Wool rugs

Why most handmade rugs are wool

Wool fibers are crimped and springy, so the pile bounces back after it is walked on. The fiber takes natural and synthetic dyes well, and it holds the color for decades.

Wool also carries lanolin, a natural grease from the sheep. It helps the fiber shrug off dry dirt and slows down spills, so a wool rug stays cleaner than most fibers with simple care.

Hand-spun and machine-spun wool

Hand-spun yarn is twisted by hand on a spindle or a spinning wheel. Its thickness varies a little along its length, so the dyed color varies too. That gives the rug a lively, slightly uneven surface and is one reason for abrash, the gentle color bands seen in many village and tribal rugs.

Machine-spun, or mill-spun, yarn is even from end to end. It gives a smoother, more uniform look and costs less to produce. Many good new rugs use it, and neither kind is a defect.

You can often see the difference on the back of the rug. Hand-spun yarn shows small changes in thickness and color from row to row, while machine-spun yarn looks more even.

Good wool and poor wool

Good rug wool feels soft and springy and has a slight natural shine. It comes from live sheep, often raised in cold, high country, where fleece grows long and strong.

Poor wool feels dry and harsh and looks dull. Wool taken from the skins of slaughtered sheep, called skin wool or dead wool, is often treated with chemicals to loosen it. It tends to be brittle and wears down faster than fleece wool.

Some rugs are also given a strong chemical wash to make them look shiny or aged. A heavy wash can strip the lanolin and weaken the wool, so a very bright sheen on an inexpensive new rug is worth a second look.

Why a new wool rug sheds

Short loose fibers are left in the pile when a rug is clipped and finished. They work their way out in the first months, so a new wool rug leaves fluff in the vacuum. That is normal and slows down over time.

Vacuum with the beater bar off or set high, and avoid pulling at loose fibers. If a whole tuft or a yarn end comes out, that is not shedding. Trim a sprout level with the pile and have a repairer look at anything larger.

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