Tuesday, September 1, 2009

So, how is Woolly Boo returning us to tradition, part deux

Now that your wool is nice and dry, it is time to sort it. Because, let's face it, not everything is always suitable for every use, especially when it comes to children. Sorting is done by hand, so that besides the visual inspection we can also test the "feel" of the wool. The softest fibers are always saved for the pillows.



After the sorting, the wool is combed. This is done so that the short and second cuts of the fleece are removed, leaving us with aligned "sheets" of long fibers. The combing also removes the pieces of grass and other vegetation, as well as any foreign matter, that wasn't shed during the washing. A long time ago, this process used to be done by hand, using these tools:



It was a long process that is still used today for the production of small, handmade batches of yarn. Because we at Woolly Boo are using much larger quantities of wool, we do our combing mechanically, like so:



Once combed, the wool is then stored in rolls in large canvas bags in the attic of Grandma's house.

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