Hand spun Wool
There are two main ways of spinning wool into a usable fiber for Oriental Rugs. One can spin it by hand; which usually uses very simple spinning wheel/spindle, or the wool can be mill spun. It is said that the process of spinning wool by a mill can strip the wool of its natural lanolin when processed through large machinery. Conversely, hand spinning preserves the Lanolin (natural oil found in the wool) which is considered the wool's "natural stain repellent."
The art of hand spinning or "throwing" wool is less invasive to the final product when creating materials for weaving, and far more labor intensive.
To see examples of both raw rug wool and integrated rug wool, click here.