Wool is amino acid. Repeating unit of which are joined together an acid-amide (-CO-NH-)
type of bond
called peptide linkage. Wool protein is called keratin. Wool is a
fibrous protein derived from the specialized skin cells and is taken from
animals in the Caprinae family, principally sheep, but the hair of certain
species of other mammals including: goats, llamas, and rabbits may also be
called wool. Wool has several qualities that distinguish it from hair or fur:
it is crimped, it has a different texture or handle, it is elastic, and it
grows in staples.
Classification of wool
On the basis of length and Diameter
Short & Fine: American Merino-1.5 to
2 inch, Rambouillet – 2.5 to 3.5 inch, Australian Merino – 3 to 5 inch. Medium
& Medium: England down – 2 to 4 inches, Correlate – 3 to 7 inches, Long and
Coarse: Romney sheep – 5 to 6 inch, Blackface Highland – 6 to 8 inch, Cotswold
– 10 to 14 inch
On the basis of Length they are further
classified as Combing wool: It includes the fibers that are combed in
preparation of worsted yarns. Its staple length ranges from 2 to 4 inch.
Clothing wool: Fibers are les than 2 inch in length and are used in the
construction of woolen yearns. Its length ranges from 0.5 to 2 inch.
On the basis of Sheep
Class-I Wool/Marino wool: Merino sheep of
Spain produces the best quality wool which is strong, fine, elastic and has
good working properties. It has the greatest amount of crimp of all wool fibers
and has a maximum numbers of scales to give maximum warmth and spinning
qualities.
Class-II Wool: It is obtained from the
sheep from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Fiber length ranges from 2 to
8 inch, has a large number of scales per inch and has good crimp. the fibers
are strong, fine, elastic, and have good working properties.
Class-III Wool: This class of sheep if
found in United Kingdom. The fiber length ranges from 4 to 8 inch, coarser and
has fewer scales and less crimp than Merino wool and class II wool. They are
smoother and have more luster. They are less elastic and resilient. They are
nevertheless of good enough quality to be used for clothing.
Class-IV Wool: This class is actually a
group of Mongrel sheep sometimes referred to as half-breeds. The fibers are 1
to 16 inch long, coarser and hair like, have relatively few scales and little
crimp and therefore, smoother and more lustrous. It has least elasticity and
strength and used mainly for carpets, rugs and inexpensive low-grade clothing.
The Merino Wool The source of merino wool
is merino sheep, a bread that originated centuries ago in Spain. (the word
“merino” has Spanish roots.) Merino sheep were introduced to Australia in 1794,
and they flourished in he island nation’s temperate interior. Today the
majority of merino sheep are raised in New Zealand (at high elevations),
Australia, South Africa and South America where to climates and the vegetation
consumed by sheep contribute to the exceptional quality of merino wool. It is
estimated that 1square inch of skin on a merino sheep produces roughly 4 times
the number of fibers than other breeds.
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