-
Break:
A weak
spot in
the
fiber.
It can
be
caused
by
disease,
illness,
stress,
or
nutrition.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
