Prepare note on processing of wool

Processing fibres into wool

Step I:     The first step is the removal of the fleece of the sheep along with a thin layer of skin. This process is termed as shearing. The hair provides woollen fibres that are then processed to obtain woollen yarn.

Step II:     The sheared fleece is systematically washed in tanks in order to remove the grease, dust and dirt. This is known as scouring.

Step III:    The scoured hair is then sorted and sent to a factory where hair of different textures are separated or sorted.

Step IV:    Here the small fluffy fibres, called burrs, are separated from the hair and the hair is scoured again and dried. The wool is then ready to be drawn into fibres.

Step V:      The fibres are dyed into various vibrant colours because the natural colour of the fleece is black, brown or white.
Step VI:     The fibres are then straightened, combed and finally rolled into yarn. The longer fibres are made into wool for sweaters whereas the shorter fibres are spun and woven into woollen cloth.