It’s a natural material Wool is a natural material that is renewable. An animal can be sheared and the ‘wool’ grows back therefore it’s a sustainable fabric.

Wool is a naturally produced protein, biodegradable and renewable, and is therefore well placed to take advantage of the emerging ‘green’ trend for textiles. Wool has a number of advantages as a textile fibre and these arise as a result of its complex chemical and physical structure.

Sheep are part of the natural carbon cycle, consuming the organic carbon stored in plants and converting it to wool. Fifty per cent of the weight of wool is pure organic carbon. Wool is readily recyclable: with a market share of 1,3% of all textile fibres, wool claims 5% within the recycled fibres market share!

Wool production has a disastrous impact on the environment. The farming and processing of wool pollute air, soil, and water, producing greenhouse gases and wastes.

5 Eco-Friendly Yarn Options

1. Tencel Yarn. Although not easy to find, this is one of the best eco-friendly yarns for knitting and crochet.
2. Silk Yarn. Silk yarn can be made in an eco-friendly way.
3. Alpaca Yarn. Many animal fibers need a lot of chemicals to process them into yarn.
4. Food Yarn.
5. Organic Yarn.

DISADVANTAGES: It can be scratchy and uncomfortable to wear, and heat and moisture can cause it to felt. Soak wool in cold water, and then gently rub out anywhere that needs extra cleaning. You can wash it in the washing machine, but use cold water, and air dry it.

The major steps necessary to process wool from the sheep to the fabric are: shearing, cleaning and scouring, grading and sorting, carding, spinning, weaving, and finishing.

Uses. In addition to clothing, wool has been used for blankets, horse rugs, saddle cloths, carpeting, insulation and upholstery. Wool felt covers piano hammers, and it is used to absorb odors and noise in heavy machinery and stereo speakers.

Depending on the process that was used to make the wool, the price tag can be considerable. While wool is well worth the money, it’s important to know why it’s so expensive. The reality is that wool is highly sought after and many people know that it’s a high-end material.

Vicuna

Generally speaking lambswool is warmer than Merino wool and the soft fibres allow for the spinning of incredibly high quality yarn.

When it comes to price, the laws of supply and demand come into play: It’s not only getting more popular, but also, the finer the wool, the thinner each strand is, meaning it takes more wool to create that sweater/beanie/suit/coat.

Wool fibres can be bent over 20,000 times without breaking. Wool is strong. A single wool fibre is said to be stronger than steel.

While organic cotton is more expensive than wool, it’s the industry’s favourite because of cost as well as availability. While recycled wool is on par with new wool, it’s still considerably more expensive than organic cotton.

Merino wool clothing is in general much more expensive than polyester clothing. The price can rise additionally if a very high quality of Merino wool is utilized.

If you get caught in the rain, wools like Merino provide better insulation, at least initially, because it contains lanolin, a natural water repellent. Fleece and wool are warmer, more water-resistant, warmer when wet and wick perspiration better than cotton.

As far as fabrics go, wool surpasses polyester in both form and function. Lastly, wool is more flame retardant vs synthetic fibers (you’re not going to catch on fire as easily), and its all-natural component means it has a much lower carbon footprint than polyester.

Polyester linings are not only cheap but they also make you feel hot and they don’t breathe very well which makes for a very uncomfortable suit wearing experience. On top of that, they wear out quickly.