
:''This article is about wool, the fiber. For alternative meanings see Wool (disambiguation).'' Wool is the fiber derived from the hair of domesticated animals, usually sheep. == Material== Most of the fiber from domestic sheep has two qualities that distinguish it from hair or fur: it is scaled in such a way that it helps the animal move out burrs and seeds that might embed themselves into its skin; and it is crimped, in some fleeces more than 20 bends per inch. Both the scaling and the crimp make it possible to spin and felt the fleece. They help the individual fibers "grab" each other so that they stay together. They also make the product retain heat, as they trap heat in their bends. Insulation also works both ways; bedouins and tuaregs use wool clothes to keep the heat out. The amount of crimp corresponds with the fineness of the wool fibers. A fine wool like merino may have up to a hundred crimps per inch, where the coarser wools like karakul may have as few as one to two crimps per inch. Hair, by contrast, has little if any scale and no crimp and little ability to bind into yarn. On sheep, the hair part of the fleece is called kemp. The relative amounts of kemp to wool vary from breed to breed, and make some fleeces more desirable for spinning, felting or carding into batts for quilts or other insulating products. Wool grows in several natural colors such as black, brown (also called moorit) grey and the most commonly available white. Wool of any color takes dye easily and can be felted. Wool straight off a sheep is highly water-resistant. It is said to be "in the grease", the grease being lanolin, and can be worked into yarn and knit into water-resistant mittens, as did the Aran Islands fishermen. Wool retains heat better than most fabrics when wet. The spinning capacity of wool is determined by the technique known as wool classing, whereby a qualified woolclasser might group wools of similar gradings together to maximise the return for a farmer wishing to yield the most from the sheep's fleeces. ==History== As the raw material has been readily available since the widespread domestication of sheep and similar animals, the use of wool for clothing and other fabrics dates back to some of the earliest civilizations. Prior to invention of shears - probably in the Iron Age - they probably plucked the wool out by hand or by bronze combs. In medieval times, the wool trade was serious business. English wool exports - which bordered on European monopoly - were a significant source of income to the crown. Over the centuries, various British laws controlled the wool trade or required the use of wool even in burials. In 1699 English crown forbade its American colonies to trade wool with anyone else but England itself. In the Renaissance, Medicis of Florence built their wealth and banking system on wool trade with the aid of the Arte della Lana, the wool guild. Spain allowed export of Merino lambs only with royal permission. German wool - based on sheep of Spanish origin - begun to overtake British one only at the end of 19th century. Australia's colonial economy was based on sheep raising and Australian wool trade overtook Germans by 1845. ==Production== Australia and New Zealand are leading commercial producers of wool. Most of the wool comes from the Merino breed of sheep when breeds of Lincoln and Romney sheep produce coarser fibers that are usually used for making carpets. In the United States, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado also have large commercial sheep flocks and their mainstay is the Rambouillet, or French Merino. There is also a thriving 'home flock' contingent of small scale farmers who raise small hobby flocks of specialty sheep for the handspinning market. These small scale farmers may raise any type of sheep they