Today there are about 40 different breeds of sheep that produce 200 types of wool of varying quality. The major producing countries are Argentina, Australia, South Africa and China. The manufacture of wool has come a long way from the hand cleaning and carding that was used for thousands of years until the industrial revolution in the 19 th century.
Shearing has not changed much in modern times. Rather than a sharp razor, shearers now have electric shearing scissors that hang from the ceiling for ease of use. By hanging them above the floor the cord doesn’t get tangled in the sheep’s limbs or around the legs of the shearer. Just as in the olden day, however, the shearer has to keep the skin of the sheep taut so as not to cause injury. A good sheep shearer can shear one sheep in two minutes or less without injury or discomfort to the sheep. The shears must be kept sharpened and in good condition for the safety of both the sheep and the shearer. Most shearers are independent contractors who go from farm to farm during shearing season.
Professional sheep shearing is a valued profession in sheep farming country. Sheep are usually sheared in the spring, as a ewe will be much more disposed to stay by her lamb to shield it from the weather if she can feel the chill in the air. A sheared ewe also provides a cleaner environment for her lamb. Sheep with longer fleece are often sheared twice a year.
Advances in shearing are being worked on so that it isn’t so labor intensive. In Australia, researchers have developed a chemical called “bio clip” that they inject into the sheep. It contains a natural protein that causes the wool follicles to break so that the fleece drops off on its own. There has also been a shearing table developed that free the shearers from holding the sheep and a robot for shearing. These inventions are still in the experimental stage but could put traditional shearing out of business.
Next the wool is sent to a grading and sorting facility, although many farms still do this step by hand. Damaged or inferior wool is removed and the wool is sorted according to the fiber quality. Quality is judged by the strength of the fibers, their fineness (diameter), length, waviness and color. The best wool is from a sheep’s shoulders and sides and is used for clothing. Lesser quality wool is on the lower legs and is usually used to make rugs.
Cleaning can now be done by machines that scour the fleece to remove impurities like sand, dust and tags (bits of manure). Contaminants actually make up about 30-70% of the weight of an uncleaned fleece. Fleeces are scoured in a series of alkaline baths that use soap, water, soda ash or other alkali. The byproducts like lanolin are saved to use in household products like soaps and lotions. Rollers in the scouring machines get rid of extra water and the damp wool is lightly oiled so that it’s more manageable.
Now the fibers are carded with machines that aren’t that different from traditional carding paddles. The machines have metal teeth that remove lingering matter in the fibers and can be set for coarse or fine fibers. Carding machines look like a series of rollers and the wool is fed into it with a belt that looks like the one at a supermarket cashier’s station. Wool that is going to be made into worsted yarn is gilled and combed to remove the short fibers and make sure the longer fibers are parallel to each other. The finer fibers are compacted and thinned with a process called “drawing”. The wool intended for yarn is then sent to the spinner.
Woolen yarn is soft and fuzzy while worsted yarn is lighter and twisted more tightly; it is smoother than and not as bulky as woolen yarn.
There is a lot of waste in making wool but it is used instead of disposed of. Noils, which are short fibers that are separated from long fibers during the carding process, are of the same quality as virgin wool and are re-used in quality products. Soft waste consists of high quality fibers that fall out during carding; it is collected and put into the next batch of carding.
If you prefer to process your wool by hand machines you can convert a washing machine for the purpose by inserting finely meshed filters to prevent loss of fine fibers. Carding machines are available in home-sized versions as are automated spinning wheels.