How does sheep's wool become a sweater?

Small Mammals

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by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author

Just like animals such as dogs and cats have their own kind of fur or hair, the special kind of fur that grows from animals like sheep, llamas, goats, alpacas, and even rabbits is known as “wool.” The difference between wool and other animals’ hair has to do with things like the special way it grows and its tendency to be sort of curly.

When your hair starts to get long, do you ever go and get a haircut? – This is the same thing that happens to sheep and other wooly animals when their hair gets really long! (And don’t worry – just like you, this doesn’t hurt the sheep at all.) A sheep’s special haircut is often known as a “shearing,” and usually sheep are shorn about once a year, often in the spring.

After being cut from the sheep, the wool goes through several special processes to change it from the fur of an animal into a fabric you can wear! These processes include sorting, cleaning, and often spinning the wool into yarn, for knitting! – COOL!

Get down!

Aside from wool, what other kinds of animals can you think who sometimes help us to make warm clothing?

One good example is birds and their feathers! Do you own a coat or a blanket filled with “down”? Down is a warm kind of bird feather often used when making winter clothing! Did you know that those feathers came from birds??!