Woollen clothes are made from wool through a multi-stage process involving shearing, cleaning, processing, and finally, constructing the fabric. Here's a breakdown of the steps:
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Shearing: This is the process of removing the fleece (wool coat) from sheep. It's typically done once a year, usually in the spring. Shearing doesn't harm the sheep; it's like getting a haircut.
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Cleaning and Sorting (Scouring): The raw wool, also called "grease wool," contains natural oils (lanolin), dirt, and other impurities. This wool goes through a scouring process to remove these impurities. After cleaning, the wool is sorted by quality, based on factors like fineness, length, strength, and color.
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Carding: Carding is a mechanical process that detangles and aligns the wool fibers into a continuous web or sliver. This step prepares the wool for spinning.
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Combing (Optional): For finer wools, combing is an additional step. Combing further aligns the fibers and removes short fibers (noils), resulting in a smoother, higher-quality yarn. Woolen yarns are typically not combed, while worsted yarns are.
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Spinning: Spinning twists the carded or combed wool fibers together to create yarn. This can be done using various methods, including spindle spinning, spinning wheels, or industrial spinning machines.
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Weaving or Knitting: The spun yarn is then used to create fabric.
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Weaving: Yarns are interlaced at right angles on a loom to create woven fabrics.
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Knitting: Loops of yarn are interlocked to create knitted fabrics.
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Finishing: The fabric undergoes various finishing processes to improve its appearance, feel, and performance. These processes may include washing, dyeing, fulling (shrinking the fabric to make it denser), and applying finishes for water repellency or wrinkle resistance.
In summary, the process transforms raw wool into wearable woollen clothing through shearing, cleaning, carding (and sometimes combing), spinning, weaving/knitting, and finishing.
