Fiber is the raw material from which yarns and threads are made for knitting, weaving, crochet, macrame, as well as non-woven fabrics such as felt. The common plant fibers are cotton, jute, linen (from flax), hemp, ramie, and many others depending on locality and climate. Plant fibers are usually considered separately from animal fibers because they dye differently and have different care. Animal fibers include:
The basic nature of the fiber determines the strength, hand (or feel), color, and texture of the completed fabric. Most of the plant fibers are cellulose, a carbohydrate compound chemically similar to table sugar or starch. Animal fibers are made of the protein keratin, similar to human hair or fingernails.
Wool is uniquely well suited to knitting because it forms an elastic, lofty yarn. The production of wool starts with the raising of sheep. The quality of the wool depends on factors such as the breed, age, sex, and health of the animal. Wool fleeces are clipped from the sheep, usually once a year in the spring after lambing. The process is called shearing and does not harm the animal. The coat tht was removed would have naturally been shed later in the year. The exception is for Shetland sheep where the wool was traditionally plucked from the animal while it was shedding.
Sheared fleeces are graded according to the length of their fiber (staple), diameter of fiber (fineness), amount of crimp, and color. White sheep have an entire fleece that is anywhere from pure white to deep cream. Any other fleece is considered blacksheep and can be black, brown, tan, gray, or several colors in one fleece. Although the white sheep has been most popular because the wool can be dyed, the breeding of blacksheep is being revived by hand spinners and weavers and there are now [remember, this was 1983] being produced commercially.
To make yarn, the graded fleece is picked over, then washed or scoured to remove the natural grease lanolin (which is used in lotions and ointments), suint (dried sweat), and dirt. The wool may then be dyed. When several fleeces are used the wool is blended carefully to be more uniform. Carding blends the fibers, removes foreign material, and straightens the fibers so that they lie parellel in a batt or web. Blending different colored fibers at this point gives heather colors. Worsted wool is then spun by keeping the fibers closely packed and parallel while in woolen yarn the fibers are more random to produce a soft, fuzzy effect. The spinning of wool produces a twisted thread which is much stronger than the carded fiber. Spinning also introduces such factors as tightness of twist, thickness, and texture (smooth vs. novelty effects such as slub or bouclé yarn). Plying consists of twisting two or more singles to increase the strength and thickness or to blend colors such as for tweed or marl effects.
This is fairly general and open to many exceptions such as fleeces may be spun "in grease" and plied and the resulting yarn scoured for dying.
