ravellyadj.

1843 Illuminated Mag. 1 20/1 His dress was rather roomy than elegant;..his waistcoat wide, and of a thunder-and-lightning pattern; his collars high, and limp, and ravelly.

1868 T. Carlyle Let. 19 Feb. in J. Veitch Mem. Sir W. Hamilton (1869) iv. 124 His talk was forcible, copious, discursive, careless rather than otherwise; and, on abstruse topics, I observed, was apt to become embroiled and revelly [1881 R. H. Shepherd Mem. Life & Writings T. Carlyle ravelly].

1890 Cent. Mag. Jan. 444/1 A dark suit of clothes that looked seamed and ravelly, as if from rough contact with thorny undergrowth.

1906 R. Kipling Puck of Pook's Hill 266 Ah, but the diks an' the water-lets, they twists the roads about as ravelly as witch-yarn on the spindles.

1934 Woodland (Calif.) Daily Democrat 20 July It [sc. alpaca] was that scratchy, ravelly stuff out of which mother used to make your best Sunday-go-to-meetin' gown of navy or plum color.

2003 St. John's (Newfoundland) Telegram (Nexis) 12 May b2 If your fabric is extremely ravelly, you may wish to serge the edges, but do them individually so you can press them open.