Greasy Wool Research Articles

The Body Weight after Shearing and the Greasy Wool Yield of Red Karaman Ewes at Different Raising Conditions in Turkey

The Body Weight after Shearing and the Greasy Wool Yield of Red Karaman Ewes at Different Raising Conditions in Turkey

The Live Weight after Shearing and the Greasy Wool Yield of Zom Ewes at Different Raising Conditions in Turkey

The Live Weight after Shearing and the Greasy Wool Yield of Zom Ewes at Different Raising Conditions in Turkey

The application of biosurfactants for scouring wool

The first investigation of the use of biosurfactants for the scouring of raw wool is reported. A saponin, and a recently developed surface active oat extract, were evaluated at the laboratory scale using a first‐to‐be‐reported benchtop scouring system with simulated flowback. The levels of contaminants remaining on the wool after bioscouring, along with the wool colour, were compared with those of wool that had been laboratory‐scoured with a surfactant used in the commercial scouring of raw wool, namely a synthetic nine molar poly(oxyethylene)nonylphenyl (NPEO). Both biosurfactants can be extracted from land‐based renewable crops. The saponin proved to be effective, producing low levels of residual contaminants on the wool, and colours that were not statistically different to those of wool scoured with NPEO. The oat extract was considerably less effective than the saponin, both in terms of colour and residual contaminant level. This study demonstrated the significant potential of biosurfactants in the scouring of the global greasy wool clip, which now comprises two billion kg per annum.

An effect of suint on sheep wool impedance and heat resistance values

ABSTRACTThe phenomenon of impedance finds an application in many areas of science; however, no studies relate to wool. Thus, the aim of the study was an examination of an effect of from the presence of suint layer on sheep wool fibers on impedance and heat resistance values. Electrical characteristics (impedance [Ω]) and heat resistance were compared in terms of wool washing effect. The impedance of wool samples was tested in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 1 MHz. In order to measure electrical characteristics and heat resistance values, five samples of greasy wool were collected from different sheep breeds, standardized by weight. After the analyses, the samples were washed and reexamined. The results showed significant differences in the impedance between the greasy and washed wool samples in each of the tested breed (p > 0.05). The suint layer reduces the impedance level, which was also confirmed by a heat resistance test results demonstrating that absence of suint layer on wool fibers significantly reduced this feature value (p > 0.05). This was also reflected in the weight differences between the examined wool samples before and after their washing.

Quantity and quality of wool yolk in Caucasian Merino rams

Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine the quality and quantity of the wool yolk of the rams from Caucasian merino breed in order to improve their technological features. The analyses included seven rams and eleven rams at the age of 18 months. Thirty-six individual wool samples from two parts of the body (side and thigh) were studied. The following wool parameters were investigated: percentage of the dirty areas of the wool (on the side and the thigh), fat amount, sweat amount, pH of sweat, laboratory wool yield, and color of greasy wool on the side. Percentage of the dirty areas of the wool by categories and topographic ranges varied from 30.79% to 41.52%, indicating that the wool yolk of Caucasian rams was of sufficient quantity and good quality. The percentage of the fats in wool yolk to the greasy wool was relatively high (23.25% in the rams at the age of 18 months and 25% in the rams) and had a negative impact on the wool yield. The ratio of fat/sweat was 1.91:1 in rams and 1.44:1 in rams at the age of 18 months). The higher relative part of the fat compared to the sweat was an indicator of good protective properties of the wool yolk. That allowed to protect the technological properties of the wool.

Evaluation of mean fiber diameter measurements by FibreLux micron meter and OFDA2000 in Texas and Intermountain west wool

