primarily in needle felt painting and mogol (pipe cleaner) art. Use of pipe cleaners as an art format where animals are made by twisting pipe cleaners together. They can also be used to create whiskers for an animal mask or nose. Craft pipe cleaners are often used in classroom settings for a variety of reasons including creating simple models, creating complex models, or as learning aids for various topics. Manufacture A pipe cleaner is made of two lengths of wire, called the core, twisted together trapping short lengths of fibre between them, called the pile. Pipe cleaners are usually made two at a time, as the inner wires of each pipe cleaner have the yarn wrapped around them, making a coil, the outer wires trap the wraps of yarn, which are then cut, making the tufts. Chenille yarn is made in much the same way, which is why craft pipe cleaners are often called "chenille stems". The word chenille comes from French meaning caterpillar. Some pipe cleaner machines are actually converted chenille machines. Some machines produce very long pipe cleaners which are wound onto spools. The spools may be sold as-is or cut to length depending on the intended use. Other machines cut the pipe cleaners to length as they come off the machines. Smoking pipe cleaners are usually 15–17 cm (6–7 inches) long. Craft ones are often 30 cm (12 inches) and can be up to 50 cm (20 inches). The diameter comes in 4 mm; 6 mm; and 15 mm sizes. Jumbo pipe cleaners have a 30 mm diameter with lengths of 45 cm (18 inches) and 2 metres (6.5 feet). References Cleaning tools Pipe smoking Craft materials