wish, so the selection of fleeces is quite wide. ==Uses== In addition to clothing, wool has been used for carpeting, felt, and padding. Wool felt covers piano hammers and it is used to absorb odors and noise in heavy machinery and stereo speakers. Ancient Greeks lined their helmets with felt and Roman legionnaires used breastplates made of wool felt. Wool is also the main ingredient in creating flannel. ''Shoddy'' is recycled or remanufactured wool. To make shoddy, existing wool fabric is cut or torn apart and respun. As this process makes the wool fibers shorter, the remanufactured fabric is inferior to the original. The recycled wool may be mixed with raw wool, wool noil, or another fiber such as cotton to increase the average fiber length. Such yarns are typically used as weft yarns with a cotton warp. ''Ragg'' is a sturdy wool fiber made into yarn and used in rugged application like gloves. ==See also== *Angora wool *British Wool Marketing Board *Canvas work *Knitting *Golden Fleece *Spinning *Steel wool *Tweed *Weaving *Woolen *Worsted *Worshipful Company of Woolmen Sheep Textiles Fibers Insulators nds:Wull
Hoping that someone might be able to add some content that explains what Virgin Wool is. Thanks. --User:Sferrier 19:04, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC) *It is wool not used before; wool not processed or woven before. User:Eagleamn 20:33, Apr 9, 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Wool:
Wool
Wool
Wool,_Dorset
Wool,_Dorset
Wool.www.usda.gov.jpg
Woolbinkle
WOOLBR~1.JPG
Woolco
Wooldridge
Wooldridge,_Missouri
Wooldridge,_MO
Woolen
Wooler
Woolf
Woolf
Woolf,_VA_(Stephen)
Woolf,_Virginia_(Stephen)
Woolfardisworthy
Woolflower
Woolgatherer
Woolgatherer
WoolgathererWithMuscles.jpg
Woolhampton
Woolie
Woolie's
Woolies
Woolies'
Woollahra
Woollahra,_Sydney
Woolland
Woollcott.jpg
Woollen
Woolley_Colliery
Woollongong
Woolloomooloo
Woolly-necked_Stork
Woolly-necked_stork
Woollyback
Woollyfoot
Woollyneck53.jpg
Woollynightshade.jpg
Woolly_bear
Woolly_Flying_Squirrel
Woolly_indri
Woolly_lemur
Woolly_lemur
Woolly_Lousewort
Woolly_Mammoth
Woolly_mammoth
Woolly_monkey
Woolly_monkey
Woolly_Monkeys
Woolly_monkeys
Woolly_morning_glory
Woolly_Rhinoceros
Woolly_rhinoceros
Woolly_Spider_Monkey
Woolly_spider_monkey
Woolly_spider_monkey
Woolmark
Woolmark_130x90.jpg
Woolmen's_Company
Woolmington_v._DPP
Woolong
Woolongong
Woolongs
Wooloo
Wooloowin
Wooloowin,_Queensland
Wooloowin_railway_station,_Brisbane
Woolsack
Woolsack-crop.jpg
Woolsack.jpg
Woolsey
Woolsey,_GA
Woolsey,_Georgia
Woolsey.jpg
Woolsey_Hall
Woolsorters'_disease
Woolsorters_disease
Woolsthorpe
Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe-manor.jpg
Woolsthorpe_by_Belvoir
Woolsthorpe_by_Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe_Manor
Woolsthorpe_Manor.JPG
Woolstock
Woolstock,_IA
Woolstock,_Iowa
Woolston
Woolston,_New_Zealand
Woolstone,_Milton_Keynes
Woolston_(disambiguation)
Woolston_Eyes
Woolston_Park
Woolston_Park
Woolton
Woolton_Hall
Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich,_London,_England
Woolwich,_London,_England
Woolwich,_Maine
Woolwich,_ME
Woolwich,_New_Jersey
Woolwich,_NJ
Woolwich,_Ontario
Woolwich_Arsenal
Woolwich_Arsenal_railway_station
Woolwich_Building_Society
Woolwich_Common
Woolwich_Dockyard
Woolwich_Dockyard_railway_station
Woolwich_Ferry
Woolwich_foot_tunnel
Woolwich_Free_Ferry
Woolwich_Township
Woolwich_Township,_New_Jersey
Woolwich_Township,_NJ
Woolwich_Township,_Ontario
Woolworth
Woolworth's
Woolworth's
Woolworth's_Department_Store
Woolworths
Woolworths_Group_plc
Woolworths_Group_plc
Woolworths_Limited
Woolworths_Limited
Woolworths_shop_frontage.jpg
Woolworth_(Australia)
Woolworth_(UK)
Woolworth_Building
Woolworth_Building
Woolworth_building
Woolworth_building.jpg
Woolworth_Building_vandalized_by_Nutz
Woolworth_Co.
