Fiber Monday - Book report and fiber lesson

I just finished reading Reinventing Wool: how a natural fiber survived the synthetic revolution by Melissa M. Little. Ms. Little focuses on the story of wool as a textile fiber and how it (barely) survived the 1950's when synthetic materials were marketed as the better and more modern fabric choice. I found it both interesting and infuriating.

First, the 1950's just have a lot to answer for. It was an era of chemists playing with chemicals that were then unleashed on the world with no thought that their new discoveries would ultimately be deadly. One of the chapters highlights how a moth repellent spray was created that housewives could spray on their woolen garments and all insects would be killed. It was effective because DDT was a major ingredient. The whole chapter was a bit terrifying.

The other thing that was hard to read about was the implicit mysogony in the advertising. (I'm sure it was not only in the advertising, but this is what was in the book.) One of the more egregious examples was an advertisement for that home use DDT spray. "A housewife can use them but only a graduate chemist is prepared to pronounce their names." (p. 117)

This is the same era that saw mass acceptance of home washing machines and synthetics were a perfect match for throwing clothes in the washer and dryer. Wool, not so much. It was deemed to be problematic and "solutions" needed to be found. Really, the only problem is that wool is not a synthetic and requires different care. Not harder care, mind you, just different. 

Here is where I'm finally headed with all of this. We have lost our collective knowledge about wool and expect it to act just like polyester. So here's a quick primer on wool. 

Wool has many beneficial qualities. It is:

• Insulating (for both heat and coolness
• Antibacterial and antimicrobial (it does not absorb odors)
• Fire resistant (it is extremely difficult to set on fire)
• Hydrophobic (and if it does get wet, it begins a chemical process that creates heat, so a wet wool sweater will still keep you warm)
• Renewable (sheep are always growing new wool)

How to care for it (assuming non-super wash):

• Wool clothing does not have to be washed after every use, particularly sweaters that are worn over an under layer. Those really only need to be washed once a year before they're put away for the summer. Socks can go for several wearing before needing a wash.
•  Wash by hand in warm water and air dry. This looks like filling up a sink with warm water and adding a bit of wool wash (something like Eucalan), add your garment. Gently push under the water and let it soak for a few minutes, drain. If the washing agent requires rinsing, fill with the same temperature water you just drained and drain again. I roll the garment into a bath towel to press the excess water out and lay flat to dry. 
• DO NOT AGITATE OR CHANGE WATER TEMPERATURES. This is what felts and shrinks the garment. 
• It's not difficult and you only need to do it infrequently.

Other wool facts you may not know:

• Super wash wool has been treated with chemicals or covered in a resin to remove or coat the scales that cause felting. 
• There are more types of wool than just merino. For example the Down breeds wool doesn't felt, so are great for washable socks that don't require the super wash process.
• The 'itch' factor is related to micron count. (The diameter of a single strand of wool.) A human hair has a micron count of ~80, while merino can be between 18 - 22. There are other sheep breeds with low micron counts.
• A medium breed wool will make a longer wearing sweater that won't pill as easily as a low micron wool.