Objective measurements of wool, specifically mean fiber diameter (MFD), plays an important role in the selection of replacement animals and the marketing of greasy wool. The FibreLux (FL) was designed for field use and will be a cost-effective instrument for producers if it compares favorably to the OFDA2000 on U.S. wool samples. The aim of this study was to compare accuracy and precision of the FL to the OFDA2000 for measurement of mean fiber diameter of U.S. wool. We hypothesized that MFD accuracy of the FL vs. OFDA2000 would be within manufacturer recommended 0.8 μm specifications in U.S. wool samples. Wool from animals originating from two distinct regions was used in this study. Side samples from Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota (n = 998; 21 flocks) and Texas (n = 883; 11 flocks) were measured on the FL and OFDA2000 at the Montana State University Wool Lab (MSU) and the Texas A&M AgriLife Bill Simms Wool and Mohair Research Lab (AgriLife), respectively. The FL and OFDA2000 were strongly correlated (P < 0.001) at both MSU (r = 0.89) and AgriLife (r = 0.93), yet differed (P < 0.001) between the two laboratories. At MSU the FL measurements were 0.25 μm greater (P < 0.001) than the OFDA2000. The opposite was found at AgriLife, where the FL measurements were 0.21 μm less (P < 0.001) than the OFDA2000. At MSU, the slope of the geometric mean regression coefficient did not differ (P = 0.111) from unity. In contrast, AgriLife underestimated MFD by 0.9 μm for 15 μm fibers and overestimated MFD by 0.7 μm at 25 μm (P < 0.001). Samples coarser than 25 μm indicated that the FL can provide useful measurements above the specified range. Standard error of predictions were 0.94 and 0.67 μm for MSU and AgriLife, respectively. The FL variance components were greater than the OFDA2000, with the greatest source of variation was from multiple staples within the same fleece, and reload error was greater for FL than OFDA2000. We believe the FibreLux will be a useful tool for on farm measuring of MFD in U.S. wools.

Farklı Yetiştirici Koşullarında Norduz Koyunlarının Kırkım Sonu Canlı Ağırlığı ve Kirli Yapağı Verimi

In this study, the live weight after shearing, the greasy wool weight and, the clean fleece percentage of Norduz ewes in different breeding conditions were investigated. The animal material consisted of a total of 260 head of Norduz ewes including 52 head ewes at the different flocks raised in Dolayli (farm 1), Gecerli (farm 2), Geziyurt (farm 3), Oguldami (farm 4) and, Tasinacak (farm 5) neighbourhoods of Gurpinar province in Van city. Norduz ewes were sheared using shearing scissors between end of June and beginning of July. After shearing, ewes were weighted by using electronic digital weighing scale. Then, the sampling for clean fleece percentage were performed from area of the last rib on the right shoulder of 12 head of ewes in each flock. When all the farms were generally evaluated, the effect of live weight after shearing on the greasy wool weight was statistically significant (p<0.01). Least squares means for greasy wool weight at farm 1, farm 2, farm 3, farm 4 and, farm 5 were 2.03, 2.05, 2.05, 2.06 and, 2.06 kg, respectively. When all the farms were generally evaluated, the effect of age of ewe and farm on the live weight after shearing was statistically significant (p<0.01) in Norduz ewes. Least squares means for live weight after shearing at Dolayli, Gecerli, Geziyurt, Oguldami and, Tasinacak neighbourhoods were 53.21, 54.30, 51.25, 55.08 and, 54.93 kg, respectively. Means of clean fleece percentage were 64.25%, 67.76%, 63.50%, 66.68% and, 64.06% for Dolayli, Gecerli, Geziyurt, Oguldami and, Tasinacak neighbourhoods, respectively.

Ectopic expression of FGF5s induces wool growth in Chinese merino sheep

Fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5) has been recognized as an inhibitor to cease animal hair growth, while in contrary, FGF5 short alternative transcript (FGF5s) can induce hair growth by antagonizing FGF5 function. To investigate the role of FGF5s in wool growth in Chinese Merino sheep, we generated transgenic sheep of ectopic expression of FGF5s by injection of recombinant lentivirus into zygote. Totally 20 transgenic sheep were obtained and 12 were alive after birth. Characterization of the transgene revealed that the transgenic sheep showed variety of integrant, ranged from 2 to 11 copies of transgene. The ectopic expression of FGF5s was observed in all transgenic sheep. Further study on the effect of ectopic expression of FGF5s revealed that the wool length of transgenic sheep were significantly longer than that of non-transgenic control, with 9.17cm of transgenic lambs versus 7.58cm of control animals. Notably, besides the increase of wool length, the yearling greasy fleece weight was also concordantly greater than that of wild-type (p<0.01), with 3.22kg of transgenic sheep versus 2.17kg of control lambs (p<0.01) in average. Our results suggested that overexpression of FGF5s could stimulate wool growth and resulted in increase of wool length and greasy wool weight.

