Fleece Blanket - Sheeps Wool Blanket

Wool fleece blankets

There are a several types of fleece blanket available on the market but essentially they can be narrowed down into either natural wool fibres or synthetic materials.

Wool is the main natural fibre to be used in blanket making as it is renowned for its warmth, strength and versatility. Blankets are usually used on the bed to provide warmth to the individual, but smaller blankets may also be used spread on the ground as a picnic rug or lighter blankets can be used as a throw for extra warmth when you are out of bed.

Decorative woolen blankets, in wonderful color, are often used on the back of a sofa or chair and used to be shown in the movies as native Indian clothing (which was hand made, of course).

Sheep fleece blankets

Different breeds of sheep produce wool of varying qualities and colours. The finer breeds of sheep produce wool that is generally usually used for knitting and crochet. Merino sheep produce wool that has a superbly soft, warm and desirable fibre while Jacob sheep produce coarser but attractive dark brown wool which does not need to be dyed.

Popular fleeces

The California Red has wool with a long silky texture which is very popular with spinners and hand weavers.

Cheviot sheep blanket

Cheviot wool is renowned for its durability and resilience and is often blended with other fibres to make the wool more robust. These sheep are specifically bred for their fine fleece and the wool is often made into fine blankets and choice clothing that can be put on in thin layers for climbers, hill walkers and other outdoor sports people.

Warm wool benefits

Air is trapped between the layers of clothing with the effect of keeping the warmth in the body. Some high fashion ladies clothing is also made from this fine wool fabric.

Washing and Carding wool

After the wool is sheared, it is washed and picked over and then carded so that all the fibres are lying in the same direction prior to spinning. Spinning (where the fibres are twisted together to form yarn) used to be done at home on a spinning wheel until the invention of an industrial machine (the spinning jenny) to spin larger amounts. Hand spinning is still popular with hand craft groups and individuals.

Wool color dyes

The spun hanks of wool are then dyed in bright colors with either natural or synthetic dyes. Natural dyes comes from a variety of different sources both plant and mineral. Dyes can be found in your home and back yard. Onion skins, flower blossoms, roots, berries and nuts all can be used as potential dyes. To fix the dyes it is important to use some sort of mordant or fixative. Fixing with Salt and vinegar are just two of the ways of fixing dye into fabric.

Post color fixing

Wool spinning

After dying the wool it is woven, crocheted, knitted in many wonderful stitches or felted into wonderfully colored and patterned fleece blankets. Many hand weavers spin and dye their own wool to produce colors, designs and select clothing that are totally unique to them. Often the pieces that they weave are art works in their own right and are sold for large sums of money.

If a blanket is felted using soap and boiling water it becomes much heavier and thicker but retains its insulation and is used in some parts of the world to construct tents for travelling nomadic peoples to live in.

Fleece wool facts

Wool is an environmentally friendly product and can be used in unconventional ways. Insulation is one of these. Wool is an excellent insulator both for the body and the home. Wool by its nature is made up of dozens of small air pockets which when packed into an area trap the surrounding air like a woollen string vest or polystyrene boards. The advantage of wool over polystyrene is that it can breathe. It absorbs and releases moisture from the atmosphere without affecting its insulation. It is now being used in modern construction as a renewable resource with fire retardant properties.

Non wool fleeces

Fleece may also be made of synthetic fibres like nylon and polyester and is also used to make fleece clothing, however it is not windproof and other fabrics may have to be used in conjunction with the fleece for this function. A synthetic fleece blanket which has the ability to dry very quickly as well as keeping you warm has become a large player in the world of sport activities, being more accessible and cheaper to manufacture than wool blankets.