General Information On Wool
General Information On Wool
Probably more than you want to know about wool but important information if you are serious about investing in the right kind of wool clothing for your outdoor activities.
PROCESS FOR MAKING WOOL CLOTHES
WHY WOOL SHRINKS OR WHY TO AVOID MACHINE WASHING
TYPES OF WOOL YARNS
Woolens: A general term describing various fabrics
woven from woolen yarn. Wollen yarn is spun from the shorter wool fibers, which are not
combed to lie flat as in worsted yarn. Soft surface textures and finishes are produced and
the weave of individual yarns does not show as clearly as in worsted fabrics. Woolen
fabrics include tweeds, fleeces and meltons.
Worsteds: A general term describing various fabrics woven from worsted yarns containing the longer fibers spun from combed wool. Only the prime, longer fleece is used to produce worsted fabrics. Worsted wool refers to tightly woven, smooth, clear finished goods in a variety of twill and other stronger weaves.
GRADES
Wool is graded on smoothness and softness. Sleeping
Indian wool is graded at 56/58 the highest in the hunting clothes industry for that smooth
look and comfortable feeling. Army blankets are normally associated when people think of
wool. A typical army blanket might be graded at 30/34 , this would feel very scratchy and
uncomfortable. Sleeping Indian wool grade is to the point where a majority of the
population would say it feels nice against bare skin.
PROCESS FOR MAKING WOOL CLOTHES
Worsted yarn uses only the best fleece from the back
of the sheep. It is the lognest, strongest and richest in lanolin. The fibers are combed
to lie flat and spun in "two plys" that when spun together creates a "3
diameter run" piece of yarn. It looks much neater and tighter on a spool than woolen
yarn. Since worsted yarn’s fibers are fairly uniform in length there are no short
pieces to fail or cause that scratchey feeling. It is considered a stronger fabric.
Woolen yarn on the other hand is spun from all the various lengths of wool fibers found on a sheep’s body, both long and short fibers from the sheeps back, belly, bottom, legs etc. Since it is not combed to lie flat, wollen yarn has a fuzzy look because the shorter fiber ends stick out of the yarn imparting a dull appearance to the finished product. Clothes of woolen yarn will usually feel rougher or scratchier.
WHY WOOL SHRINKS OR WHY YOU WANT TO AVOID WASHING MACHINES
Wool is a natural fiber with many natural organic
characteristics. Often those characteristics provide the product advantages you know and
appreciate in wool clothing. The perfect example is the warmth created by the tiny packets
of air which individual wool fibers trap naturally.
But, another characteristic of wool yields the secret of why wool sweaters and clothing knitted from wool yarn can sometimes shrink. Two conditions are required for wool to shrink. Water and heat. The outside of the wool fiber is hydrophobic—hates and repels water. The inside of the wool fiber is hydrophilic—hollow and absorbs water. Every fiber has a love hate relationship with itself. Even though wool wants to repel water around the fiber, at a certain point of getting wet, it reverses its process of repelling water to absorbing water. When this happens it brings water into it’s core and holds it. SLEEPING INDIAN enhances the water repelling nature of wool by using a 4 ply weave. But you have to be careful not to overdo the weave or the fabric will not be able to breath. Has to be a balance to get the best water shedding and breathability.
In the microscopic view, that is under a microscope, the outside of the wool fibers look like they are made from overlapping shingles, like shingles on the roof of your house. When wool gets wet and heat and agitation is present, wool has a tendency to overlap and lock the shingles. Thus the impression of shrinking is created. This is inherent in all wool fibers!!! Wool is wool and the only way to maintain a wool garmets size and avoid shrinking is to let it dry in a cool area and block or stretch out the shingles when the fabric is still wet. Dry cleaning is the surest means of cleaning without shrinking. You can hand wash but the clothing must be cared for properly. The only way you can safely wash wool is if it has been chemically treated to "descale" the fiber. The American Wool Association requires a tag be associated with wool that can be safely machine washed. It is labeled SUPER WASH. If the garmet is not labeled as such, you risk shrinkage if you subject it to water, heat and agitation.
PRE SHRUNK - NOT REALLY
Pre-shrinking is really a Fulling Process that all
wool yarn is subjected to. Before the fulling process you can actually see through the 4
ply woven yarn. It is very loose. The fulling process is used to take woven yarn and make
it into usable cloth. The fulling process uses zero heat. The woven wool is wetted and is
rolled along a stainless steel tube where it is pounded by wooden clappers. This pounding
creates friction (thus its own heat) and after a predetermined amount of time the woven
yarn shrinks up (or as we learned earlier, the fibers lock upon themselves) to create the
predetermined thickness of the cloth. Sleeping Indian begins this process with a 112”
wide piece of 4 ply interlocked wool and mills it down to 64”, approximately 40%.
Some manufacturers will tell you they pre-shrink their wool so you don't have to worry,
but it is clearly the fulling process they are speaking of. Fulling is stopped at a
predetermined point to offer the best combination of fabric thickness for insulation,
water repellency, and breathability. You risk this balance if you machine wash and further
the fulling in a rather elementary way.
SLEEPING INDIAN