The intensity of grazing management influences lamb production from native grassland

The intensity of grazing management required for optimal pasture and animal production from heterogeneous native grasslands has received little research in the high-rainfall zone of south-eastern Australia. The aim of this experiment was to determine how the intensity of grazing management, from continuous grazing (P01) to flexible 4- and 20-paddock rotational systems (P04 and P20), influenced the productivity and sustainability of a Merino ewe, terminal sire lamb production system run on a native grassland dominated by Microlaena stipoides and Rytidosperma spp. The present paper focuses on the animal production and feed-quality results from this experiment. There was a higher per head animal production for the P01 than the P20, with the P04 being intermediate. The differences were found for ewe liveweight and fat score, lamb growth rates and lamb liveweight at weaning. The P20 was able to run higher ewe numbers, in response to greater feed on offer than for P04 and P01, which enabled lamb production per hectare at weaning to be similar and greasy wool production per hectare to be greater than for P01. The organic matter digestibility of the ewe diet estimated from faecal analysis was lower for P20 and P04 systems than for P01 over a 7-month period and explained differences measured in sheep performance at that time. When lambs were retained after weaning, they could be kept for longer on the P20 and grown to a greater weight than for the P01 and P04, but the criteria for setting stocking rates and selling lambs from systems influenced the production from the systems. Further work is needed to investigate the interaction between stocking rate (ewe numbers and lamb sale time) and grazing management and examine different options for managing rotational grazing systems.

The repeatability of textural wool handle

Merino breeders use textural greasy wool handle in ram buying and breeding decisions. The effectiveness of the current wool handle scoring system has not been objectively evaluated. The assessor repeatability of textural wool handle was quantified using three different methods of assessment (on the live animal, as a greasy wool mid-side sample, and as a clean (scoured) wool mid-side sample). The aim of the study was to determine which method of assessment is the most repeatable. Three separately defined repeatability estimates were calculated based on knowledge about the operator. The first estimate was based on the assessor repeatability from the operators used in this study. The second estimate was calculated using replicate values obtained from the same random assessor and the third estimate was based on two results from independent random assessors. The results demonstrated that the assessor repeatability was the greatest when handle was assessed on the clean wool mid-side method, followed by the greasy wool mid-side assessment, and least in the live-animal assessment. However, there was significant variation in the repeatability estimates between the four assessors used in the study. Accounting for fixed effects such as sex, sire group, birth type and rearing type, decreased the variation observed and thus had a negative impact on the assessor repeatability of textural wool handle. The results in this study indicate that non-wool constituents negatively impact on the ability of an assessor to consistently assign a score for textual handle in the greasy wool mid-side method. It is likely that the added cost and time required for scouring to assess handle in the clean state may not be economically viable in most situations. However, the increase in repeatability by assessing handle in greasy wool mid-side method compared with the live-animal assessment indicates that sheep producers should use this strategy when evaluating the trait on-farm.

Resource use and greenhouse gas emissions from three wool production regions in Australia

Australia is the largest supplier of fine apparel wool in the world, produced from diverse sheep production systems. To date, broad scale analyses of the environmental credentials of Australian wool have not used detailed farm-scale data, resulting in a knowledge gap regarding the performance of this product. This study is the first multiple impact life cycle assessment (LCA) investigation of three wool types, produced in three geographically defined regions of Australia: the high rainfall zone located in New South Wales (NSW HRZ) producing super-fine Merino wool, the Western Australian wheat-sheep zone (WA WSZ) producing fine Merino wool, and the southern pastoral zone (SA SPZ) of central South Australia, producing medium Merino wool. Inventory data were collected from both case study farms and regional datasets. Life cycle inventory and impact assessment methods were applied to determine resource use (energy and water use, and land occupation) and GHG emissions, including emissions and removal associated with land use (LU) and direct land use change (dLUC). Land occupation was divided into use of arable and non-arable land resources. A comparison of biophysical allocation and system expansion methods for handling co-production of greasy wool and live weight (for meat) was included.Based on the regional analysis results, GHG emissions (excluding LU and dLUC) were 20.1 ± 3.1 (WA WSZ, mean ± 2 S.D) to 21.3 ± 3.4 kg CO2-e/kg wool in the NSW HRZ, with no significant difference between regions or wool type. Accounting for LU and dLUC emissions and removals resulted in either very modest increases in emissions (0.3%) or reduced net emissions by 0–11% depending on pasture management and revegetation activities, though a higher degree of uncertainty was observed in these results. Fossil fuel energy demand ranged from 12.5 ± 4.1 in the SA SPZ to 22.5 ± 6.2 MJ/kg wool (WA WSZ) in response to differences in grazing intensity. Fresh water consumption ranged from 204.3 ± 59.1 in the NSW HRZ to 393.7 ± 123.8 L/kg wool in the WA WSZ, with differences primarily relating to climate. Stress-weighted water use ranged from 11.0 ± 3.0 (SA SPZ) to 74.6 ± 119.5 L H2O-e/kg wool (NSW HRZ) and followed an opposite trend to water consumption in response to the different levels of water stress across the regions. Non-arable grazing land was found to range from 55% to almost 100% of total land occupation. Different methods for handling co-production of greasy wool and live weight changed estimated total GHG emissions by a factor of three, highlighting the sensitivity to this methodological choice and the significance of meat production in the wool supply chain. The results presented improve the understanding of environmental impacts and resource use in these wool production regions as a basis for more detailed full supply chain analysis.

