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What do a rug, a sweater, and a pair of
mittens all have in common? They can all be made from wool, or the hair of a
sheep. Many different breeds of sheep are raised on farms all around the
world. The wool from sheep with longer strands of hair makes smooth cloth,
while shorter strands of wool can be used for rougher products, such as
mats.
Sheep are sheared once a year in the spring. By the following spring they
will have grown a new fleece to be cut off. Workers wash the shorn wool
clean and then comb (or card) it until all the strands are straight. A
spinning wheel twists the strands together into a long string of yarn, and
then the yarn is soaked in tubs of dye to color it. Once the colored yarn is
dry, it can be knitted into things such as scarves, blankets, hats, and
socks.
Yarn can also be woven into cloth on a machine called a loom. Heres how you
can make your own simple loom and weave a bag from wool yarn
What you need:
a cylindrical cardboard oatmeal or salt box
at least one skein of wool
scissors or a sharp knife
a large, blunt needle
What you do:
Use the blade of the scissors or knife to cut notches about a half an inch
apart around the top and bottom edges of the box.
Twine one end of a skein of yarn around one notch. String the yarn up and
down, winding it first around a notch at the bottom, then around a notch at
the top, and then around the next notch at the bottom, until a series of
vertical lines of yarn surround your box.
Using the same, or a different color of yarn, thread the end of a skein of
yarn through the eye of the needle. Moving around and around the sides of
the box from the top to the bottom, weave the yarn in and out of the
vertical lines of yarn.
Once you are done weaving, slip the woven cloth tube off of your loom.
Thread the needle with a new piece of yarn and sew one end of your woven
tube of cloth shut to make the bottom of your bag.
Cut three identical lengths of yarn (either the same or different colors)
and braid them together. Sew the ends of your yarn braid to the sides of the
opening of your bag to make a handle.
What you can talk about:
How many objects made from wool can you and your child name? If necessary,
go on a wool hunt through your home and gather together all the woolen
objects you can find. Make a list of the objects and group them by their use
(Are they for wearing? Warmth? Decoration?).
The threads on a loom that go up and down are called the warp. The threads
that go back and forth are called the weft. Examine a piece of wool cloth
with your child and point out how the strands are woven together.
Literature Link:
From Sheep to Sweater by Robin Nelson explains the process of making a
sweater from raising sheep to wearing the final product.
Charlie Needs a Cloak by Tomie de Paola tells the story of how Charlie the
shepherd shears his sheep and uses the wool to weave a new cloak.
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