The preparation of wool fiber for spinning in 18th-century America was a crucial preliminary craft, demanding significant labor and skill before a single thread could be spun. This multi-step process began with shearing the sheep, followed by meticulous "skirting" to remove undesirable parts of the fleece. The raw wool then underwent thorough washing to eliminate dirt, grease (lanolin), and vegetable matter, a task often involving hot water and soap, and considerable effort to rinse clean. Once dried, the wool was "picked" or "teased" to loosen and separate the tangled fibers, and finally, "carded" using hand cards or a large drum carder to align the fibers into a fluffy, uniform roll called a "rolag" or "sliver." This careful preparation was paramount because well-prepared wool was easier to spin into strong, even, and consistent thread, which in turn produced higher-quality woven goods. Without the diligent and often communal effort involved in wool preparation, the subsequent vital steps of spinning and weaving, which clothed colonial families, would have been far more difficult or even impossible, underscoring its foundational importance to the domestic textile industry.