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Here at Wool Overs, we often get emailed questions about wool terms you have heard somewhere, and you would like to know the meaning. We hope this page goes someway to helping you understand our industry.
The following are trade terms associated with wool processing:
GRADING - Checking of each individual fleece, by eye and touch, and putting by hand into groups of the same type and quality, ready for sale at auction.
SORTING - Dividing a fleece by hand after auction, into qualities and colours, ready for processing.
RAW WOOL - Wool from the sheep's back, still containing grease and dirt.
SCOURING - Washing the wool to remove the grease and dirt.
CARDING - Turning clean wools from staple to sliver form, and separating the fibres.
COMBING - Straightening long fibres and removing the shorter ones.
TOPS - Long fibred wool which has been combed by machines.
NOIL - Short fibre removed during combing.
SPINNING - Pulling out the fibres and adding twist to make a continuous, strong thread.
WOOLLEN YARN - Yarn made by twisting wool, whose fibres lie in different directions.
WORSTED YARN - Yarn made from long wool, whose fibres lie parallel.
MICRON - Wool fibre diameter is quoted in microns. 1 micron = 0.001mm. The lower the microns figure, the finer the quality.
YARN COUNT - This is the means of defining the density of a yarn.
DYEING - Adding colour between any of the stages in wool processing.
KNITTING - Stretch fabric made from a single continuous yarn, knitted in interlocking loops.
WEAVING - Creating cloth from yarn. One set of threads is interlaced with another set, which are lying in the opposite direction.
WARP - Yarn used as the basis for weaving cloth. This is laid down the length of the fabric.
WEFT - Yarn interwoven across the warp threads to make solid fabric.
MENDING - Woven cloth may have faults. These have to be repaired.
FINISHING - Woven cloth is stabilised by wet and dry processes to set it.
TENTERING - Stretching woven fabric to dry during finishing.
FULLING - The thickening and cleaning of newly woven cloth in woollen processing.
TEASELS - Used to raise the surface of woven cloth.
FELT - Made by intermingling wool fibres and compressing them into a sheet.
This information is courtesy of the British Wool Marketing Board
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