Fabric and greasy wool handle, their importance to the Australian wool industry: a review

Handle-related properties of woollen fabrics have been demonstrated to be major factors affecting consumer buying attitudes. Handle is the combination of both textural and compressional attributes. Compressional handle has demonstrated processing advantages in woven and knitted fabrics. The handle of processing lots can be manipulated using a variety of technologies but direct manipulation of textural greasy wool handle pre-processing is still crude. On-farm, there is documented evidence that including handle assessment in a selection index provides additional improvements in genetic gain. However, the assessment of greasy wool handle is based on a tactile evaluation of the wool staple by sheep and wool classers, and its application is affected by a lack of framework that instructs assessors on a standard method of assessment. Once a reliable and repeatable protocol is developed, further understanding of the effect greasy wool handle has on final garment quality will be possible.

Contribution of objective and subjective attributes to the variation in the whiteness and brightness of commercial mohair sale lots

Colour properties are measured prior to the sale of merino wool as they are of commercial importance when greasy wool is sold and when wool is dyed. With the paucity of knowledge of the colour properties of commercial mohair, this study aimed to identify and quantify the factors affecting the brightness (Y) and yellowness (Y-Z) values of commercial lots of Australian mohair. The research database comprised 520 sale lots (>500,000 kg mohair), which had tristimulus tests, and was sold during the period 2001–2009. Mohair was subjectively classed and sale lots objectively tested using international standard methods for mean fibre diameter (MFD, μm), fibre diameter coefficient of variation (%), International Wool Testing Organization (IWTO) clean wool base (IWTO yield, %w/w), vegetable matter (VM, %w/w) and the tristimulus values X, Y and Z (T units). The tristimulus values of Australian mohair were affected by the objective measurements of MFD, VM%, the subjective classing of stain, cotting, kemp and length and by the year and selling season. Variation in Y was more easily predicted with 90.5% of variance explained by the best model compared with variation in Y-Z, where the best model explained 51.6% of the total variance. Visually assessed properties of the mohair were very important in separating mohair of different Y properties, accounting for almost 80% of the total variance, but were far less important in accounting for the variance in Y-Z, accounting for about 9–10% of the total variance. The most important effects on the Y of mohair were associated with subjectively determined fault categories determined before the sale of mohair. In particular, stain fault explained about two-thirds of the variance in brightness of mohair sale lots. Stained mohair had much lower brightness than mohair free of stain but stain fault explained very little of the variation in yellowness of mohair sale lots. The extent of the differences in tristimulus values between seasons and years were not large for Y but were more important for yellowness (Y-Z), and these effects are likely to be of commercial importance. Generally, brightness decreased and yellowness increased as MFD increased up to about 30 μm. Both cotting and kemp fault were associated with reduced brightness and increased yellowness. The effects of VM% on tristimulus values were small. IWTO yield was associated with changes in tristimulus values, but in the best model, IWTO yield was not a significant determinant. This study indicates that commercial Australian fleece (nonfaulted) mohair was essentially white. Faulted mohair on the other hand exhibited poorer colour characteristics. The mohair subjectively identified as stained prior to sale comprised all the mohair which would be regarded as not white, and this investigation indicates that the effect of staining is on the brightness of mohair rather than the Y-Z measurement. Unlike the situation with merino wool, there was little relationship between the naturally occurring contaminants, as measured by the IWTO washing yield, and either Y or Y-Z.

