Sometimes when examining knitted clothes or yarn, one can hear the answer to the question about the material: "Lemsvul." What it is? What are the properties of the material with a soft texture, what is the technology of its production, especially the wearing and application?
Lemsvul: what is it
In English, the expression lamb's-wool is roughly pronounced. It can be found on the labels of yarn, clothes, linen, accessories. How is lemsvul translated from English, what is it?
The expression consists of two words. When we say “lemsvul,” the sound of b is partially lost or is heard muffled. The English word wool means wool (yarn). Lamb (English) is a sheep (lamb, lamb). Additional 's and hyphenation of the expression in most cases involves translating the expression as "sheep's wool".
In the dictionaries, as a result of the translation of the expression lamb's-wool, one can still see a different meaning - “zerok”. This is the technological definition of material for the processing industry. It denotes a thin and relatively short fleece from lambs not older than six to seven months of age.
Poincar (lemsvul): what is this material
Sheep shearing products are wool. For an animal, the loss of a rune is not fatal. Over time, by the time the onset of cold weather, the hair grows and even gets better. The coat can be soft and hard, long and short, strong and loose, shiny or matte. This depends not only on the breed, but also largely on the period of the year in which the haircut is made, as well as on the age of the animal.
The coat of young animals will always be softer. In the autumn, there is still not enough fluff in the rune, it is dominated by coarse awn and fibers overdried by the summer sun. Therefore, the main haircut falls mainly in the spring.
At the age of six months, the length of the fibers is not more than 50-60 mm. Such material is characterized by exceptional softness and elasticity. Poyarovka wool and raw materials from sheep of fine-wool breeds are used for the manufacture of high-quality textile products with good technological properties.
Features
So, wool of fine-fleeced sheep, or lamb (lemsvul) - what is it in quantitative and qualitative values? Their hairline is not uniform even in purebred fine-fleeced breeds. It contains fluff, awn, transitional fibers in various proportions. Selection is aimed at obtaining fibers in the fleece with the greatest uniformity.
The best wool is obtained from merino sheep. The material is characterized by fine tortuosity with a thickness of down fibers up to 25 microns. Tonin (diameter of one hair) is a determining value. For comparison: semi-fine wool - on average 27 microns, semi-rough - 31–37 microns, coarse - on average 40 microns and above. Minor characteristics - length (up to 30 cm), crimp, softness, silkiness, elasticity. Also pay attention to the absence of dead hair, color (natural) and dyeability of the fibers.
Varieties
Spring (once a year) shearing involves the removal of the entire hairline (fleece). Only in this case, it can be assumed that after processing the raw material and spinning it, you will get high-quality lemsvul (wool).
If a haircut is carried out twice a year (in spring and autumn) and it is not removed with a rune, but in the form of separate pigtails, then the hair quality is much worse. Such wool is coarse, it goes into spinning to make fabrics not for wearable. Most often it is used for felting.
In addition to the natural wool obtained by the annual cutting of the hairline of the animals or combing it, the factory is also determined (dressing the skins of the killed animals); sheepskin-fur coat (thinning out of fur); reconditioned (processing of old products and scraps of new fabric). Classification into groups and varieties is related to the diameter of the hairs. Than this indicator is less, the thread will be thinner. From a certain amount (weight) of raw materials, more yarn will be obtained, it will be longer.
Advantages and disadvantages
Thin sheep wool as a material (Lemsvul) has low thermal conductivity. It well isolates the body from the effects of cold in winter and provides a comfortable cool in summer, while maintaining sufficient air permeability, allowing the body to “breathe”. Hygroscopicity allows good absorption of moisture vapor.
Sheep wool products with proper care will not lose their presentable appearance for a long time. The only rule is to protect the material from moths. Fibers contain lanolin (animal wax) on the surface, which has antibacterial properties. It also stimulates blood circulation, has a beneficial effect on muscles, joints, and the respiratory system.
However, in rare cases, lanolin or substances used in the processing of wool can cause allergic reactions. Another negative point is the pricklyness of the fabric. But for a material of thin wool, this effect is excluded. Itching and discomfort can cause fibers finer than 23 microns.
Reviews
Previously, fabrics were made from wool for a variety of purposes: from massive sails to thin lace stockings. Now, high-quality raw materials, after a multi-level system of cleaning, scratching, spinning, go to the manufacture of fabrics for thin blouses, sweaters, scarves, rugs, blankets. Their owners praise the material for lightness, softness, elasticity, warmth.
What else can be said about the Lemsvul material? Reviews of lovers of knitting complement the positive characteristic of a fabric made of thin sheep wool, noting its natural color and good dyeability with natural and chemical dyes. They say that if a well-knit item made of quality material, after washing in the correct mode, stretches out in length and decreases in volume, then after drying it will take its original form with minimal deviation from the original size.