production of cotton/wool fabrics to provide completely washable products in appropriate fabric densities requires a total engineering approach beginning with selection of the wool and cotton fiber, the wool preparation, cutting, blending, yarn manufacturing, fabric construction, dyeing and finishing. studies by cotton inc show that an 80/20 cotton/wool blend is best overall in achieving a washable product without the use of chlorinated wool. both cut and stretch broken wool in grades 56's, 64's and 70's were evaluated draw blending and intimate blending provided different fabric properties, yet both proved satisfactory in spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and finishing. since cotton is normally processed under alkaline conditions and wool under acidic, preparation and dyeing of cotton/wool blends involved unique processing considerations. techniques for preparing, bleaching and dyeing to achieve heathers, cross dyes and union shades have been developed that hold wool degradation to a minimum. (author abstract) 6 refs