Wool
Transcription
Wool
complex weaves simple beauty Pictured: Ona Amandine Wool ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Wool is a fiber derived from specialized fleece found principally on sheep, goats, llamas and rabbits. Wool’s scaling and crimp make it easier to spin the fleece fiber, provides greater bulk than other textiles, and retains ambient air, which causes the product to preserve heat. Anthropologists believe that due to these properties, wool was created to surmount the challenge of survival in the Neolithic Age. By 4000B.C., Babylonians were wearing clothing of crudely woven sheep’s fabric as plucked by hand or bronze comb. Historically, the raw material has been readily available since the widespread domestication of sheep. As a result, the wool trade defined a primary economic engine for the European Low Countries. The 15th Century marked wool as a significant source of income to the English crown. As a result, a stringent tariff, called the “Great Custom”, was put into place by the English government to strictly control exportation practices. With the presiding officer of the House of Lords sitting upon a “Woolsack”, the fiber soon came to distinguish upper echelon noblemen. The English control over wool trade escalated to such an extent that the American colonies were forbidden to trade wool with any country other than “Mother England”. To enforce these parameters, smuggling of the fiber was punishable by the loss of one’s dominant hand. As the mechanization of wool sheering improved, the production of the fiber soon expanded by global proportions. As a hydroscopic fiber, wool has the power to readily absorb and give off moisture. It is highly breathable, largely cleanable, flame memosamples.com 800.366.6839 textus construction library wool complex weaves Wool simple beauty (continued) /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// resistant, and rapidly renewable. Additionally, it has the greatest ability to return to its natural length after being stretched and has the ability to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Wool can be spun in several different ways and harvested from a variety of species to determine the weight, softness and durability of the final product. Textus fabrics, Ona, H2O, Code, Lana, Signet and Passages combine wool with other fibers to lend the properties of this fiber to their modern, high design representations. These patterns beautifully complement accompanying fabrics and can serve the purpose of warming up cool, neutral color palettes in high-end corporate environments. Pictured: Ona Amandine Lambs Wool is a type of fleece that is taken from a young sheep before the age of eight months. Because the fiber has not been cut, it has a natural, tapered end that gives a softer feel than that of mature sheep’s wool. Lana, a Textus creation, utilizes Lambs Wool to provide supreme warmth and a soft hand. Eco Wool is a natural wool yarn that is sheared from free range, roaming sheep that have not been subjected to toxic flea dipping, nor treated with chemicals, dyes or bleaches. Committed to environmental stewardship, Textus composed the Ona pattern from 70% Eco Wool and the Signet pattern from 100% Eco Wool. Merino Wool is typically three to five inches in length and is the finest, softest and most valuable wool on the market. It is also finely crimped and can be utilized in a variety of applications to enhance the softness of the surrounding environment. Worsted Wool is spun from wool fibers that have been combed to ensure the woolen fibers all run in the same direction and remain parallel. The essential features are the straightness of the fiber, its longer length and its fine texture. *Other related animal fibers are Cashmere, Alpaca, and Camel hair. memosamples.com 800.366.6839 textus construction library wool