SHEEP AND WOOL 



the operation, whereby the cloth acquires body and 

 thickness by a shrinking or condensing of the web close 

 and compact, and increases its beauty and firmness. 

 The teasels were used to 'pick up the nap.' " 



Aside from cloth for family wear, the mother and sis- 

 ters wove the heavy coverlet of intricate design which 

 is now regarded as such a treasure, lighter rose 

 blankets, soft flannel and various stuffs of mixed wool 

 and linen. They were great knitters, too, and many are 

 the stories of the mittens knit before breakfast to take 

 the place of those lost the day before. 



The washing, preparatory to the animals' clipping, 

 was a task that always interested the boys. Wool in 

 those days was sold washed and sometimes scoured, 

 and particularly if the wool was wanted for home use 

 the scouring was necessary. The washing removed 

 most of the winter's accumulation of hay seed, chaff and 

 dirt, while the scouring was designed for removing the 

 grease or yelk. The loss by the removal of these mate- 

 rials was known as the shrinkage. This is a variable 

 factor with wool in general, but with the Merino sheep, 

 whose wool is always very oily, the shrinkage was never 

 less than one-half. The rapid development of woolen 

 factories, all over New England, provided a ready sale 

 for all the wool the farmer wished to sell. As late as 

 1840, homespun was the common clothing worn by the 

 members of nearly every family in the rural towns. 



n953 



