Standard Wool UK is one of the largest buyers of British wool, but how do we turn sheep’s wool into the wool that is found in household carpets, knitwear and suits.

The major steps to process sheep wool into fabric are:

1. Shearing
2. Grading and sorting
3. Cleaning and scouring
4. Carding
5. Spinning
6. Weaving
7. Finishing

Shearing

Standard Wool has scouring and trading operations in West Yorkshire (UK), Chile, New Zealand China. Sheep are usually sheared in the spring time and the fleece recovered can weigh between six and 18 pounds.

Standard Wool’s Thomas Chadwick plant was featured in a BBC Three documentary:

Grading and sorting

Firstly, the wool is graded by breaking up the fleece based on overall quality, it’s then sorted into sections of different quality fibres from different parts of the body. Wool from the shoulders and sides of the sheep is used for clothing as this is recognised as being the best quality; the lesser quality comes from the lower legs and is used to make rugs.

Cleaning and scouring

Contaminants in the wool such as sweat and sand need to be removed and this is done by scouring the wool in a series of alkaline baths, which contain water, soap, soda ash or a similar alkali. During this process lanolin is produced as a by-product, which is then sold and used in a variety of household products (link to YouTube BBC video).

The majority of the water is squeezed out using rollers in the scouring machines before the wool is treated with oil to increase its manageability.

Carding

The wool fibres are next straightened by passing them through a series of metal teeth, this process also removes residual dirt. Two procedures then take place depending on what type of yarn the wool is to be used for.

• Worsted Yarn – the wool is put through gilling and combing, two procedures that remove short fibres and place longer ones parallel to each other. The sleeker slivers are compacted and thinned through a process called drawing.
• Woollen Yard – the wool is sent directly for spinning.

Spinning

The fibres of the wool are spun together to form one strand of yard. Woollen yards are spun on a mule spinning machine, whilst worsted yarns can be spun on a variety of spinning machines.

Weaving

The next stage sees the wool woven into fabric. Wool manufactures use two basic weaves: plain and the twill. Woollen yarns are made into fabric using a plain weave, which produces a looser weave and a soft surface. Worsted yarns are able to create fine fabrics with exquisite patterns using a twill weave. Worsted yarns are better constructed and more durable and therefore more costly.

Finishing

Woollen and Worsted yarns are finished by undergoing a number of procedures:

• Fuling – immersing the fabric in water
• Crabbing – setting the interlock
• Decanting – shrink proofing

Sometimes wool fibres will be dyed at the end of the process, however this can also be done during Carding.

Learn more about Standard Wool’s commission process, scoured wool, wool tops and wool grease and noils on its website: http://www.standardwool.co.uk/index.php

Manufacturing source: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Wool.html

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