Wool Facts For Kids

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Two different types of wool

Wool is a special kind of hair that comes from certain mammals. Most of the wool we use comes from sheep and goats. But you can also find wool from camels, llamas, and even special rabbits!

Wool is a natural material. People use its soft fibers to make many things. These include clothing, blankets, and other items that help us stay warm. It's great for sweaters, socks, and even fancy clothes. Did you know that rabbit wool is called angora wool? Also, cashmere and mohair come from goats, and qiviut comes from musk oxen.

What Makes Wool Special?
How Wool Becomes Fabric
Where Does Wool Come From?
Types of Wool Fibers
Images for kids
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What Makes Wool Special?

Wool has some cool features that make it different from regular hair. It is naturally crimped, meaning it has little bends or waves. This helps trap air, making it warm. Wool is also elastic, so it can stretch and bounce back into shape.

Wool fabrics are easy to clean. They can also soak up moisture and keep you warm when it's cold, or cool when it's hot.

How Wool Becomes Fabric

Wool can be spun into yarn. This yarn is then used to weave fabric or other materials. You can also knit the yarn into clothes like jumpers.

After wool is boiled in hot water and rubbed, it can be made into felt. Felt is a type of fabric that is not woven. It's often used to make warm clothes for cold weather.

Where Does Wool Come From?

Sheep were first tamed in southwestern Asia about 11,000 years ago. Today, there are about one billion sheep all over the world!

Australia is the biggest producer of raw wool. It grows about 30% of all the wool in the world. However, people use less wool now than they did in the past. This is because we now have many man-made fibers that are also used for clothing.

Types of Wool Fibers

Wool grows from tiny cells in the skin called follicles. These follicles are found in the upper layer of the skin. They push out the wool fibers as they grow.

There are different kinds of wool fibers:

Rag is a strong wool fiber used for tough items like gloves.
Worsted wool is a strong, long yarn that feels smooth.
Woolen wool is a soft, shorter yarn. It is often used for knitting.

Images for kids

Wool before processing
Shorn sheep
Fleece of fine New Zealand Merino wool and combed wool top on a wool table
Fine Merino shearing in Lismore, Victoria
Wool before and after scouring
Various types and natural colors of wool, and a picture made from wool
A 1905 illustration of a Tibetan man spinning wool
A World War I-era poster sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture encouraging children to raise sheep to provide needed war supplies
"Wool: Fibre of the gods, created – not man-made" CSIRO marketing poster describing the benefits of wool
Wool received by Australian brokers and dealers (tonnes/quarter) since 1973
Wanha Villatehdas, a former wool factory in Hyvinkää, Finland
Woollen yarn
Andean woman sorting wool as part of the theme park Los Aleros in Mérida, Venezuela
Two Hudson's Bay wool mittens sold as part of a Canada Olympics line of clothing.
Coloured wool at Fountains Abbey's barn
Women and girls carding wool, Gotland, Sweden.
Wool-collection-for-soldiers-in-Rome, November 1941
Champion wool
Wool and yarn from Equador
Classing wool on the sheep's back
Merino wool samples