Woolworth’s
Wooly
Wooly's
Woolyback
Woolyback
Woolyneck464.jpg
Woolys
Woolys'
Woolysock
Woolysock/stagingarea
Wooly_aphid_nymph_7573.jpg
Wooly_hair
Wooly_mammoth
Wooly_mammoths
Wooly_Rhinoceros
Wooly_rhinoceros
Wooly_rhinoceros
Wooly_rhinoceros.jpg
Wooly_spider_monkey
Wooly_spider_monkey
Wool_(disambiguation)
Wool_church
Wool_classing
Wool_combing_machine
Wool_mark
Wool_techelet.jpg
Wool
:''This article is about wool, the fiber. For alternative meanings see Wool (disambiguation).'' Wool is the fiber derived from the hair of domesticated animals, usually sheep. == Material== Most of the fiber from domestic sheep has two qualities that distinguish it from hair or fur: it is scaled in such a way that it helps the animal move out burrs and seeds that might embed themselves into its skin; and it is crimped, in some fleeces more than 20 bends per inch. Both the scaling and the crimp make it possible to spin and felt the fleece. They help the individual fibers "grab" each other so that they stay together. They also make the product retain heat, as they trap heat in their bends. Insulation also works both ways; bedouins and tuaregs use wool clothes to keep the heat out. The amount of crimp corresponds with the fineness of the wool fibers. A fine wool like merino may have up to a hundred crimps per inch, where the coarser wools like karakul may have as few as one to two crimps per inch. Hair, by contrast, has little if any scale and no crimp and little ability to bind into yarn. On sheep, the hair part of the fleece is called kemp. The relative amounts of kemp to wool vary from breed to breed, and make some fleeces more desirable for spinning, felting or carding into batts for quilts or other insulating products. Wool grows in several natural colors such as black, brown (also called moorit) grey and the most commonly available white. Wool of any color takes dye easily and can be felted. Wool straight off a sheep is highly water-resistant. It is said to be "in the grease", the grease being lanolin, and can be worked into yarn and knit into water-resistant mittens, as did the Aran Islands fishermen. Wool retains heat better than most fabrics when wet. The spinning capacity of wool is determined by the technique known as wool classing, whereby a qualified woolclasser might group wools of similar gradings together to maximise the return for a farmer wishing to yield the most from the sheep's fleeces. ==History== As the raw material has been readily available since the widespread domestication of sheep and similar animals, the use of wool for clothing and other fabrics dates back to some of the earliest civilizations. Prior to invention of shears - probably in the Iron Age - they probably plucked the wool out by hand or by bronze combs. In medieval times, the wool trade was serious business. English wool exports - which bordered on European monopoly - were a significant source of income to the crown. Over the centuries, various British laws controlled the wool trade or required the use of wool even in burials. In 1699 English crown forbade its American colonies to trade wool with anyone else but England itself. In the Renaissance, Medicis of Florence built their wealth and banking system on wool trade with the aid of the Arte della Lana, the wool guild. Spain allowed export of Merino lambs only with royal permission. German wool - based on sheep of Spanish origin - begun to overtake British one only at the end of 19th century. Australia's colonial economy was based on sheep raising and Australian wool trade overtook Germans by 1845. ==Production== Australia and New Zealand are leading commercial producers of wool. Most of the wool comes from the Merino breed of sheep when breeds of Lincoln and Romney sheep produce coarser fibers that are usually used for making carpets. In the United States, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado also have large commercial sheep flocks and their mainstay is the Rambouillet, or French Merino. There is also a thriving 'home flock' contingent of small scale farmers who raise small hobby flocks of specialty sheep for the handspinning market. These small scale farmers may raise any type of sheep they wish, so the selection of fleeces is quite wide. ==Uses== In addition to clothing, wool has been used for