Some feel that the teasel was the first means of carding fiber.  The word teasel comes from the word tease which has the meaning, “to disentangle fibers”.  The teasel is a plant that grows along the side of creek beds.  When dried, a pod is left behind with hard sharp spines.  There is pictorial evidence showing people pulling fibers through the spines of the teasel plant, however, there is no written record of this process.

Instead there are plenty of recorded materials about the use of teasels as a means to fluff up or tease woolen material.  It was a particular teasel, the fuller teasel that was used.  It was found that by fluffing up the wool, it created tiny air pockets in the fiber which prevented the heat from escaping as quickly.  The teasel was used to raise the ends of the fiber on the wool cloth which created these air pockets.  Teasing made the wool seem fuller, hence the name of the teasel.  For more history on the use of the teasel, head to the website The Meaning of Things website for this great article entitled:  “Just teasing!”