Camel. 58” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-COAT-09-BRN58

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STRIPED WORSTED WOOL SUITING 100% Worsted Wool. 60” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-SUIT-06-BRN60

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MIDWEIGHT CLASSIC WOOL CAVALRY TWILL 100% Wool. 62” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-MILT-16-BRN62

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MIDWEIGHT HERRINGBONE WOOL RAYON BLEND Wool/Rayon Blend. 60” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-MILT-20-IVR60

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3MM NATURAL WOOL FELT 100% Wool. 24” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-FELT-NAT24

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OCHER SILK & WOOL TWEED Silk/Wool Blend. 60” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-TWEE-05-BRNBLK60

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MIDWEIGHT HERRINGBONE TRICOTINE 100% Wool. 55” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-MILT-31-BLK55

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MIDWEIGHT STRETCH WOOL BLEND 97% wool/3% lycra. 60” Wide.

Made in Italy Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-MILT-55-PNK60

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HERRINGBONE ALPACA 100% Alpaca. 45” Wide. Made in USA. Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-HERR-03-BRNIVR45

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NATURAL FLOCKED WOOL COATING 100% Wool. 60” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-COAT-26-IVR60

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MIDWEIGHT WOOL & LAMBSWOOL TWEED 100% Wool. 56” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-TWEE-19-BRN56

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HEATHERED CAPPUCCINO VIRGIN WOOL COATING 100% Wool. 58” Wide. Made in Austria.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-COAT-40-BRN58

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BABY LAMA COATING 100% baby Llama. 62” Wide. Made in Italy.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-COAT-54-BLK62

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STRETCH WOOL & CASHMERE BLEND 94% wool, 5% cashmere, and 1% lycra. 58” Wide.

Made in Italy.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-MILT-99-GRY58

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WINDOWPANE CHECK WOOL CREPE 100% Wool. 59” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-PLAI-44-IVRBLKRED59

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MIDWEIGHT TROPICAL WORSTED WOOL 100% Wool. 61” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-MILT-115-GRY61

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SUPERFINE WOOL GABERDINE 100% Wool. 61” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-SUIT-28-BRN61

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HEAVYWEIGHT UNIQUE BROCADE WOOL BLEND 91% wool, 9% silk . 58” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com NOVL-WOOL-50-BLKIVR58

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STRIPED MOHAIR COATING 100% Mohair. 64” Wide. 1” long pile.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-COAT-60-ORGBLK64

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CRINKLED FEATHERWEIGHT SHEER WOOL 100% Wool. 47” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-MILT-104-BLK47

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DESIGNER OPEN WEAVE WOOL 27% wool, 13% polyamide, and 11% acrylic blend.

58” Wide. Made in Italy.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com NOVL-MISC-02-BLK58

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SUPER 100 STRIPED WORSTED WOOL SUITING 100% Worsted Wool. 61” Wide.

Britex Fabrics www.britexfabrics.com WOOL-SUIT-09-GRNGRY61

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morgan mccarty fash 105-05 introduction to textiles professor stephanie foy