If you have gone suit shopping before, you are well-accustomed to worsted wool. However, worsted wool is not a term that is commonly thrown around in the garment industry and can often confuse buyers. If you are in a similar situation, this article can significantly help you.
A brief overview of Worsted wool
Worsted is one of the highest qualities of wool yarn and is named after the village that was known to be the centre of its manufacturing during the twelfth century, Worstead in Norfolk. This kind of wool is highly durable, finer and can also retain more heat when compared to its other variants. Along with that, worsted wool is more resilient. This means it generally wants to return to its original shape, and this is precisely what makes it the best fabric for men suits. It wrinkles less and can get back to its natural drape.
How is it manufactured?
The main thing about worsted yarn is that it consists of parallel and straight wool fibres with really small gaps in between them. While this might not sound like a lot, but there is a lot of processes that go into making a lump of curled wool straight. Firstly, the manufacturer has to place the short and long pieces alongside each other to spun into yarn; this process is known as carding.
During carding, the wool is brushed in two directions with stiff brushes that help mix and disentangle the fibres. Once that is done, the worsted wool is then combed, and all the short fibres are separated. The long fibres are then put into a gilling machine that aligns all fibres parallelly yet again. This leads to the formation of sliver, which is untwisted and overlapping strands. Then it is spun into yarn and stitched into big sheets.
This goes to show how complex and time-consuming the process of manufacturing worsted yarn is. This also tells you why worsted wool is more expensive and high quality than all other variants of wool. You should also include raising the sheep for the wool in this. This is mainly why you should only resort to reputable and known fabric shops while buying such material. They will further ensure authenticity and give you the best price available in the market. Rest assured, with a worsted wool suit; you will surely grab all eyes in any function you attend.