United Kingdom · Textile craft; Wool processing; Yorkshire heritage
Bradford Worsted — Wool Combing Tradition
The wool combing tradition of Bradford — the processing of raw fleece into a parallel-fiber 'top' (the combed preparation for worsted yarn spinning) that defined Bradford as the 'Wool Capital of the World' from the mid-19th century. The Bradford wool comber reads the correct fiber alignment quality through a tug-and-draft assessment of the combed top — pulling a short length from the top and assessing the resistance and drafting quality that indicates correct parallel fiber alignment.
Risk level: Endangered · Not listed; Bradford worsted tradition on the UK national heritage inventory
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