TYPES OF YARN AND FIBER USED IN TEXTILE (WOOL).

Types of yarn and fiber used in Textile:-

WOOL:-

Wool is the textile fibers obtained from sheep and other mammals. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wood and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.

image of wool before processing.

As an animal fiber wool consist of protein together with a small percentage of lipids. This make it chemically quite distinct from cotton and other plant fibers, which are mainly cellulose.

Processing of wool.

SHEARING:-

image of fine merino wool shearing in Lismore Victoria.

Sheep shearing is the process in which a worker (a Shearer) cuts off the woollen fleece of sheep. After shearing wool classrers separate the wool into four main categories, they are

1) Fleece, (which makes up the vast bulk)

2) Broken .

3) Bellies.

4) Locks.

The quality of fleece is determined by technique known as wool classing whereby a qualified person called a wool classer group wools of similar grading together to maximize the return for the farmer of sheep owner. In Australia before being auctioned, all Merino fleece wool is objectively measured for diameter (micron) yield (including the amount of vegetable matter), staple length, staple strength and sometimes color and comfort factor .

SCOURING:-

image of wool before andnl after scouring.

Wool straight off sheep is known as "raw wool" greasy wool"or "wool in the grease'. This wool contains a high level of valuable Lanolin, as well as the sheep's dead skin and sweat residue and generally also contains pesticides and vegetables matter from the animal's environment. Before the wool can be used for commercial purpose, it must be scoured a process of cleaning the greasy wool. Scouring may be as simple as a bath in warm water or a complicated as an industrial process using detergent and alkali in specialized equipment. In North West England special potash pits were constructed to produce potash used in the manufacture of a soft soap for scouring locally produced white wool.

Vegetable matter in commercial wool is often removed by chemical carbonisation. In less-processed wools, vegetable matter may be removed by hand and some of the Lanolin left in act through the use of gentler detergents. This semi grease wool can be worked into yarn and knitted into particularly water resistance mittens or sweaters, such as these of the Aran Islands fisheri. Lanoline removed from wool is widely used in cosmetic products, such as a hand cream.

YARN:-

lmage of woollen Wool.

Shoddy or recycled wool is made by cutting or tearing apart existing wool fabrics and respinning the resulting fibers. As the process makes the wool fibers shorter , the manufactured fabric is inferrior to the original. The recycled wool may be mixed with raw wool, wool noil or another fiber such as cotton toincrease the average fiber length, such yarn are typically used ad weft yarn with warp. This process was invented in the heavy woollen, District of West Yorkshire and created a microeconomy in this area for many years.

Worsted is a strong, long staple, combed wool yarn with a hard surface.

Woollen is a soft short-staple , carded wool yarn typically used for knitting. In traditional weaving woollen weft yarn (for softness and warmth) is frequently combined with worsted warp yarn on the loom. 

USES OF WOOL:-

In addition to clothing , wool has been used for blankets, horse, rugs , saddle cloths, carpeting insulation and upholstery. Wool felt covers, piano hammer and noise in heavy machinery and stereo speakers. Ancient Greeks lined their  helmets with felt and Roman leggionnaries and breastplate made of wool felt.

Wool as well as cotton has also been traditionally used for cloth diapers . Wool fiber exteriors are also hydrophobic (repel water) and the interior of the wool fiber is hygro scopic (attracts water) , this makes a wool garments suitable cover for a wet diaper by inhibiting wicking , so outer garments remain dry . Wool felted and treated with lanlin is water resistance, air permeable and slightly antibacterial, so it resists the build up of odor. Some modern cloth diapers use felted wool fabric for covers and there are several modern commercial knitting pattern of wool diaper covers. Initial studies of woollen underwear have found it prevented heat and sweat rashes, because it more readily absorbs the moisture then other fibers.

As an animal protein, wool can be used as a soil fertilizer, being a slow- release source of nitrogen.

Research at the Royal Melbourne institute of Technology school of Fashion and Textiles have discovered a blend of wool and Kelvar, the Synthetic fiber widely used in body armour was lighter , cheaper and worked better in damp conditions then Kelvar alone . Kelvar when used alone loses about 20% of its effectiveness water proofing process. Wool increased friction in vest with 28-30 layers of fabric, to provide the same level of bullet resistance a 36 layers of Kelvar alone.

Ref:-https://en.m.wikipedia.org