DID YOU KNOW???
Did you know that wool (that scratchy blanket you try to avoid ) isn't just 100% natural it's also: 100% biodegradable, 100% renewable, wrinkle resistant, naturally breathable, odor resistant, naturally elastic, easy to care for, stain resistant, fire resistant, and UV resistant?[1]
As a matter of fact as I was doing research on wool I found an advertisement calling it "the material of the gods" which was then followed up by this statement "Created, not man made." (Out of curiosity I looked up how many times wool is mentioned in the King James Bible, the answer = 14)
So wool, as it turns out, is this amazingly fantastic product which I ignorantly begun my week thinking only came from sheep. (Don't worry, I have correctly informed my children wool can come also from goats, muskoxen, bison, rabbits, and camelids.)
WOOL CAN BE MADE INTO... ANYTHING?
Not just for scratchy blankets anymore, wool has become an extremely versatile material. Having lost its scratchiness over time, the more than 200 domesticated sheep breeds today have been bred to be mostly "itch" free [2], wool is now being used not only in fashion but also in decor thanks to its natural ability to repel dust mites, mold, mildew, and moisture. I even read how wool can be used as silt-fences and erosion control blankets in areas at risk of mudslides.
Consider the following photos [3]:
Can life get any better than a home full of wool? Maybe the old itchy lap blankets aren't your vibe, what about cashmere or mohair? Perhaps some of the finest worsted wool or Merino wool would better suit you?
15 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT WOOL (excerpt from: 20 Things You Didn't Know About...Wool, discoverymagazine.com)
Many of us associate wool with sheep, but other mammals — including alpacas, camels and goats — also produce fibers that can be twisted into yarn and then textiles.
It’s possible humans started making wool after noticing that, as the fibrous hairs were scraped from the hide of an animal, they twisted together easily into lengths.
Wool fibers — made mostly of alpha-keratin, which is found in all mammalian hair as well as horns and claws — stick together easily. The cells of their outer layer, or cuticle, have evolved to overlap like tiny shingles, creating spots for one fiber to catch on another as they are twisted.
Clothing and other items made of wool have been found throughout much of the ancient world, from 3,400-year-old Egyptian yarn to fragmentary textiles unearthed in Siberian graves dating from the first century B.C.
Modern wool fibers range from a fine 16 microns in diameter, from merinos, to 40 microns.
That itch? Most likely it’s sensitivity to thicker (and coarser) fiber diameter or fiber ends, not a wool allergy, which is practically unknown.
Wool has been a valuable commodity across cultures and centuries. When Richard I (the Lionhearted) was captured in 1192, Cistercian monks paid their part of the ransom to the Holy Roman emperor in 50,000 sacks of wool (a year’s clip).
Wool has stood in for even more precious fabrics: In 18th-century Norway, when the king forbade the wearing of silk by commoners, farmers opted for imported worsted wool fabric, which had a similar sheen.
Besides clothing, wool has quite a few industrial uses, from piano dampers to absorbent pads for oil spills.
Wool has the right properties for the job because it’s a lightweight ground covering that allows seedlings to grow right through it.
Wool is also biodegradable. It breaks down slowly, fertilizing the plants with a generous nitrogen content of a whopping 17 percent compared with the 6 percent nitrogen in commercial turf products. And it is water-retentive.
The outer surface of wool fiber is made up of fatty acid proteins and does not absorb liquid. However, structural features in the fiber’s interior, called salt linkages, can sop up copious amounts of moisture in vapor form.
But wait, there’s more: With a high natural ignition point of about 1,382 degrees Fahrenheit, wool is fire-resistant. And unlike nylon and polyester, wool does not drip or melt when it does catch fire.
These qualities recently attracted the interest of the U.S. Army, which is researching wool’s potential in clothing designed to protect combat troops from explosive blasts.
We can thank wool for a different kind of explosion — one we actually want. Inside most baseballs, including those used in Major League Baseball, you’ll find layers of tightly wound wool yarn: Each ball contains about 370 yards of the wool windings, which provide resilience to withstand the crushing impact of a batter’s hit off high-velocity pitches.
WHO KNEW? DID YOU?
Yes, wool is really in a world of its own. Tomorrow I will begin digging a bit deeper into the history of wool and how it is being used in the modern world today. How interesting it was for me to learn today that sheep are now being bred softer than ever in order for our benefit. These are things I would have never thought of! What about you? Do you consider yourself a connoisseur of wool???
[3]: Men's Aran Sweater by The Irish Store , Wool Pillows by Frankenmuth Woolen Mill, Ladies Sweater by The Sweater Shop, Woolen Hat by Pendleton, Wool Blanket by Woolrich, Organizer Trays by graf lantz,Ladies Wool Dress Shoes by Mulberry, Felted Doll by Felitify, Wool Yarn by Wool and the Gang