# Question about wool lining



## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

Please excuse my total ignorance on this question. I understand the process of getting wool from the sheep to yarn; but how is a fleece prepared if it is to be used for something like the lining of slippers, or lining a jacket, etc.?


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Karen there are several ways to do those things. You could make felt sheets using wet felting and then cut to size. Wool felt boot liners are made this way or using a pattern and shaping the wet wool as it is felting. You could spin yarn and weave a fabric and cut it to size. In some cases you could knit a thing larger than what you want and then wash and dry it to shrink it down or full the knitted fabric. Then there is something called thrummed (sp) which is knitting tufts of fleece into the inside of a thing and with wear it creates a felt lining.

I'm not sure if I answered your question but hopefully I gave you something to think about.


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## cowgirlone (May 9, 2002)

Karen said:


> Please excuse my total ignorance on this question. I understand the process of getting wool from the sheep to yarn; but how is a fleece prepared if it is to be used for something like the lining of slippers, or lining a jacket, etc.?


Sometimes they use the actual tanned hide.


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

Thank you so much for your responses. I was more wondering about, not the felted type, but rather that natural nubby kind that they line barn jackets with, make hoods, trim for hats, collars, etc. 

I know that when you prepare wool for spinning, you card it to remove all of the debris, but how do you do it when you want the fleece to look like a fleece?


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## donsgal (May 2, 2005)

Karen said:


> Please excuse my total ignorance on this question. I understand the process of getting wool from the sheep to yarn; but how is a fleece prepared if it is to be used for something like the lining of slippers, or lining a jacket, etc.?


Look at the post just below here titled "Thrummed Mitts". It's very interesting.

donsgal


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

The nubby stuff that you're talking about in jackets etc would most likely be sheepskin with the fleece on.

The next best thing would be thrumming ... in which you knit a small bit of fleece into every third stitch on every fourth row (or thereabouts) so that there are 'tufts' of fleece on the inside of the thing you are making. It is quite puffy so you have to oversize whatever you're making. I am thinking thrummed slippers would absolutely rock. 

Frazzlehead, who has one thrummed mitt complete, well, without the thumb


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Oh, and to prepare the fleece for thrumming, you wash it first so it's clean ... if it's sufficiently intact you could just pull the bits you use for the thrums off the washed fleece without carding it, but if the fleece has been manhandled or has a lot of VM in it you may want to card it first. You use fairly small 'bit's for each thrum, so you can just pick the bits of hay out as you go if the fleece is reasonably clean after washing.


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## MTDeb (Feb 20, 2003)

Like frazzlehead said, I think what you're talking about is the sheep skin with the fleece still on it. As the hide is tanned and washed (I'm not sure of the exact process for sheep hide), etc, it felts down into that nubby texture. 

BUT, a lot of what you see in the store nowadays isn't real wool. I got a jacket for Christmas thta has that kind of lining and it says it's 100% polyester.


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