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Break: A weak spot in the fiber. It can
be caused by disease, illness, stress, or nutrition.
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Crimp: How kinky or wavy the fiber is.
Crimp describes the individual hairs, not the lock as a whole. A
fiber can have crimp without being curly.
-
Dehairing: The process of removing
guard hairs from fiber.
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Finish: The very end of the lock or
curl. Is the end curly or straight? Type A should be consistent
throughout the lock, type B should have curl on the end of the
lock, type C may have some curl on the ends.
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Fulling: Process of soaking skeins in
hot followed by cold water, then beating them against a clean
surface to produce a halo effect, i.e., to make yarn soft and
fluffy by bringing out the down fibers.
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Guard hairs: The coarse body hairs that
protect the fleece. If present in type A, they should not be
obvious. In type B, there are 2 types, a very coarse, obvious one
and one that is finer and less obvious. Type C must have only one
type of guard hair that is very coarse and obvious.
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Handle: The way the fiber feels (e.g.,
A: silky, smooth, cool; B: light, fluffy; C: creamy, warm).
Fiber should not feel sticky.
-
Luster: The amount of shine in the
fiber. Type A has a lot of luster, type B also has luster, and
type C has none.
-
Matte: The lack of shine in the fiber.
Type C has a matte finish.
-
Micron: Scientific and objective
measurement of fineness. A unit of length equal to one thousandth of
a millimeter. A low micron figure indicates a very fine fiber; a
higher figure indicates a larger diameter or greater thickness.
-
Second cuts: Short, uneven bits of
fiber found in a fleece caused by improper shearing. These are very
undesirable in any shorn fleece.
-
Separation: The difference between
guard hair and fiber. Type C should have excellent separation.
-
Skirting: Removing part of a fleece
that is not top quality. Usually belly fiber and stained or coarse,
brittle (kempy) areas are skirted.
-
Staple: Length of an individual lock.
-
Style: The amount of curl in a lock of
fiber. Type A has ringlets. Type B has soft curls, and type C
has little or no curls.
-
Yield: How much usable fiber comes from
a harvest.
