Figure 1.--

Next to cotton, sheep's wool is the most extensively used of all natural fibers. Wool is the fine, soft curly hair that forms the fleece of sheep and certain other sheep-like animals (alpacas, casmere goats, vicuņa, various goats, and others). Wool, like hair, is chiefly composed of keratin; the cuticle of the of the wool fiber or wool "staple" is covered with rough , scakly plates, and the shaft of the stple is somewhat twisted, causing the fibers to interlock during spinning and weaving, in part explaining its great value in clothing. Wool was especially appreciate in the manufacture of warm clothing in the days before central heating. Fashion and health experts promoted the use of wool in children's clothes. A vast number of fabrics are made from wool, including cassimire, cheviot, serge, flannel, and plaid, serge, tweed, velour, and many others.

The Fiber

Wool is the fine, soft curly hair that forms the fleece of sheep and certain other sheep-like animals. Wool, like hair, is chiefly composed of keratin; the cuticle of the of the wool fiber or wool "staple" is covered with rough , scakly plates, and the shaft of the staple is somewhat twisted, a key characteristic used to advantage in the manufacture of fabric, explaining its great value in clothing.

History

Wool has been used since aincient times in the manufacture of thread and yarn for textiles. The husbandry of sheep and the role of boys as shephards appears in the Old Testament, but predates even biblical times. Sheep are believes to be among the first animals domesticated. An archeological site in Iran produced a statuette of a wooled sheep which suggests that selection for woolly sheep had begun to occur over 6000 years ago. The first fleece is dated back to 5000 B.C. in the form of a crude clay image of a sheep found at Sarab in Iran. The earliest remains of true fine wool came from the Greek colony of Nymphaeum in the Crimea, dating back to the 5th Century B.C.The common features of today's sheep were already appearing in Mesopotamian and Babylonian art and books by 3000 B.C. The Babylonians around 1800 B.C.was famous for its wool. The people distinguished food sheep from wool sheep. There was also a unique grading of the wool into three groups; Mountain Wool, Second quality and Good quality.

About 2,000 B.C. the development of skins for writing led to parchment, which is made by simply removing the wool or hair from the skin and allowing it to dry in a stretched condition, parchment, unlike leather, is not tanned. The very first known parchments were the fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls, roughly 2,000 years old.

The finest wool during Roman times came from Tarentium in about 37 B.C. and during these times there were definite signs of selective breeding. The Romans developed a special strain of sheep called the Terenton that had a superior fleece, but required special care, as it lacked hardiness.

During the Middle Ages wool was England's main export trade, with every European country relying on England for it. By the end of the 18th Century there were more than 300 British laws detailing every aspect of the sheep trade.

Sheep

There are a number of different theories regarding the origins of domestic sheep. However, most sources agree that they originated from mouflon. There are two wild populations of mouflons still in existence: the Asiatic mouflon which is still found in the mountains of Asia Minor and southern Iran and the European mouflon of which the only existing members are on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. These two species are closely related with the only difference being the redder coloration and different horn configuration of the Asiatic mouflon. Some sources even hypothesize that the European mouflon actually developed from the first domestic sheep in Europe being allowed to become feral and that all sheep are actually descendants of the Asiatic mouflon.

Selection for wool type, flocking instinct and other economically important traits over the centuries has resulted in more than 200 distinct breeds of sheep occurring worldwide. Modern breeding schemes have also resulted in an increasing number of composite or synthetic breeds which are the result of a crossing of two or more established breeds.

The coat of wool on a sheep is known as a "fleece". The fleeces of sheep raised for wool are usually shorn pnce a year, usually in the spring or early summer when the animal does not a heavy coat for warmth. In countries with temperate climates without a hard winter, it may be possible to sheer the sheep twice a year. The fleece is cut close to the skin and removed in one piece. The average weight of a domesticated sheep fleece is about 3.5 kilograms. Before sheering, "tags" or locks of wool that have been soilded by dung or other contaminants are removed. Sheeing is usually performed in dry weather and the fleeces stored in dry places because moisture favors the growth of wool disintegrating molds.

Quality Criteria

Clenliness is only one of the many criteria of wool quality. Other qualities which determine the value of wool to the textile manufacturer are firmnes (diameter of the fiber), length of staple, strength, eladsticity, amount of twist, softness, pliability, uniformity, color, felting properties, and spinning properties. Any one fleece contains a mixture of fine, medium, and corse fibers; the predominate diameter of fiber determines the firmness of the fleese.

Countries

Tropical countries used fibres that were usually cellulosic or vegetable-based: cotton, linen, jute ramie and hessian. Cellulosic fibres grow readily in hot climates, and the resultant garments were designed appropriately for wear in hot weather. These fibres are all vegetable in origin and have a common chemistry. In colder regions, nomadic tribesmen combed their animal flocks as they moulted each spring, and spent the long winter nights spinning and weaving the soft, woolly fibres into garments which would keep them warm and dry throughout the cold winter season ahead.

The Industrial Revolution in the late 18th Century,began a movement which took the textile industry from the home into the factory. Machines were invented to carry out processes which for countless generations had been carried out by hand. The machines and factories developed an insatiable demand for fibre, and an international trade in textile fabrics began to develop.

Bradford in Yorkshire, England, became the centre of the wool textile industry. The demand for sound, fine wool was capitalised on by the fledgling colony of Australia. Australian graziers found that the vast areas of dry pasture land were suited to the fine-wool breeds of sheep. Rams of the Spanish Merino breed were imported and these provided the basic breed lines on which the Australian Merino was established. Some but not all of the sheep rearing countries are particularly noted for the manufacture of wool fabric and garments. Probably the country more associated with wool clothing than Scotland.

Types

The world's animal population has many species with bodily covering of hair, fur or wool. Animals in cold regions developed over millions of years a combination of long, tough hairs, combined with a fine, dense underfur. This produced a layer system to insulate out low temperatures, wind and water. In equatorial regions, animals developed short sleek coats (which may change seasonally) in order to protect their skins from the burning and heating effect of the sun's direct rays.There are many types of wool. Sheep are mostly commonly associated with wool. There are about 200 breeds of sheep, divided into two major types: hair sheep breeds and merino varieties. Wool is also made from llama and related species (alpaca, vicuna and guanaco); bactrian camel; goat (casmere and other species); antelope; rabbit (angora); and pther species.

Manufacturing

Next to cotton, sheep's wool is the most extensively used of all natural fibers. The twisted nature odcthe wool shaft is utilized in manufacuring processes. This causes the fibers to interlock during spinning and weaving and to adhere firmly ehen "felted" or pressed together.

Fabrics

A vast number of fabrics are made from wool, including cassimire, cheviot, serge, flannel, and plaid, serge, tweed, velour, and many others.

Health

Wool was especially appreciate in the manufacture of warm clothing in the days before central heating. Fashion and health experts in the 19th century promoted the use of wool in children's clothes. Dr. Gustav Jaeger, Professor of Zoology at the University of Stuttgart, in the 1870s and 1880s, promoted the idea that the wearing of woolen underwear was essential for health. He even made the nonsensical claim that wool is cooler in hot weather because it does not conduct the heat of the atmosphere to the body. Not only did Jaeger promote these theories, he capitalized on them by founding Jaeger's Sanitary Woolen Clothing Company. The company prospered and had worldwide influence. In fact, it exists today, although now is a largely a purveyor of womens' fine woolens, and not long underwear.

Garments

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Created: April 5, 1999
Last up dated: February 25, 2000