ALL ABOUT WOOL
(IMAGE: CORTLETT)
WOOL IS MOST OFTEN MADE
FROM SHEEP’S FUR, CALLED
FLEECE.
IT CAN BE MADE FROM OTHER
ANIMAL FUR, TOO!
(”WHAT IS WOOL FABRIC”)
HISTORY OF WOOL:
WHERE AND WHEN
Sheep were raised in Mesopotamia back in 4,000 BCE,
so people could have been making wool then.
Wool textiles were found in 1500 BCE in a Danish bog.
(“FIBRE HISTORY”)
ANCIENT GARMENTS
We
ev
(MARK)
“SPINNING AND WEAVING IN ANCIENT GREECE”
TOOLS
Comb - straightens fibers into parallel
Spindle - twists fibers into yarn
Loom - weaves strands into fabric
Knitting needles - knit yarn into stretchy fabric
(DE LANGE AND GREEF)
WOOL PROCESS
We
ev
FLEECE BEING SHORN: WOOL SPINNING
(“BEHIND THE WOOL”) WOOL BEING COMBED (WALTIN) (“BEHIND THE WOOL”))
HOW IS WOOL MADE?
Sheep are shorn (the fleece gets cut off), and then the staples
(sections) of fleece get separated.
The thinner the hairs in the staple, the finer the wool.
The wool is cleaned and combed to line up all the fibers in parallel.
After the wool is combed, it gets spun into yarn.
Spinning twists the parallel fibers so that they form a strong spiral.
Yarn is wrapped into bundles called skeins.
The wool yarn is knit or woven into fabric.
We're a team. We do
everything together.
(DE LANGE AND GREEF)
KNITTING WEAVING
MORE
PROCESS
IMAGES
We
ev
KNITTING: ZEN YARN GARDEN LOOM: “SPINNING AND WEAVING IN ANCIENT GREECE.”
THE FABRIC
CLOSE-UP
We
WOVEN WOOL: KOCAR ev
MEDIEVAL LOOM:
KOCAR
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cortlett, Eva. “Sheep Shorn of 18kg fleece after three years on the
lam.” The Guardian, April 2022.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/19/sheep
-shorn-of-18kg-fleece-after-three-years-on-the-lamb. Accessed
12 Sept 2023.
de Lange, Almero and Rachelle Greeff. Wool in South Africa. Cape
Wools SA NPC, 2014. https://iwto.org/wp-
content/uploads/2022/01/Wool-in-South-Africa.pdf. Accessed
12 Sept 2023.
Mark, Joshua. “Ancient Greek Clothing.” World History, 13 July
We're a team. We do
2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/20/ancient-greek-
everything together.
clothing/
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“A Short History on Wool Combing.” Wovember, Nov 2013.
https://wovember.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/a-short-history-
on-wool-combing/. Accessed 18 September 2023.
“How to Knit with Circular Knitting Needles.” Zen Yarn Garden, July
2021. https://zenyarngarden.com/blogs/zen-news/how-to-knit-
with-circular-knitting-needles. Accessed 15 Sept 2023.
“What is Wool Fabric.” Sewport, Sept 2023.
https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/wool-fabric. Accessed
15 Sept 2023.
“Fibre History.” Woolmark, 28 Aug 2006. We're a team. We do
https://archive.is/20060828001755/http:/www.woolmark.com/about_educati
everything together.
on_fibre.php. Accessed 5 Dec 2024.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Spinning and Weaving in Ancient Greece.” Women in Antiquity,
April 2017.
https://womeninantiquity.wordpress.com/2017/04/02/spinning-
and-weaving-in-ancient-greece/. Accessed 12 Sept 2023
Kocar, Rudolf. “Wool Fabrics Through The Ages.” Sartor Bohemia,
Nov 2020. https://www.sartorbohemia.com/article/35/wool-in-
period-clothing/. Accessed 18 Sept 2023
“Behind the Wool.” Minnesota Grown, ND.
https://minnesotagrown.com/lamb-and-wool/. Accessed 13
Sept 2023.
Waltin, Josefin. Spinning Archives, ND.
https://waltin.se/josefinwaltinspinner/tag/spinning/page/4/.
Accessed 15 Sept 2023.
