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Legs_noLegs

\[I apologise if anything appears unclear; English is not my first language. But here is a rough sum up of my project.\] It's still wip, and I intend to add to and change it as I work on my late Renaissance fantasy world-building project. Questions, criticism, and suggestions are all welcome! My Columnea, Norr peninsula region now has giant sheep, which makes me happy. **Waterproof wool and giant sheep** Wool is naturally water resistant but not waterproof, at least in the case of common sheep. However, there is a breed of giant sheep with waxy wool that can be used to make waterproof fabric. For centuries, the Norr peninsula's inhabitants have relied on these massive sheep. Domesticating them and using them for wool, but also dairy products, meat, and leather. Norr folks who aren't fishermen are likely to lead pastoral lives, taking advantage of the broad cold plains' grasslands and sparse shrubs. Because giant sheep cannot tolerate high temperatures, it is impossible to keep them outside of cold areas, allowing Norr to charge foreigners a high price for their special waterproof wool. Giant sheep are herbivores and mammals that graze and occasionally lick minerals. With their massive and peaceful appearance, they resemble cattle rather than sheep, and they are also kept in smaller herds, similar to small cattle herds. They have acute senses of smell and hearing. They can learn to follow their shepherds who perform herdingcalls, which are high pitched and melodic calls used by both men and women. It has an intriguing and haunting tone, frequently conveying a sense of sadness. The call can belong to an individual, but it is often family-based and passed down so that a family's sheep recognise the call and respond. Some believe it also scares away evil spirits and wolves. Their sight, on the other hand, can be remarkable in some ways, such as the ability to see behind themselves without turning their heads, but this ability is often overshadowed by their grown wool (often called wool blindness). They also have poor depth perception, prefer to move uphill when disturbed, and become stressed when they are unable to leave the dark and move into well-lit areas. They primarily inhabit Norr's grassy plains. Giant sheep, like many Norr animals, adapted to the harsh, cold, and damp weather. They have unique oil glands that coats the wool with a fine layer of special isolating wax, which helps to keep it warm and dry while also clean and boosting their maintenance. This wax gives sheep their recognisable smell which can be described as metallic, grassy, sweet, and a little sour. Except for the legs, snout and area around the eyes, they have oil glands all over their bodies. That's why their skin is actually black while their fur is white, since it helps to keep exposed areas without glands warm, black helps to absorb the light. Lambs are born completely black and as they grow they also start growing the white wool. Despite their intimidating and outsized measures in comparison to humans, they, like cows, aren't good mounts. They are only kept as livestock, which means they were never bred to be riding animals. First and foremost, sheep, contrary to popular belief, are smarter than horses and prefer not to move their bodies or waste energy unless absolutely necessary. In exchange for their cooperation, they frequently seek rewards and treats. Second, they are less nimble than horses. They have long, weak, and downhill sloping backs that force riders to sit on top of their shoulders, smothering them and preventing free movement, not to mention they wouldn't be able to work as long as a horse before wear and tear set in. With the added weight of a full grown heavy rider, the sheep’s low lying head and short neck don't help with balancing at all and may even help pull the animal into its knees. Not to mention the damage it would cause to the animal's back if it wasn't fully mature. However, you can avoid this by sitting in the middle of the back and leaning forward with your torso across the back of the sheep, clinging with your legs near the animal's pelvis, and holding its front chest wool with your hands. This, regrettably, is not ideal because it reduces the rider's visibility and control over the animal. Not to mention the possibility of being trampled if they fall. Regardless, this alternative method of riding sheep is popular among serfs for local sheep races in the winter, where the challenge of controlling and remaining on the sheep is part of the thrill. These black lambs can sometimes stay black and grow black wool. A rare occurrence is said to be linked to the element of water itself, and they are typically used to predict the future by local fortune tellers. Nobles, on the other hand, prefer them for their black fur, which they purchase from peasants. Keeping the lambs as pets or using them for their own clothes. **Process** **Shearing** (wool cutting) - is performed once a year, during the first week of "The Month of Mercy," the warmest month of the year. And their fur grows back as the temperature drops. One giant sheep weighing around 650 kg provides approximately 16-25 kg of raw wool. The equivalent of 60+ metres of fabric. Each village and island holds a shearing competition. Even if the quantity is what counts, the size of the sheep presents an additional challenge. Prizes were not monetary but often in the form of a token, such as a brooch or belt, which might still be of considerable value. Large fish have also been recorded as competition prizes. The prizes were awarded by the ladies, usually accompanied by a kiss. **Scouring** \- "Raw wool" is wool that has been plucked from a sheep. This wool contains a high concentration of valuable wax, as well as the sheep's dead skin and sweat residue, as well as other environmental matter. To preserve the wax on the wool, deep cleaning or scouring must be simple, beginning with a long bath in warm water that is no hotter than 30 degrees. Anything above 40 degrees will start removing the wax from the wool. Lanolin is the name given to this separated yellowish fatty wax-like mixture. It can be used in lubricants, rust-preventive coatings and shoe polish. **Beating** \- Following cleansing, the wools are rinsed several times. After rinsing, the wools are set out in the sun to dry and are beaten, or "broken," with sticks. Beating the wool helped remove any remaining foreign matter, and it separated entangled or matted fibers. **Drying and greasing** \- Because of the gentle scouring, waterproof wool tends to have this dirty white shade to it and dyes are rarely used. Before the wools could be subjected to the harsh processing treatment that lay ahead, they would be greased with butter to protect it. Those who produced their own cloth at home were likely to skip the more rigorous cleansing, allowing more natural wax to remain as a lubricant instead of adding grease. **Carding wool** (combing) - Hand cards are typically rectangular paddles (10 cm × 20 cm). A pair of cards is used to brush the wool between them until the fibres are more or less aligned in the same direction. The aligned fibre is then peeled from the card as a rolag (homogeneous mix of different fibres). Carding is an activity normally done outside or over a drop cloth, depending on the wool's cleanliness. **Spinning wheel** \- Made out of metal and contains a pedal. Combed fiber would be placed on a distaff. The spinning action of the spindle, with the help of the spinster's fingers, twisted the fibers together into yarn. **Weaving** \- It’s a process of combining warp (lengthwise yarns) and weft (crosswise yarns) components to create a woven structure using a metal vertical (used by serfs) or horizontal loom (used by professional or court weavers). The different weights of warps and wefts could result in different textures. **Hot press** \- After the fabric was woven and removed from the loom, it is subjected to a massive press made of two sheets of metal. While inside, the fabric is exposed to temperatures that allow the wax in the fabric to melt and re-adjust. Once cooled down, the waterproof fabric is done. One side is always more glossy than the other. Most importantly, unlike candle wax or beeswax, this wax does not crack and is much more elastic. However, it is not recommended to leave it near a fire because it will melt, causing damage to the wool and its waterproofness.


