Fibre to Fabric
Science Class Seven
Introduction of Fibre
Fibre is a continuous filament. Fiber is used in many diversified ways. Fiber can be spun into filaments, string or rope. Fibre is used in making of fabrics.
Fiber are of two types. One is natural fibre and other is artificial fibre. Natural fibre is obtained from plants and animals while artificial fibre is produced in laboratory.
Jute, cotton, wool, nylon, rayon, etc. are some examples of fibres.
Fibres obtained from animals are complex proteins.
Animals Fibres: Wool and Silk
Wool
Animals that found in extremely cold climate usually have a thick coat of hair on their bodies. Dense hair on body traps air which acts as bad conductor of heat and save animals live there from extreme cold.
Wool is obtained from the hair of sheep, camel, rabbit, lama, alpaca, goat, etc.
Wool is dense, warm coat of hair of sheep and other many animals. This warm coat of hair on the body of sheep is called fleece.
The hair of sheep has many unique properties that make it well suited to textile production. Wool is used in a variety of textiles.
History of Wool
Ancient people do not know about the wool. Later on probably they felt that the skins of sheep, goat and many other skin bearing animals are warmer and started wrapped their body from those skins obtained from animals to protect them from harsh climate.
Initially sheep was domesticated for meat and milk. Later on people came to know that some hair underside of the sheep were better and can be used to get fibres. It is said that between 8000 BC to 5000 BC people could begin to spin wool.
Animals that yield wool
As soon as one hears about the wool, the sheep comes in the top of the mind. But, apart from sheep there are many animals from which we get wool, these animals are camel, goat, rabbit, lama, yak, alpaca, etc.
Which Hair Gives Wool
Wool yielding animals has two types of hair. The coarse beard hair and under hair close to the skin. The under hair which is find close to the skin are soft and fine. These fine hair give fiber which is used in making of wool.
Sheep and its breed
There are more than 100 types of breed of sheep. They are found the in the different parts of our country as well as worldwide.
Cashmere Goat
In India, Cashmere Goat is mainly found in the area of Ladakh. The Cashmere Goat is known as Changthangi Goat also.
The wool obtained from the under fur of Cashmere Goat is called Pashmina Wool. The shawl woven using Pashmina wool is called Pashmina Shawl.
The word Pashmina came from a Persian word Pashm which means Wool.
The Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool. Merino sheep is found in Australia and USA.
Angora Goat and Angora Rabbit
There is a breed of Goat called Angora. It is believed that Angora is a Turkish breed of Goat. The fibre obtained from Angora Goat is called Mohair.
There are many breed of Goat have been derive from Angora Goat. Some of them are Indian Mohair, Soviet Mohair, Angora-Don (Russian Federation), Pygora (USA), etc.
The wool which is found from Angora Goat is known as Angora Wool also besides Mohair.
The shawl woven from Mohair or Angora Wool is called Pashmina Shawl also.
In India Angora Goat is found in the hilly region of Kashmir and Ladakh. It is found in Tibet also.
Angora wool is found from a breed of rabbit also called Angora Rabbit
Breeds of Sheep Found in India
There are many breeds of sheep found in different areas in India.
| Some Indian Breeds of Sheep | ||
|---|---|---|
| Breed | Quality of wool | State in which they found |
| Lohi | Google quality | Rajasthan, Punjab |
| Rampur Bushair | Brown fleece | Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh |
| Nali | Carpet wool | Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab |
| Bakharwal | For woolen shawls | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Marwari | Coarse wool | Gujrat |
| Patanwadi | For Hosiery | Gujrat |
| Source: NCERT Book Science Class 7th page no. 26 | ||
From fibres to wool
Sheep are reared for meat and milk also, but the main purpose of rearing of sheep is to obtain wool from their fleece. Wool is obtained from the fleece after cutting and processing it.
Rearing and breeding of sheep: (Sheep Husbandry)
Rearing and breeding of sheep is a subcategory of animal husbandry.
Sheep farming is primarily based on raising of sheep to get wool. Sheep may also be raised for obtaining milk or meat.
In India, sheep are reared mainly in hilly areas, like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, or the plains of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Feeding of Sheep
Sheep are herbivores. Shepherds take them outdoor to graze in normal season. But generally, in cold days of winter they are kept indoor and fed on grain, dry fodder, and leaves.
Selective Breeding of Sheep
All sheep do not produce good quality and large quantity of wool. To obtain good quality of wool selective breeding are done in scientific way.
In selective breeding, one of the parent is chosen of good breed, so that the good breed of sheep can be obtained.
Obtaining of Wool From Sheep
In the season of winter, a thick coat of hair grows on the body of sheep. This happens naturally. Growing of a thick coat of hair prevent sheep from harsh cold climate.
This thick coat of hair is shaved off from the body of sheep in summer.
The fleece (hair) obtained from the body of sheep is processed further to get wool.
Processing of fleece or hair (fiber) into wool
The wool which we see in the market and used in knitting or weaving is the finish product.
From shaving off the fleece to the processing of wool is carried out in different many steps.
The process of getting wool as finished product comprises of Shearing, Classing, Washing, sorting and some other steps.
Shearing
Step (I) : First of all the thick hair is shaved off from the body of sheep.
The process of removing or cutting off or shaving off the fleece (hair) from the body of a sheep is called the shearing or clipping or sheep shearing.
The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer.
Generally, shearing is done once in a year preferably in the summer. Because in summer sheep do not need a protective coat of hair to save them from cold. By the winter a new coat of hair is grown over the body of the sheep. Saving off of hair does not hurt a sheep. This is similar to hair cutting in human.
Shearing is done using blades, which is known as blade shears. But nowadays machines are used in shearing. Although, blade shears are still in used at many places.
Scouring
Step (II): After the shearing, wool is washed and cleaned thoroughly. The washing and cleaning of fleece after shaving it off is called Scouring.
Sheared fleece (hair) contains a thin layer of sheep's skin, dust, dirt and some other oily materials. Sheared fleece is thoroughly washed in tanks using hot water, and chemicals.
Sorting
Step (III): After scouring, sorting is done. The fleece contains hairy skin is sent to the factory where hair of different textures are separated or sorted.
Step (IV): The small fluffy fibers, called burrs, are picked out from the hair.
Sometimes many small burrs get appeared on sweaters and other clothes made of wool. These are the same types of burrs.
After picking the fluffy fibers (burrs), scouring is done again to ensure cleaning all of the unwanted materials present in the fleece.
Now, wool is ready to be drawn into fibres.
Dyeing
Step (V): After the above all processes, fibres are dyed to get desired colour. The natural fleece are of black, brown and white in colour.
Step (VI): After dying, fibres are straightened, combed and rolled into yarn.
The longer fibres of wool are used in making sweaters, and shorter fibres are used to spun and woven into woolen cloths.
Measurement of Quality of Wool
Quality of wool is measured by its diameter. The diameter of wool is measured in microns. Wool having less than 15.5 micron of diameter is considered the best. These grades may vary depending on the breed or purpose of the wool. Wool having diameter of 15.5 micron are known as Ultrafine Merino
Use of wool
Wool fiber is used in making fabric by the process of knitting and weaving.
Reference: