Wool
At Silkeborg Uldspinderi, wool is our foundation. We have worked with wool for three generations. From the lightest and softest qualities to heavy and warm Scandinavian wool; as well as from raw wool to the finished product. Wool is a unique natural material. It provides insulation against both heat and cold, is naturally dirt-repellent, can hold lots of moisture without feeling wet and has antibacterial properties. It is flexible and has almost infinite possibilities depending on which type of wool you use and how it is processed on its way from the sheep to the finished product.
Once the sheep have been shorn, the wool is sent to be washed in order to remove any dirt and lanolin, which is wool’s natural, water-resistant grease. It is then carded. Carding disentangles the fibres and removes any impurities so that the fleece can be spun to yarns which – depending on how they are spun – can be used for weaving or knitting. A woollen jumper or plaid can be more or less “woolly” depending on whether the yarns are combed or just carded. Combing the garn removes the short, loose fibres; this results in a smoother, stronger and softer yarn.
If a woollen garment feels itchy on the skin, this is due to the short fibres that make the yarn shaggy. When the yarn is combed, the loose fibres are removed and the wool will therefore not feel so itchy. Furthermore, combed yarn will not have the same tendency to peel – i.e. to form small knots of tangled fibres on the surface. Wool insulates. It can keep you both cool and warm thanks to the fibres’ special structure, which is able to trap lots of air. It is the air in the textile that provides insulation, and a thin woollen plaid is therefore much warmer than a thicker one made of cotton, for example.
At Silkeborg Uldspinderi our focus begins on the raw wool so that we are always able to ensure that we can attain the desired quality that is then processed and transformed into throws and cushions of a quality that will last for many years.
