[expand]The sheep’s fleece was gift requiring proper stewardship. The shearing occurred in spring when winter coat was thickest but warming weather made heavy fleece uncomfortable for animals. The timing was crucial—shear too early and sheep suffered cold snaps, delay too long and wool began shedding naturally, lost fibers representing wasted resource. The shearer worked carefully with iron or bronze shears, removing fleece in large pieces, avoiding cuts that would damage hide or stress animal. The skilled shearer could complete sheep in minutes, working efficiently while treating animal respectfully.
The wool quality varied dramatically depending on sheep breed, animal’s age and health, season of shearing, and which body part fleece came from. The finest wool grew on sheep’s shoulders and sides—soft, crimped fibers with excellent felting properties. The coarsest wool came from legs and belly—straight, rough fibers suitable for outer yurt layers but inadequate for clothing or fine work. The experienced felt maker could assess wool quality by touch and sight, selecting appropriate wool for intended application.
The cleaning was essential preliminary step. Fresh-sheared wool contained lanolin (natural sheep oil), dirt, vegetation fragments, and occasionally parasites. The wool was washed in lukewarm water—hot water would initiate premature felting, cold water failed to dissolve lanolin adequately. The washing required multiple rinses until water ran clear and wool lost greasy feel. Some felt makers retained small amount of lanolin for water-resistance, others removed it completely depending on intended use. The clean wool was spread to dry in sun and wind, its white or cream color indicating readiness for next processing stage.
The carding aligned fibers for uniform felting. The carders—paddle-shaped tools with wire teeth—combed wool pulling fibers into parallel orientation. The process transformed tangled mass into fluffy batts where fibers lay predominantly in same direction. This alignment was crucial for felt’s structural properties—random fiber orientation produced weak felt prone to tearing, aligned fibers created strong material with directional strength. The carding was tedious work, hours of repetitive motion transforming kilograms of wool into prepared material, but skipping or rushing this stage guaranteed inferior final product.
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