On Wool

Wool is often maligned as itchy and difficult to care for. While wool does require specific handling, it is not always itchy. That is not to say that there are not itchy wools, but there are many breeds of sheep and many of them produce wool that is soft and lovely. Merino is the most famous of the fine wool breeds. Merino is the wool of choice for soft, next to skin wearing garments. Personally, I love wool. It is warm, it's forgiving, and it wears well.

Let us discuss the wonders of wool. Wool is warmer than polar fleece. This was proven to me last year when we had a couple weeks of very cold weather. One week I wore a wool sweater every day except one. On that day I wore a fleece. That day was warmer (by a about 10 degrees) than any other day that week, and I was colder in my fleece than I had been in my wool sweaters. Wool also emits heat when wet, which is something neither cotton nor polyester can say. It is moisture wicking. It is self extinguishing (this means when the flame is removed wool does not continue to burn). It has a certain amount of elasticity. It can range from ultra soft for next to skin wear to sturdy for outerwear. It is versatile, natural, and renewable.

Wool also comes in superwash varieties. This means it can be washed in your washing machine. Usually it needs to be air dried, but some types can be dried in the dryer as well. While this is very nice, wool that has to be hand washed is not that much more difficult to care for. Hand washing is pretty easy. To do it, all you need is a receptacle large enough to hold your item and water to cover it. Put a bit of laundry detergent in the basin, fill with water, then submerge your item in the water. Leave it for 20 minutes or so. Remove the item and drain the water. Fill with clean water and submerge your item once again and leave it for another 20 minutes. You can repeat the rinse to make sure all the soap is rinsed out. After the rinsing, gently squeeze as much water as you can from the item, lay it on a towel, roll up the towel and stand on it to squeeze out as much water as possible. Lay it out to dry.

So, there are some of the reasons I like wool, and some ways to wash it if you're so inclined.