Wednesday 20 April 2011

Researching natural materials and their background: Wool

This is an image of a wool feather duster which I feel is an inspirational image for me. I like the energy behind each little strand of  hair so to speak and the colours although they are quite summery they can be toned right down to create soaring flashes of colour that are going to be around for  a/w 2011-12.
 Ref: ehow.co.uk






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When the lamb is first fleeced at seven months old, the soft virgin wool is then sent to the British spinner who creates a galaxy of classic and fashion colours.
This wool is knitted at a tight tension on special frames so the garment will not pill or lose any of its shape under normal circumstances.
We produce garments in three types of lambswools, geelong, merino and lambswool


I feel that this is a good descriptive summary of the wool and its process and could help me to produce more images for trend prediction and also how to sell my ideas through words.















































"Wool was probably the first animal fiber to be made into cloth. The art of spinning wool,yarn developed about 4000 B.C. and encouraged trade among the nations in the region of the Mediterranean Sea".


The first wool factory in England was established by the Romans in 50 A.D in the Winchester area. It is said that the 1797 the British took 13 of their Merino sheep and started Australia's Merino sheep' wool industry.

"There are 40 different breeds of sheep in the world producing a rough estimate of 200 types of wool with varying standards. The major wool producers in the world are Australia, Argentina, China and South Africa".          Ref: As above

The four major steps of wool production:

  • Shearing - the process used to remove the sheep's fleece.
  • Grading - The sorting of each piece by length, colour (shade), waviness, fineness etc plus the removal of any stains and damaged pieces.
  • Making Yarn - Before this happens the wool is cleaned with detergents to remove yolk and other things that may be trapped in it such as dust and sand. Then the wool goes through a process called carding which passes the wool through rollers that have wire teeth. These rollers untangle the fibres and flatten them into a sheet called a web which are then formed into narrow ropes known as 'Silvers'.  "Carding length fibres are used to make woollen yarn. Combing length fibres and French combing length fibres are made into worsted yarn". Ref:http://library.thinkquest.org/
" Making worsted wool requires a greater number of processes, during which the fibres are arranged parallel to each other. The smoother the hard-surface worsted yarns, the smoother the wool it produces, meaning, less fuzziness. Fine worsted wool can be used in the making of athletics attire, because it is not as hot as polyester, and the weave of the fabric allows wool to absorb perspiration, allowing the body to "breathe"". Ref: http://library.thinkquest.org/



  • Making the actual Fabric - Wool manufacturers knit or weave the yarns into a multiple of fabrics.



"The finishing of fabrics made of woolen yarn begins withfulling. This process involves wetting the fabric thoroughly with water and then passing it through the rollers. Fulling makes the fibers interlock and mat together. It shrinks the material and giving it additional strength and thickness. Worsteds go through a process called crabbing in which the fabric passes through boiling water and then cold water. This procedure strengthens the fabric".

1)It is hard wearing and absorbs moisture.
2)It does not burn over a flame but smoulders instead.
3)It is lightweight and versatile.
4)Wool does not wrinkle easily.
5)It is resistant to dirt and wear and tear.

Wool is used to make sweaters, dresses, coats, suits, jackets, pants and the lining of boots.It can also be made into blankets and carpets.

Ref: library.thinkquest.org


Ref: history.org


I chose this image not only as it shows the Shearing process, but I liked the way the sheep looks relaxed as well as the person doing the job. This indicates to me that the sheep here are well reared.


  Ref:wool.com.
                                                   A picture of the shears use to remove wool.
Ref: travelpod.com
I feel that this picture shows the shearing process as a bond between the sheep a its carer. i also find this picture very fashion inspiring.
Ref: museumwales.ac.uk
I Like the curliness of this wool in its natural form and feel that it could be used throughout the A/W 2011-12 of 
 trend almost as an embellishment or accessory instead of the usual full garment pieces.
Ref:shutterstock.com
An old fashioned spinning wheel used in the process of making yarn.Ref: high-orbit.co.uk
This is a picture of an earlier industrial yarn making machine. I thought it would be good to look the wool industry
in the early days to see how we have advanced over the years. Obviously industrial machinery was introduced 
as it is quicker than manual labour hence making it better for business and economy.
 Ref: tirotex.com
Modern day yarn spinning machines.
The earlier techniques look more interesting to me. Everything is getting quite robotic to me. 
Hence wanting to keep my trend predictions quite natural but edgy.

This image reminds me of my original idea from previous
 research, the idea of taking control of nature.
Not only has this person done that but they have
 also managed to make their creation fit in with nature 
which is beautiful.  I predict this is that this trend is going to 
be big this A/W 2011-12. 

Ref: managed-hostings.com



I decided to research wool as it is a natural fibre from nature itself, which is what my
trend prediction is for a/w 2011-12 is, and feel that this information will help me when
putting together my trend book.

These rugs are made from 100% New Zealand wool. I like the design of them as they portray nature.
Ref: luxury-insider.com

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