From Sheep to Rug: The Journey of Wool Rug Production

Wool is a popular rug material, and it has been for many centuries. It has quite a few benefits, all of which help to make it a great choice for your home.

Have you ever thought about where wool comes from? We’re talking about the fascinating journey of wool rug production. Let’s trace its steps from sheep to rug to learn more about this process.

Raising the Sheep

Shepherding has been a profession for thousands of years. One only needs to read ancient religious stories and texts to see how important this job was for nomadic groups. Today, wool rug production starts at the same place as it did all those years ago.

Sheep are raised, tended to, and cared for by professionals who understand what they need to grow and thrive. This includes water, food, and—of course—the shearing process.

Shearing the Wool

How do experienced shearers bring the wool from the sheep to the worktable? Do they grab a pair of scissors and start cutting? Not quite. Instead, they use tools similar to a razor but specifically different. Blade shears might resemble scissors, but they’re specially designed to remove wool carefully. Mechanical shears are also heavily used; most sheep undergo the shearing process annually.

The shearer catches the sheep and usually starts with their belly. They work their way around and can usually finish shearing a single sheep in less than five minutes. The sheep is set free, and the wool continues its journey.

Cleaning & Storing Wool

Next, the wool is laid on a table with slats that help hold the fleece in place. It’s then skirted, removing any unwanted bits. Next, the wool is classed and stored until there are sufficient quantities to make a bale.

So, how about cleaning the wool? Some do so before shearing, and others will clean the fleece after completing the process. Either way, cleaning is necessary. Experienced professionals usually clean the wool by hand while using solutions that maintain the integrity of the bale.

Wool Rug Production

From here, it’s time to ship the wool bale. Many communities within the world’s Rug Belt continue to produce their wool locally; they shear, clean, and use it all within their community.

In other cases, it can be exported from countries known for wool production, such as Australia. Once purchased, wool then follows many of the same weaving processes. The materials are dyed and stretched over a loom where a rug weaving artisan begins to create their masterpiece of various sizes, shapes, and decors.

Find expertly crafted wool rugs at Rug Source!

The process of rug creation truly is fascinating. From shearing to rug production and weaving, every step matters, and every person (and sheep!) involved is crucial.

Rug Source is known for selling rugs made from the highest quality wool. Feel free to stop by our showroom or browse our online inventory here. You can also message our team here if you need further assistance.