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Taschen-Atelier Sonja Zipperer
...modern tradition - handmade traditional accessoiries
The Tyrolean Steinschaf, an archetypal wool supplier for loden production
Dear visitors,
I am often asked about the difference between loden, boiled wool and felt when I go to craft events
and why I never use felt for my products.
Here I´d like to give you a little product information for anyone interested
to the 3 most important products out of sheep-wool:
LODEN, WALK and FELT
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What is loden:
Loden has been traditionally made from spun sheeps wool for centuries.
In the modernized process, the spun wool threads are spun by machines
woven into "wool cloth". The finished wool fabric receives the respective finish after several work steps by washing, roughening and shearing processes, depending on the desired end product.
The most important property of loden:
Due to its processing, loden does not become matted and keeps its fibers in the solid yarn and fabric composite.
It is characterized by its long durability, its wet resistance and the resulting versatility in use.
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- Traditional parts of outerwear are made from Winter-Loden, the thicker and coarser variants, such as coats, capes and jackets and accessories such as backpacks, hats, spats...
- Blazers, scarves, stoles and dirndl tops are made from the finer woven summer-Loden.
and - unfortunately far too rarely - also made traditional handbags.
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What is boiled knit:
Walk knit is a material that is just as traditionally manufactured as loden.
The difference is that loden is woven and walk knit is knitted.
The spun wool thread is made by knitting machines
verstrickt​ and der finished knitwear is then "fulled" or felted by washing.
In the post-processing, this finished knitted fabric is also roughened or sheared flat as desired.
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This material is the perfect material for mobile phone cases due to its properties:
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- The knit material is pleasantly elastic, ideal for fit and handling.
- Walk has a heat-insulating effect in the cold (thus protects the cell phone batteries, which are sensitive to the cold.)
- At the same time it is an optimal protection against heat in summer in solar radiation.
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What is felt
and why I don´t use it for my products as a matter of principle:
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The key difference to Loden and boiled wool is the initial processing of the wool:
While Loden and boiled wool are made from wool fibers spun into wool yarn, the
then woven or knitted further.
Felt is made from wool fleece that has been laid over a large area.
The wool fibers are entangled by rubbing with plenty of water until
until a coherent fleece is formed.
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This explains why felt loses its strength over time with frequent use and more and more wool fibers (from the comparatively very loose fiber composite) come loose.
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The ideal areas of application for felt are therefore many cozy home accessories
and utility items such as picnic blankets and cold-proof and soft pads.
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That´s why I don´t use felt for my clothing accessories.
They should be kept in a beautiful and neat shape for their owners for as long as possible.
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