Greasy Raw Wool for Clean-up Process of Marine Oil Spill: from Laboratory Test to Scaled Prototype

Greasy raw wool, as sheared, was proposed as natural, cost effective adsorbent material for oil recovery and remediation of marine surface contaminated by oil spills. In this way, an effective cleaning of sea surface can be coupled with the revaluation of a sheep breeding waste, suitable for the purpose thanks to its oilphilic behaviour. A characterization of wools of different origin was carried out by sorption test of IFO 380 oil, either pure or mixed with Diesel, layered on a water surface. The wool has been characterized in terms of humidity, lipids, adherent and not adherent dirt while viscosity, density and surface tension were evaluated for the different oil mixes. Preliminary tests on the process efficiency, performed with reduced volumes of water and oil in a static system, assessed the sorption kinetics, the yield of the process for fresh wool and the number of sorptionregeneration cycles at which the wool can be submitted without reduction of the original adsorption properties. The obtained results were used to set a scaled up series of tests, on a pilot prototype, suitable for reproduce the real recovery conditions of a ship on the sea. The possible destination of the exhausted wool was also taken into account. The obtained results suggest that wool wastes can be a suitable sorbent material for spilled oil recovery on marine surfaces, with performance that are competitive with the materials of synthetic origin proposed for similar applications.

A Preliminary Characterization of Wools from Italian Native Sheep Breeds: Opportunities for New Productions and the Development of Rural Areas

Italian sheep breeds, either local or native, produce about 14,000 tons of greasy wool per year included in the range of moderate to poor quality wools. In order to exploit neglected local textile resources, this study focused on a preliminary descriptive analysis of wools from some Italian native sheep breeds by measuring diameter and length of wool fibers. Variability emerging from data was described using multivariate techniques. A graphic description of different wools was provided by applying cluster analysis in order to distinguish wool characters by sheep breeds and clearly identify wool groups according to fiber variables.

Resource use and environmental impacts from Australian export lamb production: a life cycle assessment

This study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) investigating energy, land occupation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, fresh water consumption and stress-weighted water use from production of export lamb in the major production regions of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The study used data from regional datasets and case study farms, and applied new methods for assessing water use using detailed farm water balances and water stress weighting. Land occupation was assessed with reference to the proportion of arable and non-arable land and allocation of liveweight (LW) and greasy wool was handled using a protein mass method. Fossil fuel energy demand ranged from 2.5 to 7.0 MJ/kg LW, fresh water consumption from 58.1 to 238.9 L/kg LW, stress-weighted water use from 2.9 to 137.8 L H2O-e/kg LW and crop land occupation from 0.2 to 2.0 m2/kg LW. Fossil fuel energy demand was dominated by on-farm energy demand, and differed between regions and datasets in response to production intensity and the use of purchased inputs such as fertiliser. Regional fresh water consumption was dominated by irrigation water use and losses from farm water supply, with smaller contributions from livestock drinking water. GHG emissions ranged from 6.1 to 7.3 kg CO2-e/kg LW and additional removals or emissions from land use (due to cultivation and fertilisation) and direct land-use change (due to deforestation over previous 20 years) were found to be modest, contributing between –1.6 and 0.3 kg CO2-e/kg LW for different scenarios assessing soil carbon flux. Excluding land use and direct land-use change, enteric CH4 contributed 83–89% of emissions, suggesting that emissions intensity can be reduced by focussing on flock production efficiency. Resource use and emissions were similar for export lamb production in the major production states of Australia, and GHG emissions were similar to other major global lamb producers. The results show impacts from lamb production on competitive resources to be low, as lamb production systems predominantly utilised non-arable land unsuited to alternative food production systems that rely on crop production, and water from regions with low water stress.

