If you are a crafter of garments, no doubt you have used wool yarn -- but do you know how it is made? Well, to provide some clarification, let me give you a brief overview of the process of making wool yarn.

The first step, of course, is to get the wool off of the animal. While you might think this is a fairly straightforward process, in fact it needs to be done very carefully. For example, on certain animals, fur growing on certain areas of the body (such as around the legs and the underneath of the body) should not be used. These areas of the body typically pick up a lot of dirt and debris because of their continual contact with the ground. As well, areas near the buttocks may be heavily soiled with feces and areas around the neck may be soiled with food .

Once the raw wool has been sheared from the animal, it must be cleansed. While it is true that wool contains lanolin, it may possess other oils as well -- and these oils must be removed through a process called "scouring." This is a process of washing the wool fiber a number of times, using special detergents. Once dry, the wool fiber can be dyed in bulk, if desired.

At this point the wool will exist in a very clumpy state. What takes place in a woolen mill is that the wool fibers will be subjected to various manufacturing processes that will begin to separate the fibers as a prelude to the spinning process. It is very common for a number of different colors of wool fiber to be blended together in order to produce the finished yarn product.

The next stage in the production of wool yarn is that of carding. Carding is simply a process of getting the wool fibers properly aligned, so that they are all lined up in the same direction. Carding wool properly is essential in order to begin the spinning process.

The next step in making wool yarn is, of course, spinning. To keep things simple we can say that spinning is a process that involves twisting the wool fibers together to make the threads that will be used in the manufacture of fabrics and garments. There are many steps involved in successfully spinning wool yarn -- but the finished product is usually a loop of yarn, commonly called a skein. After being looped, the skeins are gathered into individual packages and labeled for retail sale.

Of course the above description is a very basic, simple overview of this process. Whether you are making your own wool yarn at home, in small quantities, or purchasing machine-made yarn that has been produced in large quantities, the process is virtually identical. I hope you found this description informative and helpful!

About the Author

Simon Harris owns and operates http://www.yarn-barn.com All About Yarn