Wool Yarn Characteristics Made from Wool of Six Different Estonian and Norwegian Sheep Breeds

Abstract

Wool as a natural fiber is of increasing importance nowadays because of its natural renewable source. In Estonia, up to 90% of local wool is not adequately valued, while Norway has a functioning wool buying and sorting system. However, both countries have room for improvement in the better use of local wool. The article provides an overview of the Estonian-Norwegian wool research conducted in 2020-2023 and its main results according to yarn and measuring its properties. During the research, wool was collected from three Estonian and three Norwegian sheep breeds, semi-worsted yarn of two different sizes was made from it, and knitted and woven fabrics, each with the same structure, were produced. The tensile strength and elongation of the yarns and fabrics were measured. The paper focuses on yarn characteristics such as tensile strength and elongation at break and brings up some possibilities about how the wide range of different sheep breeds wool qualities can be used in innovative ways of creating textiles. The smart use of materials is based on the possibilities offered by medium-sized production and knowledge about local wool.