carpeting, felt, and padding. Wool felt covers piano hammers and it is used to absorb odors and noise in heavy machinery and stereo speakers. Ancient Greeks lined their helmets with felt and Roman legionnaires used breastplates made of wool felt. Wool is also the main ingredient in creating flannel. ''Shoddy'' is recycled or remanufactured wool. To make shoddy, existing wool fabric is cut or torn apart and respun. As this process makes the wool fibers shorter, the remanufactured fabric is inferior to the original. The recycled wool may be mixed with raw wool, wool noil, or another fiber such as cotton to increase the average fiber length. Such yarns are typically used as weft yarns with a cotton warp. ''Ragg'' is a sturdy wool fiber made into yarn and used in rugged application like gloves. ==See also== *Angora wool *British Wool Marketing Board *Canvas work *Knitting *Golden Fleece *Spinning *Steel wool *Tweed *Weaving *Woolen *Worsted *Worshipful Company of Woolmen Sheep Textiles Fibers Insulators nds:Wull
Wool
Hoping that someone might be able to add some content that explains what Virgin Wool is. Thanks. --User:Sferrier 19:04, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC) *It is wool not used before; wool not processed or woven before. User:Eagleamn 20:33, Apr 9, 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
W
WA | WB | WC | WD | WE | WF | WG | WH | WI | WJ | WK | WL | WM | WN | WO | WP | WR | WS | WT | WU | WX | WY | WZ |Words begining with Wool:
Wool
Wool
Wool,_Dorset
Wool,_Dorset
Wool.www.usda.gov.jpg
Woolbinkle
WOOLBR~1.JPG
Woolco
Wooldridge
Wooldridge,_Missouri
Wooldridge,_MO
Woolen
Wooler
Woolf
Woolf
Woolf,_VA_(Stephen)
Woolf,_Virginia_(Stephen)
Woolfardisworthy
Woolflower
Woolgatherer
Woolgatherer
WoolgathererWithMuscles.jpg
Woolhampton
Woolie
Woolie's
Woolies
Woolies'
Woollahra
Woollahra,_Sydney
Woolland
Woollcott.jpg
Woollen
Woolley_Colliery
Woollongong
Woolloomooloo
Woolly-necked_Stork
Woolly-necked_stork
Woollyback
Woollyfoot
Woollyneck53.jpg
Woollynightshade.jpg
Woolly_bear
Woolly_Flying_Squirrel
Woolly_indri
Woolly_lemur
Woolly_lemur
Woolly_Lousewort
Woolly_Mammoth
Woolly_mammoth
Woolly_monkey
Woolly_monkey
Woolly_Monkeys
Woolly_monkeys
Woolly_morning_glory
Woolly_Rhinoceros
Woolly_rhinoceros
Woolly_Spider_Monkey
Woolly_spider_monkey
Woolly_spider_monkey
Woolmark
Woolmark_130x90.jpg
Woolmen's_Company
Woolmington_v._DPP
Woolong
Woolongong
Woolongs
Wooloo
Wooloowin
Wooloowin,_Queensland
Wooloowin_railway_station,_Brisbane
Woolsack
Woolsack-crop.jpg
Woolsack.jpg
Woolsey
Woolsey,_GA
Woolsey,_Georgia
Woolsey.jpg
Woolsey_Hall
Woolsorters'_disease
Woolsorters_disease
Woolsthorpe
Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir
Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe-manor.jpg
Woolsthorpe_by_Belvoir
Woolsthorpe_by_Colsterworth
Woolsthorpe_Manor
Woolsthorpe_Manor.JPG
Woolstock
Woolstock,_IA
Woolstock,_Iowa
Woolston
Woolston,_New_Zealand
Woolstone,_Milton_Keynes
Woolston_(disambiguation)
Woolston_Eyes
Woolston_Park
Woolston_Park
Woolton
Woolton_Hall
Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich,_London,_England
Woolwich,_London,_England
Woolwich,_Maine
Woolwich,_ME
Woolwich,_New_Jersey
Woolwich,_NJ
Woolwich,_Ontario
Woolwich_Arsenal
Woolwich_Arsenal_railway_station
Woolwich_Building_Society
Woolwich_Common
Woolwich_Dockyard
Woolwich_Dockyard_railway_station
Woolwich_Ferry
Woolwich_foot_tunnel
Woolwich_Free_Ferry
Woolwich_Township
Woolwich_Township,_New_Jersey
Woolwich_Township,_NJ
Woolwich_Township,_Ontario
Woolworth
Woolworth's
Woolworth's
Woolworth's_Department_Store
Woolworths
Woolworths_Group_plc
Woolworths_Group_plc
Woolworths_Limited
Woolworths_Limited
Woolworths_shop_frontage.jpg
Woolworth_(Australia)
Woolworth_(UK)
Woolworth_Building
Woolworth_Building
Woolworth_building
Woolworth_building.jpg
Woolworth_Building_vandalized_by_Nutz
Woolworth_Co.
Woolworth’s
Wooly
Wooly's
Woolyback
Woolyback
Woolyneck464.jpg
Woolys
Woolys'
Woolysock
Woolysock/stagingarea
Wooly_aphid_nymph_7573.jpg
Wooly_hair
Wooly_mammoth
Wooly_mammoths
Wooly_Rhinoceros
Wooly_rhinoceros
Wooly_rhinoceros
Wooly_rhinoceros.jpg
Wooly_spider_monkey
Wooly_spider_monkey
Wool_(disambiguation)
Wool_church
Wool_classing
Wool_combing_machine
Wool_mark
Wool_techelet.jpg
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