The secret of wool is the structure, when you look at a wool hair under the microscope you can see scales along the hair. This allows wool to felt (see this article on the explanation of felting) and insulate extremely well; air gets stuck between the scales and forms a ‘windbreak’. This air barrier also allows wool to absorb moisture well without feeling wet. When the wool fiber absorbs vapour, does it give off heat. This good regulation of moisture ensures that fungi and dust mites have no chance in the wool. Click here to read more about improving your acoustics with wool.

Wool is self-cleaning; in every sheepskin there is lanolin – the natural wool fat. It makes the wool self-cleaning, bacteria-resistant and dirt-resistant. I doubt what extent lanolin is still present in processed/dyed woolen items.

Sustainable

Wool is very strong and resilient. After stretching, the wool quickly regains its original shape. Wool is therefore very easy to recycle. Again something like knitting, felting, weaving and endless use or passing on to future generations.

Throwing wool away would not be necessary, since it lasts so long or can be recycled. But should it nevertheless have to be; wool is 100% compostable; wool is broken down by the soil life and is even nourishing for the earth, if the wool is not dyed with chemicals.

Wool is a renewable raw material; the sheep gets a new coat in a natural way without industrial processes.

Plastic soup;

During the washing of synthetic fabrics, large amounts of plastic particles are released. They end up in nature with the waste water and contribute to a large extent to the plastic soup. Due to the advantages of wool, wool needs to be washed much less than other fabrics; less perspiration spots or smell and lanolin which is antibacterial. But when wool is washed, the particles that are released are compostable and even good for the earth. (If the wool is not dyed with chemicals)

Senses

Wool is light, wool feels warm due to the rough surface, wool literally brings you lightness, warmth, but also ‘wrapped’ you; as described above is due to the ‘windbreak’ effect that wool has.

Wool is a natural material, wool is alive, wool is created by life. All these qualities have a positive influence on our senses and therefore our emotions. You don’t sit in a parking lot just for fun; to much dead material…

Our senses are positively activated by wool, something that is so necessary these days. Just as we have forgotten about wool, we have also forgotten to listen to our feelings, which start with the senses.

“Years ago I once asked Correspondent members about their oldest or most cherished item of clothing. The items had one common denominator: they were all made of wool. Quote from this article by Emy Demkes for De Correspondent.

If you now think; so let’s start making all textiles from wool. This would require too many sheep, which create too much manure, which in turn has a negative effect on our climate. But as read in this article; we burn 1.5 million kilos of wool every year. Let’s use this wool to make fabrics, instead of the synthetics we would otherwise use.

Also read this article by Emy Demkes who explains what is so bad about wool versus its advantages.