The effect of the diameter characteristics of the fibre ends on the skin comfort and handle of knitted wool fabrics

In recent years considerable interest has been shown by wool producers, particularly those with properties in Mediterranean climates, in the skin comfort or 'prickle' associated with wool fabrics and garments, its causes and the impact on this characteristic of changes in shearing times. The time of shearing in such growing areas can affect the fibre profile of the wool produced and offers the prospect of growing 'low-prickle' wool. While prickle is a key feature of the handle of wool in next-to-skin applications, it is only one aspect of the overall handle of wool fabrics and garments. This report describes a comparative study of the skin comfort and overall handle of knitted fabrics manufactured from wool grown in a Mediterranean climate and harvested in different seasons so that there is a different relationship between the diameter of the fibre ends and that of the whole fibre. As expected, there was a good correlation between skin comfort and the mean diameter of the fibre ends. On the contrary, while differences in overall handle (subjectively determined) of the various fabrics were observed, they appeared to be unrelated to the diameter characteristics of the fibre ends. The dominant fibre characteristic determining handle was the mean diameter of the whole fibre.