Prepared
Wool Tops
These are wool fibres that have been washed and carded into
a roving. The fibres are first prepared as above so that the
tops are consistent in their staple length and count. The
Bradford
count of fibre fineness is commonly used in the
UK to define a wool top: the higher the count, the finer the
top. The staple length should be consistent and defines the
ease with which it can be hand spun and the style of yarn
which can most easily be made. The images show Blueface Leicester
top and a skein spun from the fibre.
 Where
wool tops are a blend of natural coloured fibres there is
always a range of colours within the mix, commercially known
as 'jitteriness', and it is not possible to maintain a precise
colour match between batches. You are advised to buy all the
fibres for one project at the same time so that is comes from
the same blend.
Dyed
Merino wool tops are batch dyed from white stock,
and are not blended. The colours are consistent and repeatable.
All fibres, and particularly wool, absorb and lose moisture.
As a result all weights of fibres supplied can vary by up
to 10% from the nominal.
What is being done about phasing out mulesing in
Australia?
The following information was gathered from the web site for
the
Department for Environment and Heritage
in Australia:
"Mulesing is named after an Australian stockman, Mr J H Mules,
who invented and helped develop the procedure during the
1930s. Mulesing is the practice of cutting away folds of skin
from below the sheep's tail to prevent what is called fly
strike. Flystrike is where blowflies lay their eggs in moist
wool and flesh eating maggots create wounds, causing the sheep
considerable pain, stress and suffering and, in many cases,
death. The practice of Mulesing is to be phased out by 2010.
To achieve this an alternative method must be found.
Considerable research effort is being made to identify the
best way to prevent fly strike without mulesing. Possibilities
include chemical methods and breeding."
All the Merino fibres sold by Fibrecrafts are sourced from
non-mulesed stock.
Selecting Wool Fibres for Feltmaking and Spinning
Felt can be built in many ways using wool fibres as the
base (learn
how). However it is important to make sure that
you are using the correct quality of fibres. Too coarse a
fibre prevents felting; fibre below 56's Bradford count will
not felt easily. Lustrous, fine fibres felt quickly and reduce
the time for working the design into shape.
 Heavily
dyed fibres do not felt easily and black can be a particular
problem unless special dyes are used.
With all these points in mind, a range of
undyed
and coloured
wool fibres are available from Fibrecrafts for
feltmakers and spinners. The
Merino
Wool Tops offer a Bradford Count of 60 providing
a fibre which will felt readily and can also be spun into
yarn for garments which do not turn into felt at the first
wash! The fine black wool has been specially and carefully
dyed for Fibrecrafts to retain a good felting performance
and is excellent for fine woollen spinning.
Commercial wool tops can become compacted by the time they
reach you. There is a quick way to open them up which will
make drafting much easier. This applies to all processed fibres.
Grasp the sliver at one end, with your hands about 8 inches
apart, further for the long staple breeds such as Teeswater,
and gently draw the sliver four or five times until the fibres
start to 'give' and slip past each other. Do not pull so much
that the sliver thins or draws apart. Move your hands along
by two inches and repeat the procedure.
Here is a useful link from the Department
Of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia which
explains a little more about wool properties and production.
The web page will open in a separate window.
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