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Animal Fiber

Shaped by living conditions.

Animal Fiber.jpg

What Belongs Here

Animal fiber includes only fibers that enter making systems in Tunisia:

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  • Sheep wool

  • Goat hair

  • Camel hair

  • Wool felt, where fiber is compacted into form

 

Animal fiber is considered here only where hair or wool is transformed into material use.

Geographic & Animal Reality

Animal fiber is shaped by living conditions, not by extraction.

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  • Sheep dominate northern and central regions, producing coarse to medium wool.

  • Goats are present across arid and semi-arid zones, yielding long, tensile hair.

  • Camels appear in southern regions, producing limited but highly insulating fiber.

Collection Conditions

Animal fiber is collected cyclically.

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  • Wool is shorn seasonally, when growth allows.

  • Goat and camel hair is combed or gathered during shedding.

  • Collection timing affects fiber length, cleanliness, and strength.

 

Yield is inconsistent.
Storage requires dryness and protection from pests.

Fiber exists only when animals allow its removal.

How Animal Fiber Behaves

Sheep wool

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  • Naturally crimped

  • Highly elastic

  • Retains warmth when wet

  • Felts under heat, moisture, and pressure

 

It compresses and recovers under use.

 

Goat hair

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  • Long and coarse

  • Low elasticity

  • High tensile strength

  • Resistant to abrasion

 

It holds under tension but does not stretch easily.

 

Camel hair

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  • Light and fine

  • Excellent thermal insulation

  • Sensitive to moisture

  • Fragile when mishandled

 

It favors protection over durability.

Making Implications

Animal fiber dictates layering and flexibility.

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  • Thickness replaces rigidity.

  • Forms adapt to bodies and movement.

  • Felting replaces joinery.

  • Repair and renewal are expected.

 

Animal fiber favors:

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  • insulation over structure

  • portability over mass

  • adaptation over permanence

 

Uniformity is rare.

Quality Recognition

Quality is recognized through handling.

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  • Good wool compresses and recovers.

  • Good goat hair resists pull without snapping.

  • Good camel fiber insulates without weight.

 

Poor fiber sheds, mats poorly, or breaks early.

Objects Animal Fiber Becomes

Animal fiber forms:

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  • blankets and coverings

  • garments and layers

  • felted caps and panels

  • tent elements and insulation

 

Form follows climate and movement.

Longevity & Limits

Animal fiber lasts only through care.

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  • It weakens when neglected.

  • It degrades with moisture and pests.

  • It recovers through cleaning and repair.

Position

Animal fiber changes with time, use, and care.
 
In Tunisia, it persists because its behavior is understood.

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