Fiber Terms Demystified

This is an installment for all my non-fiber arts friends and family. Now they will be able to quick reference some of what I'm saying. :) There will be three terms with a humorous, but informative response.

What do you mean by staples?

Staples are not the metal things you put in the stapler. Staple is the length of one hair from a fleece. For instance one of your hairs is considered a staple, although you cannot spin human hair.

You love crimp, but what is it?

Do you remember the lovely technique of burning your hair to make it wavy also known as a crimping? The waves made in your hair is no different than the natural waves in that of a sheep. The crimp is what makes wool easier to spin than any other fiber. The crimp holds the wool together to make strong yarn. It varies based on the breed of sheep.

 What is vm?

Vm is short for vegetable matter.  The sheep roam around and play in the grass, hay, and other plants. That matter gets trapped in the fleece, especially if the sheep are not wear coats. You have to clean all of this out of a fleece and lots of vm is a P.I.T.A., which means pain in the ass.

There are the terms for the week. I hope you had fun learning today!