-
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.
