Removing and Preparing the Fleece

• Workers remove the wool coats from their sheep once a year using special cutting tools. The sheared wool is referred to as fleece. Because the sheep have been wearing their coats for an entire year, the fleece contains large amounts of dirt, oil, lanolin and organic matter. The unusable bottom sections of the fleece that contain fecal matter are cut away from the rest of the usable fleece. This process is called "skirting." The fleeces are then washed. They can either be washed using detergent and water or they can be submerged into an acid bath that dissolves the grease and debris .
  
  

Processing the Fibers

• Once the fleece is clean and dry, it is put through a picking mechanism that teases the wool locks apart to form a type of web. A special oil is also added to the wool during this process. The oil allows the fibers to stick together but also slide against each other at the same time, making it easier to work with the wool during processing. The wool is then carded, either using handheld cards that look like dog brushes or with large machines with drums that work the wool back and forth. The wool is combed several times during the carding process to produce straight-aligned fibers, which are called "worsted."
  
  

Roving and Spinning

• The carded wool is divided into thin strips called "pencil rovings." These strips are wound around a spool. Once the spool is filled, it is placed onto a spinning frame. The wool fibers of the pencil roving are only held together with applied oil and the microscopic hooks on the wool fibers' surfaces. The spinning frame, or spinning wheel if it is done by hand, spins the fibers so that they are twisted together into yarn. The yarn is collected onto a bobbin as the fibers continue to spin.
  
  

Finishing the Yarn

• The spun wool yarn is then prepared for use by knitters. Sometimes the yarn has to be washed after spinning to remove any excess lubricant and to make the fibers open up to become fluffier. If the yarn is going to be knitted by machine, it is wound onto a paper cone to fit in place on the machine. Yarn intended for hand knitters is wound into individual skeins.