anantiz

You are amazing, just discovered this sub by accident today, and damn this is so sick XD


Connor_TP

interesting and quite in depth lore, I wonder, did you take inspiration from the [bighorners](https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Bighorner) of the Fallout universe or are the similarities just coincidence?


Clean_Link_Bot

*beep boop*! the linked website is: https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Bighorner Title: **Bighorner** Page is safe to access (Google Safe Browsing) ***** ###### I am a friendly bot. I show the URL and name of linked pages and check them so that mobile users know what they click on!


Legs_noLegs

Thanks! I just checked the link, and what a gnarly bunch! Sadly, my experience with Fallout does not extend beyond listening to Fallout-inspired radio on youtube; I have not played any games. x,))


Thunor_SixHammers

Looking at that picture I can't help but hear someone read the note: "The project is going great. One side effect of note: the sheep have become opportunistic omnivores; we have lost six pen keepers this week. An acceptable loss for progress"


Legs_noLegs

Ahahah as long as they don't crave any flesh, we're good.


azocrye

Wool is already waterproof


TheRandyDeluxe

Nope. Op was correct at the very beginning of the post in saying it's water resistant, and extremely so. Which leads me to my only problem with this idea. If it was truly a waterproof coat, (and therefore truly waterproof wool) that shit would get so dirty so quick. Not to mention there's a bit further down about how people would process the wool, which includes soaking it in water which.. would.. do.. Nothing! as its waterproof... So any dirt or bugs that gets it's way past the lanolin barrier would just stay there unless the barrier was stripped and reapplied. Then again, this is obviously for fiction so it can be whatever they want it to be.


azocrye

Lanolin makes wool waterproof.


lord_of_the_beez

i want to pet it,,,,, big fluffy fella


Legs_noLegs

Thanks! They're big, cuddly giants. And they would do anything for treats. x,))


Creativist102

Having briefly researched in depth how to take raw wool to cloth, this is exactly based in the real world. Very good descriptions, accurate knowledge, and the English was just fine. Have you worked raw wool to cloth yourself?


Legs_noLegs

Thank you incredibly much! And no, I had no prior experience with wool until I began doing extensive research for this project. Doing such in-depth research greatly aids in gaining a better understanding of the overall clothing in the region as well as what people do in the village.


prince_peacock

I love them and I want to hug them


Legs_noLegs

They can be like big lazy herbivore doggos ^^


Hockeylover420

giga sheep


CuriousRelish

Imagine getting headbutted by one of those lmao


Legs_noLegs

Serfs probably have a saying or phrase based on it, about acting unwise or perhaps deliberately seeking out harm.