Wool
The primary material of Amazigh weaving. Its quality, the breed of sheep, the altitude, the season of shearing, whether it was hand-spun, determines almost everything about the finished piece.
Wool quality in Amazigh weaving is primarily determined by the sheep breed, the altitude at which animals are raised, and the processing method. High-altitude sheep (Middle Atlas, High Atlas) grow a denser, longer-staple fleece in response to cold winters, producing a pile with particular depth and softness.
Hand-spun wool, which is the norm in traditional Amazigh weaving, has a different character from mill-spun wool. Hand-spun yarn is less uniform in diameter, so the surface of a hand-spun pile rug reflects light in a way mill-spun rugs do not. This irregularity is not a defect, it is one of the markers of a hand-made piece.
The natural colours of Moroccan sheep wool, ivory, grey, and dark brown-black, are used as palette elements in many Amazigh traditions, particularly in the High Atlas and Middle Atlas, where undyed wool is a compositional choice.
