ELSAWOOL

ELSA

1952

Photo by Nancy Kelly 1999

Photo by Kris Bryant 2002

Photo by Ann Duncan 2004

Photo by Laura Vandeleur 2011

THE SHEEP

All of my products are made from the wool of purebred Cormo sheep:
my flock of 200- 300 in Colorado (no longer in existence) and a flock of several hundred owned by a family in Montana.
The Cormo breed was developed by a geneticist and a rancher in Australia, from Corriedale rams and Superfine Merino ewes.
Cormo wool is as fine as average Merino, but it's longer-stapled, and noticeably softer than Merino wool of the same fiber diameter.
There are two breed associations in the US. Purebred Cormos with black, gray, or Moorit (brown) wool are not eligible for registration.
But their fleeces are prized by handspinners and others who appreciate the beauty of fine wool in black, brown, and various shades of gray.

THE WOOL

Cormo wool is fine, longer-stapled than most fine wools, very elastic, and exceptionally soft.
It also is among the warmest of wools.
This photo shows the insulating properties of Cormo wool.
The snow has not melted because the wool keeps the body heat close to the sheep.

THE PROCESSES

To transform wool
from fleeces that insulate sheep from the elements
to clothing that serves the same purpose for people,
a number of processes are required.

First, the sheep are shorn . . .

. . . and their fleeces are thoroughly skirted.

The skirted wool is packed into bags.

The bales of compacted wool are shipped to a scouring mill in San Angelo, Texas.
Here the wool is loosened, washed in hot water and plain mild detergent, dried, and baled.
This mill is part of Bollman Industries, which is an employee-owned company founded in 1868,
the oldest hat-maker and the 19th-oldest continuously operating consumer products company in the US.
At their facility in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, Bollman makes hats — wool felt, fur felt, cotton, bamboo, straw, and knitted.
At their scouring operation in San Angelo they wash wool, mohair, and other fibers -- up to 17,000 pounds of fiber per day.

Some of the bales of washed wool are shipped to woolen spinners in New England and made into weaving yarns.

A large number of bales are sent to Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.
The wool is picked, blended, carded, and spun into soft, lofty, yet sturdy yarns for machine-knitting and hand-knitting.
White, black, and gray fleeces are blended to create various colors and shades of yarn.

Much of our wool is shipped to worsted spinning mills in the Eastern U.S., including Kraemer Textiles, Jagger Brothers, and Burlington.
At these mils the wool is picked, blended, carded, combed, and spun into yarns that have more strength and density than woolen yarns.
Our worsted-spun yarns are suitable for machine-knitting and hand-knitting.

Some of the yarns -- both woolen-spun and worsted-spun -- are skeined and washed.

In these photos, one of our light gray worsted-spun yarns is being skeined by Clemson Winding in Philadelphia.

Here's a video about Clemson Winding.

Some yarns are shipped to small U.S. mills and knitted into fabrics; the fabrics are then cut, sewn, and turned into clothing.
Other yarns go to Texas and are knitted on whole-garment machines that produce seamless three-dimensional pieces.
And the New England-spun woolen yarns are sent to a weaver and made into blankets.

During all of the processes —
growing, washing, spinning, knitting, weaving, sewing, and re-washing,
the wool is left as pure and natural as possible.

THE PEOPLE

HELPERS
From the management of land and livestock,
through the phases of harvesting the wool and processing it into finished products,
to the marketing and selling of the products --
a number of people contribute hard work, expertise, and a conscientious attitude.
For all of these people, I am very grateful.

CUSTOMERS
Customers, of course, are vital to Elsawool's success.
And my customers happen to be some of the nicest people in the world!
I'm very grateful for the purchases, the kind and encouraging words, and for all of the ways my customers have helped Elsawool and Elsa to thrive.