ABOUT WOOL & WOOLENS

What is so special about wool? It has rightly been called nature's miracle fiber.

Wool is obtained only from sheep. All other animals coats are hair fibers, only sheep have wool. This gift to us is unique in its structure. Under a microscope one can see that each fiber is encased in overlapping scales. It is this uniqueness that allows wool to breathe, that makes it slow to become wet, & when it does it offers quiet warmth to the wearer. All of which makes it a healthy fiber for clothing as well as other uses.

It helped early man to survive harsh weather when they no longer dressed in animal skins. It provided the sails on the ships of man's early ventures out into the unknown. It not only keeps out cold but protects from the sun. Woollen curtains used against glass help to cool the house against a hot sun and warm the house on cold days, and when prepared without some of the more recent "improvements" is the most durable of fibers. When someone hit on a way to make wool yam machine-washable he destroyed wool's ability to provide some of the qualities that makes wool so healthful to wear. Machine-washable means that the scales are sealed, thus in one stroke preventing shrinkage during washing & wool's ability to breathe.

Because of these overlapping scales wool is one of the easiest fibers to wash, because it will do it without much help. In warm water the scales open, thus releasing any soil. Shrinkage is caused by agitating woollens while they are thus vulnerable; agitating can cause the scales to lock & thus shrinkage. And wool asks only a gentle squeeze while in the suds, and rinse water of approximately the same temperature. It will react unfavorably if you wash it in warm & then plunge it into a cold rinse.

What is so special about our woollens? Unlike in industry, we wash the wool fleeces in a mild detergent with gentle handling. We card them on modest equipment (card, meaning to form a 'batt'of somewhat aligned fibers so yam can be spun more easily] which does not tear the fibers. Our yam is spun from these strong unbroken fibers, producing a lifetime fabric. When that was the only way yam could be made, in earlier centuries, woollen garments were handed down to another generation. Farmers often wore long woollen garments in winter and it was not unheard of for a man to bequeathe them in his will.

'Width this very special yarn, we handweave our woollens. At present we work mostly with the Black sheep, [also called colored,] fleeces with their lovely range of silvers, greys, browns, charcoals & blacks, and offer what we feel are beautiful and healthy to wear or wrap up in, scarves, shawls, ruanas & afghans.