Wool: From Sheep to Textile

At Spycher-Handwerk AG in Huttwil, wool is produced and processed. Visitors find out how that’s done on the free informative trail – and on workdays, they have the opportunity to see the show carding room and watch the workers handle the 100-year-old machines that are still used daily.

Where does wool come from? How is it processed? Which products can be made from it? And what’s the difference between a Valais Blacknose and a Racka? You will find the answers to all of these questions along the way. And going down the trail is also a wonderful sensory experience: there are 25 wool samples so you can feel your way through the different breeds.

Information panels in German and French explain step by step how wool is processed: after shearing the sheep, the wool is washed, dyed and carded, and then spun, woven, knit or felted.

At Spycher-Handwerks shop, you can see how diverse wool can be and how many uses it has. Yarn can be used for spinning and knitting, new wool as a filling for duvets and pillows, or it can be made into all kinds of clothes to cover people from head to toe.

A large adventure playground with a petting zoo will keep children busy and entertained. The comfortable bistro invites visitors to stay just a little longer, and if you want to extend your stay even more, you can sleep over in one of the yurts, participate in a felting workshop or go on a camel trek.

You don't have to travel to the desert for an excursion with a camel. You can also do it on a family outing to the Untere Bäch farm in Huttwil. Our tip: be sure to book a ride with the fluffy companions with an overnight stay in a Mongolian yurt.

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