Japanese spinning mill experience

The other day I had an opportunity to visit a Japanese spinning mill in Nagoya.

For those who are new to yarns, there are two types of wool spinning techniques.

The image above is a washed wool fiber. When it is delivered to the factory compressed.

In Japan we call this TOP. TOP refers to wool yarn that is fiber dyed. To make one color in TOP, usually multiple colored fibers are mixed together in a room.

With the fan above, the fiber is blown and mixed in the air of the room.

Here is an example of how the room would be after this combination.

The fiber is then combed many times for consistency.

Each of these wheels are covered with hooks that combs fiber thoroughly. This process is repeated until it is formed into a sheet effect. The fiber sheet is then sliced to thinner slubs.

It was a wild experience seeing how such fine yarns are spun. For those interested I will definitely recommend visiting factories in Japan.

I came across these felted sculptures made by the owner.

Visiting the mill in Nagoya, made me realize the work involved in spinning yarn. If you do have the chance, its best visit yourself.

Have a nice day.