Blog 8- Research initiatives

 Wool Fiber to Yarn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plC_7rfMg3s

The Shephard’s Mill

Shearing

-        The customer shears their animals to collect the fiber which will be skirted before being sent to the mill.

-        Skirting is a process performed by hand to initially divide the fleece by quality and then to remove undesirable materials, like straw or weeds, and any other matter that will not be used in processing the fiber

Receiving and Sorting/Grading

-        The Mill receives fiber from the customer.

-        The type of fiber is identified, weighed and grades based on the fineness of the fiber.

-        The fiber length is measured and if it is longer than 6 inches it many need to be cut shorter depending on what the final product will be.

-        The fiber is also evaluated to determine if more skirting is required.

-        The process from receiving the fibers to the final yarn product is expected to take about 5 weeks.

Washer

-        The washer can wash up to 18 pounds and three different colors of fiber per load.

-        The washer is completely automatic, but it doesn’t agitate like a washer in a home. If it agitated the fiber would felt and be unusable

-        They use water that is 160 degrees and citrus based soap.

-        Alpaca fibers can be washed in an hour and a half. Because sheep have grease in sheep wool it can take 5 hours to wash.

Dryer

-        After the fiber is washed it goes to the dryer. The fibers dry on their own drying rack

-        There is a fan at the end of the three-door dryer that circulates air through the racks to dry the fiber more quickly fiber usually dries withing 24 hours.

Picker

-        When the fiber is on the animal it can develops some matting.

-        The picker pulls the fiber is pulled apart and fluffed to allow the other machines to function more efficiently.

Picker Room

-        The picker blows the fiber into the collection room.

-        When the fiber is picked and fully, conditioners are added to cut static and help the fiber hold together as it goes through the mill.

-        Constant air flow through the collection room keeps the fiber form being damaged. Dust is also collected at this point.

Dehairer

-        The fiber separator gently separates unwanted coarse guard hair, vegetation matter and other contamination from fine fiber.

-        Guard hair is the long coarse top coat hair which protect the soft undercoat of the animal. If not remove the guard hair will cause itching and the end product will be less desirable.

-        The unwanted material are collected in chambers underneath while the prime fiber is discharged from the output end.

-        The speed of the machine is adjustable and is determined based on the type of fiber and the amount of guard hair there is.

Carder

-        The Carder is the heart of a fiber mill.

-        It separates randomly placed fibers from each other and initially aligned these fibers, presenting them in the form of a continuous wed at the output end.

-        This web is turned into batts which are used in quilts and felt making. Or the web can be consolidated int ravings, long narrow bundles, that are turned into yarn.

Draw Frame

-        The draw Frame further aligns the fibers, running them side by side a process called parallelization, making a stringer more consistent roving.

-        Combining multiple ravings and stretching them 2.5 times there original lengths improve consistency for spinning.

Spinner

-        On 4 or 8 spindles at a time, each customers fiber is spun to the mills exacting standards.

-        They specialize in maintaining softness and loft while spinning all sizes of yarn including lace, sport, worsted and bulky.

-        The spinner draws in ravings and directs them through a controlled system, outputting an extremely consistent fiber stream.

-        Spinning at 20 yards per minute, per bobbin, enough yarn for a pair of mittens, 240 yards can spin on 12 bobbins a minute.

Plyer

-        The stream of yarn created is then twisted into a 2-ply or 3ply yarn, most commonly.

-        Yarn size, twist per inch, and production rate can easily be changed.

-        If the customer requests blending this can be done at any time throughout the process depending on what the customer wants their end result to be.

Steamer

-        While under slight tension, the plied yarn is pulled through a steam chamber, a drying tube, and then wound on a cone.

-        Their quality control staff looks for defects which are cut out and the yarn is spliced pneumatically leaving no knots. The process sets the twist much like a heated curling iron sets the curl in hair.

Skein Winder

-        We return yarn to cones or skeins. The Winder crates a measured circle of fiber which removed form the winder is hand twisted into a compact skein of yarn.

-        Size of the yarn determines the number of yards in the finished skein.

Computerized loom

-        Their once customized weaving services are now outsourced, giving them the ability to create woven products for retail outlets across the country in the from of scarves, shawls, throws, pillows, baby blankest and much more.