Something About Wool

Wool is the essence of warm. I?m spinning some wool this week from Gulf Coast Native sheep, and I feel warm at heart when I touch it. The individual fibers of wool twist around each other, adhering with tiny scales, to make loft, keep moisture away, and keep heat in. Exquisite ornate Persian carpets are made of wool. Fabric for fine suits is woven of wool. And wool yarn makes attractive, warm, durable sweaters, hats, socks, and mittens.

I went to the mall last week with my husband. He was looking for a wool sweater because he works outdoors all winter and has found that wool sweaters, along with other layers, keep him warm. The sweater he used for work for the last six or seven years has finally worn out, but he?s having a hard time replacing it. There aren?t any wool sweaters in the mall. Why don?t I knit him one? you might ask. I would, but he wouldn?t wear it. He would think it was special because it was handmade, and he would put it in a drawer.

Because a lot of people seem to think that wool is going to itch and shrink, few people in our cool, wet region are wearing it anymore. I thought wool irritated my skin, too, until I found out that I just wasn?t used to it. I exchanged email with an Australian woman who was surprised to learn on the internet that many in the USA have ?wool allergies,? since no one in Australia -- a wool-producing nation -- has this problem. It turns out that the itching goes away for most people. Infants can wear soft wool clothing with no problem, and it?s an excellent choice for baby outerwear.

If you?re concerned about shrinking, you can buy washable wool clothing and yarns. I don?t care much for these myself -- I like the hand of regular wool and find the washable wools a little slippery for knitting, and the plies tend to separate. But these yarns are quite popular and very useful for gift items, especially for children when you know that mom and dad are going to pop the mittens in the washer. The great unknown secret about wool is that you can wash it! You just can?t agitate it. You can put in the washer to soak -- just don?t let the wash cycle start. Turn the dial past the wash cycle all the way to rinse and spin, and spin the wool garments a couple of times if you like -- it won?t hurt them. The very quality that makes wool so strong and warm -- the tendency of the fibers to adhere to each other -- also makes it shrink when its agitated, or rubbed onto itself.

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