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Superfine & Worsted

 What makes our wool “superfine?”

  • Finer fibers make softer wool. Micron size is a measure of fiber diameter. Fine micron wools make fine wool products.
  • Producing fine wool begins on the farm, with researched breeding, dedicated management, and knowledgeable classification. Our wool producers are generating some of the highest quality wool clip in the country.
  • We scrutinize our wool for fiber diameter, long staple length, high strength, and uniformity.
  • Our wool is 18.5 microns and finer, earning the industry classification of "superfine." 
    • Standard Wool
    Superfine Wool
    Synthetic Fiber

This image shows a microscopic close-up of fibers, for comparison. The narrower the fiber, the finer the feel and softness. Image from www.medicalsheepskins.com/images/fibresem.gif

 

What is “worsted” wool?

 Ramblers Way wool is spun in a worsted fashion, referring to the way that the fiber is prepared and turned into yarn. 

Woolen yarn is spun from twisting fibers around each other. This method joins fibers of various lengths. Woolen spinning traps air in the spaces between fibers, while also leaving loose ends, due to the varying lengths of each strand. This creates a scratchy feel where each individual fiber ends.


Worsted yarn is prepared by aligning wool fiber in parallel, spinning fibers together tightly, and joining them at their ends. This creates a remarkably smooth and uniform fabric. However, worsted yarn requires high quality, long staple, wool, which has been combed free of shorter fibers, or “noils.”


Ramblers Way worsted wool garments are made using superfine, long staple wool, free of those pesky, itchy loose ends. The end result is a smooth, strong, and incredibly soft fabric. Using worsted yarn requires us to be more selective wool, but producing some of the finest wool garments available is well worth it.

Woolen Yarn
Worsted Yarn
This illustration shows a microscopic view of spun yarn, for comparison. The woolen yarn combines fibers of shorter lengths, creating scratch loose ends. The worsted yarn twists fibers in parallel, joining them at their ends, for a smooth end result. Image from www.uh.edu/engines/epi1739.htm.
 
Continue:   The Ramblers Way Farm

 

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