Wool Production and Processing, an animated explainer

This animated promotional video by the not-for-profit Woolmark Company shares how Merino wool makes its way from Merino sheep on 60,000 Australian farms—where it’s “grown on the simple mix of fresh air, sunshine, water, and grass”—to clothes that we wear.

In between, the raw wool fiber is cleaned, processed, and spun into yarn. Each stage of this wool production and processing is demonstrated up close with animated scenes that follow the two manufacturing methods:

“Long uniform wools go through worsted processing, whereas shorter wools go through woollen processing…”

“Worsted yarn mainly uses the highest quality fleece wool obtained during shearing. Fleece wool generally contains the longest wool fibres, which vary less in diameter and length. Worsted yarn is used to make flatter, lighter and smoother fabrics such as those used for traditional tailoring…

“Woollen yarn is usually created from the shorter fibres of the sheep’s fleece. These wool fibres vary more in diameter and length. Woollen yarn is used to make thick, heavyweight woven or knitted garments. These fabrics are ideal for warm winter jackets or sweaters.”

The video also shows how clothes are machine-knit, woven, and dyed to create eco-friendly textiles.

Then dive deeper into wool’s chemical structure with the animation below. The annotations show the microscopic components that help make this biodegradable fiber resistant to odors, stains, wrinkles, and even flames.

Watch these related videos next:
• How woolly sweaters are made
• The Big Cloth (An Clò-Mòr): Weaving Harris Tweed
• Crocheting with English Angora Rabbit Wool
• Weaving on Mount Vernon’s 18th Century Loom