Sheep & Wool

Oddments

Cotts

During the slow winter growth period, tender fibres break and become entangled in the staples, forming cotts, or 'matting' of the fleece. Severe cotting is usually confined to the extremities of the fleece, with totally cotted fleeces making up only a very minor proportion of the clip.

Cotts are generally of poorer colour than fleece wool, and are separated during shearing. They are categorised as soft or hard and are further divided into good, average or inferior, based on colour and the presence of vegetable matter.

As they do not open easily during carding, cotts require special opening treatment before scouring. Depending on the severity of cotting, this will result in moderate levels of fibre breakage and an additional processing cost.

Small quantities of cotts are available year-round, but are most common in December-March.

Crutchings

Crutchings are the wool shorn from the tail area and between the legs of the sheep. Crutching is carried out to aid lambing and to clean the sheep up before shearing. Because crutching is generally done at a different time from shearing of the rest of the fleece, crutchings are available in quantity for only a very limited period from August-September.

Crutchings range in length from 40-100 mm. After the dags and any excessive staining have been removed, wools of good colour and length are categorised as first crutchings, while shorter and poorer colour wools become second crutchings.

Generally, crutchings are coarse or hairy, and contain a relatively high proportion of medullated fibres, which give good resilience properties. As a result, they have traditionally been used almost exclusively as a specialty component in carpet blends.

Modern, selective breeding practices have lessened the degree of hairiness in crutchings to the point where they may now be used as acceptable substitutes for strong second shear types in carpet blends as well. Finer varieties may also be used in blends for blankets and knitting yarns.

Skirtings

This general category is made up of shorter or discoloured wools removed from the edges of early shorn and full-length fleeces to maintain consistent quality in the main line. Their average scouring yield is about 10% less than that of the fleece.

Skirtings are generally available throughout the season, with the bulk of the supply being produced from September to January. Because of their variable length, which ranges from 75 to 125 mm, and poorer colour, they are mainly used as a blend component for medium to darker shade woollen spun yarns.

Skirtings include the following categories;

First pieces

Come from the edges of the fleece and are removed because they are shorter, more discoloured or cotted, or carry more vegetable matter than the main fleece. They can be used in most woollen spun products and some are long enough for worsted spinning.

Necks

Shorter and finer than the fleece wool they have been taken from, and generally of good colour. They often contain a slightly higher percentage of vegetable matter than the fleece wool and may also be cotted.

Bellies

Wools shorn from the underside of the sheep. Heavily discoloured or stained brisket wool or fibre is usually removed from better colour belly wools and kept separate, as is heavy urine stain from the bellies of rams and wethers. Belly wool will often appear shorter than the related body wool, but because it is more tightly compressed, its true length will be similar. This also means that it may often contribute better bulk than pieces or necks.

Backs

Wools removed from the back area of the fleece during skirting because they contain higher than average vegetable matter contamination.

Locks and second pieces

Very short wools that fall from the fleece during shearing and handling, and include leg and crutch trimmings and second cuts collected from the shearing platform and beneath the skirting table. They are more variable in colour and have a lower yield than first pieces.

Pie chart showing New Zealand wool production by category