All About Wool: Fabric Dictionary and Swatchbook [Plastic Comb]

A comprehensive resource you're sure to want in your home library. All aspects of wool are covered, including its history, characteristics, specialty hair fibers, types of wool, weaves and yarns, and working with wool. -- Carol Zentgraf, Sew News, January 1997

Finalist, 1997 Small Press Book Awards. What a wonderful book! Everything anyone could want to know about wool fabrics, from their original 'wearer' to the recommended cleaning process. The book provides sample swatches of good size, as well as hints about handling the vagaries of different fabrics and to what use each is best suited. There is a useful bibliography, an index of sheep breeds as well as the usual index and an extensive glossary of wool terms included in the book. A clear, simple guide in a well-organized form, this is the basic reference for all who work with wool. -- Paula Frosch, Small Press, July/August 1997

A set of very readable, useful books. Starting right at the beginning Julie Parker, the author, gives an overview about the fibre its origins and properties, history and manufacture delightfully illustrated by line drawings as appropriate. It was from these fascinating frontispieces that I learnt that slavery was going out of fashion until the lure of cotton profits made it more acceptable and that silkworms are stacked about ten high in a sort of 'high rise' apartment building. Similarly, did you know that a black sheep can contaminate the fleece of an entire flock or that the Black Welsh Mountain sheep has the blackest fleece, which is finer than that from a white Welsh Mountain sheep? OK, you don't need to know this information to knit or sew a garment, but it certainly makes interesting reading. ...These books are not cheap, but ... many not-so-well-written 'trade' manuals run into the three figures if they include samples, so these are certainly being pushed to the front of my birthday 'wish list.' They would make a great buy for a club library and excellent gifts for any textile student. -- Machine Knitting News, July 1997

Almost every fiber enthusiast is likely to confess that "Please touch" is her/his favorite directional sign, and Julie Parker's Fabric Reference Series, which also includes volumes on silk and cotton, provides the reader with a carte blanche invitation to do just that. ...The cut samples which accompany this worthwhile text are a colorful bonus. Fiber lovers, enthusiasts, and knowledge seekers of all kinds will find this volume (and the others too) useful as well as fun to read and own. -- Vicki Gadberry, Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot, Winter 1996/1997

I can't think of a more pleasant task than pasting in the 35 fabric samples that come with this book. The goal of the book is to acquaint you with all the properties of wool. Each page is laid out with space for the 2-1/2" x 4" sample, a description of that type of wool, variations, a checklist of sewing difficulty, suggested looseness of fit and style, approximate cost per yard, what to expect during construction (e.g., 'cut single layer'), wearability, pressing tips, suggested care, and where to find it. Boxes scattered throughout tell about fabric construction, pressing, preshrinking, and much more. ... This is a near-perfect book, without which I can't imagine sewing. I also love her All About Cotton and All About Silk. -- Robbie Fanning, Creative Machine Newsletter, Fall 1997

If you love fabric, you'll love Julie Parker's meticulously researched and prepared Fabric Reference Series. ... Each book is thoroughly cross-referenced, making it easy to find information about a fabric's characteristics, how it's produced, and tips on its use for home sewers. The information is served up in small, easily digested bites, and combined with delicious swatches for each entry to give you a thorough understanding of the fabric category at hand. -- Toni Toomey, Threads, March 1997

Though written primarily for sewers, a weaver's knowledge is much enriched by the contents of these books. ... Julie Parker's background is in editing and she puts her skills to good use in making the text absolutely clear. If you've ever felt a little overwhelmed in a good fabric store, these books are for you. -- Madelyn van der Hoogt, Weaver's, Spring 1997

The third volume in Julie Parker's Fabric Reference Series explains the different fabrics made from wool and similar fibers, using plain English instead of confusing technical jargon. A detailed description of each fabric is illustrated with a real cloth sample, right there on the same page, which clarifies in the simplest way what a boiled wool, crpe, gabardine or whipcord actually looks and feels like.

A comprehensive introduction covers characteristics of the fiber, history of wool, breeds of sheep and other wool-bearing animals (such as camels and goats), types of wool, the main sources of wool, the wool textile industry, industry trends and how to judge quality. The introduction is followed by two-page descriptions of the main fabric types, each illustrated with a 2-1/2" x 4" cloth sample and simple black-and-white drawings. In the back of the book, space is provided for the reader to collect additional samples and record personal notes, followed by a list of mail-order sources, glossary, bibliography and index.

The fabric samples are packaged separately, layered in the same order as they appear in the book. It takes only a few minutes to mount the samples to the book's pages, using double-stick tape or a small spot of glue. Instructions are included. Samples include 30 wool fabrics and 5 specialty hair fibers, in this order: blanket cloth, boiled wool, boucl, cavalry twill, challis, coating, crpe, Donegal tweed, double cloth, double knit, felt, flannel (woolen), flannel (worsted), gabardine, glen plaid, Harris tweed, herringbone, homespun, houndstooth, jacquard, jersey, loden cloth, melton, menswear suiting, novelty suiting, plaid, satin, tropical suiting, tweed, whipcord, alpaca, angora rabbit, camel's hair, cashmere and mohair.

All About Wool is packed with information about the different weaves, yarns and finishes used to make wool fabrics. Terms such as woolen, worsted, merino wool, superfine wool and lamb's wool are clearly explained. A must for anyone who works with or wears wool!

The Fabric Reference Series has been featured in Crafter's Choice, a division of Book-of-the-Month Club. Other books in the series include All About Silk, with 32 silk samples, and All About Cotton, with 42 cotton samples.