Effects of variation in wool fiber curvature and yarn hairiness on sensorial assessment of knitted fabrics

Previous investigations have shown that prickle discomfort sensations of wool fabrics are primarily determined by the mean fiber diameter of the wool. It is also known that differences in wool fiber curvature (crimp) affect softness of handle of greasy wool and of wool textiles. In a replicated experiment, we investigated if wearers could detect the effect of using 17 µm superfine wool of low (74°/mm) or high (114°/mm) fiber curvature, and when the wools were blended with 17 µm cashmere (fiber curvature 49°/mm) in differing proportions, on four comfort sensations. Eight single jersey knitted fabrics were assessed under a controlled protocol using forearm sleeves made of the test fabric and a control fabric. Data (37 sensorial assessments of high curvature wool fabrics; 38 sensorial assessments of low curvature wool fabrics) were analyzed using linear mixed model analysis (restricted maximum likelihood), which included fixed effects for wool type and blend ratio and a random effect for participant. The use of a control sleeve fabric reduced variance due to participant effects by providing an anchor for each sensation over time. Wool fiber curvature affected participant assessment of breathability, comfort, feel after exercise (damp/dry) and skin feel (prickly/soft), with preferred values associated with high curvature (crimp) superfine wool. Increasing the proportion of cashmere in fabrics increased skin feel (better assessed softness). Skin feel was strongly associated with the evaluation of the fabrics by the Wool ComfortMeter and with increasing hairiness of yarns.

Performance of bharat Merino x Bannur (Mandya) crossbreds in Kolar and Chikballapur districts of Karnataka

Bharat Merino (BM) sheep was introduced into Kolar and Chikballapur districts for upgrading of local sheep (Bannur) to improve their meat and wool production. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of BM crosses and to document the sheep farming practices. A total of 98 households were surveyed which possess 1406 (16.99%) BM crosses and 6867 (83.01%) Bannur and non-descriptive sheep. The average adult body weights of male and female BM crossbreds were 55.0 and 40.0 kg, respectively. The overall body weights at birth, 3, 6 and 12 months of age were significantly (P<0.01) higher in BM crosses (3.65, 18.54, 28.60 and 43.72 kg) as compared to Bannur (2.51, 11.49, 18.23 and 25.69 kg). The annual mortality rate in lambs ranged from 3 to 8%. Sheep were shorn once in a year. The annual greasy wool yield of adult BM crossbred sheep ranged between 2.3 and 3.0 kg. The BM crossbred sheep were sold for breeding purpose @ Rs. 300 per kg live weight and pure Bannur sheep @ Rs. 350 per kg live weight. The present study revealed that upgrading of Bannur (Mandya) with BM is improving meat and wool production and also the livelihood of farmers in these districts.

Effects of long wool insecticide treatments on lice numbers and wool damage on sheep

Merino sheep infested with lice (Bovicola ovis) and with 8 months’ wool were hand jetted with a commercial spinosad formulation or treated with an α-cypermethrin backline product to examine the effect of long wool treatment on lice numbers and wool damage, relative to untreated controls. Mean lice numbers were reduced significantly (P &lt; 0.05) by treatment and then remained relatively constant until shearing 20 weeks later. Treatment with either product resulted in significant improvements in mean clean and greasy wool cut, yield, staple length, both visually assessed and measured colour, and the proportion of fleeces classed into the main fleece line. There was no significant difference between the two treatments in either efficacy in reducing louse numbers or on production characters. Wool rub score and cotting assessed on the sheep increased slightly after treatment and then did not change until shearing whereas both scores increased significantly in the untreated group. There was a strong relationship between the visual rub score and the loss of wool at shearing, indicating that rub score can be a good predictor of lice-induced reduction in fleece weights.

Effects of site of assessment and variation in wool quality traits on the tactile assessment of textural greasy wool handle

Variation in textural greasy wool handle across the fleece of Merino sheep was explored. Results demonstrate that there were significant differences across nine sites on the fleece. The inclusion of the covariates fibre diameter, fibre diameter co-efficient of variation, staple length, dust penetration, staple structure, greasy wool colour and resistance to compression, helped to explain some of the variation in textural greasy wool handle between sites such that site of assessment was no longer a significant factor (P = 0.065). However, in practice, those involved with clip preparation or sheep selection based on textural greasy wool handle assessment are unlikely to have these measurements available. The results highlight the importance of nominating a site of assessment when recording textural greasy wool handle.