I’d like to talk concerning the universal fiber, wool. Wool is a term that refers to many types of animal fibers. The most widely known is the fiber from sheep. Wool has very distinctive properties. It has nice insulating ability which keeps in warmth, or in hot climates, keeps out heat. It is naturally flame retardant. Instead of flashing into fire when a match is applied, it will smolder typically extinguishing itself. Sheep’s wool makes wonderful sock materials as it is absorbent and will keep the wearer warm even when it gets wet. Scotsmen within the highlands would remove their kilts and soak them in streams and put them back on to keep out wind and keep warmer. Not many man made fibers can boast these attributes. It has three major drawbacks. Some persons are allergic to the proteins in the wool, the fiber is attractive to clothes moths which eat it and cause holes, and one should use care in washing items made from it to forestall felting and shrinkage. There are several treatments to keep away from clothes moths, like storing woolens within the freezer, or moth balls, or many herbal remedies. There are no solutions to the allergy besides not to wear wool. And below is how I wash woolen items.
Wool varies in texture and use depending on the breed of sheep it comes from. There are sheep specifically bred to produce the finest, softest wool. The most effective known breed is Merino. Incredibly soft yarn is made from Merino fiber. Ramboulet is one other soft wool breed. Yarn made from these types of fiber could be worn next to the skin with very little discomfort in the way of scratchiness… unless one is allergic to wool. The very finest and softest Merino is called Cashwool. It’s as soft as cashmere. On the other end of the spectrum is very coarse, thick fiber utilized in making felt and rugs. All the remaining in between types range in softness and are what makes up the bulk of knitting yarns. In fact, there are additionally an excellent many blends using wool as one of many components. Wool always adds it’s properties to the blend.
Wool of all types can be spun soft and ethereal, hard and strong. Softly spun lofty yarn is the warmest because it traps air between the fibers and this aids in keeping the wearer warm. Tightly spun yarn may be very robust and is not normally used for garments but for weaving rugs and different applications that require strength.
Sheep’s wool is available in natural colours of white, cream, black, shades of grey and sometimes brown. It also dyes well with either natural vegetable dyes or chemical dyes. So long as someone is just not allergic to it, it is a flexible selection of yarn to knit with.
As mentioned previously, woolen garments need to be washed very carefully. Unless the garment is made from yarn that specifically states it is machine washable, don’t wash wool items within the washing machine. The cleaning soap, agitation and altering temperature of water will make woolens felt and shrink, thereby ruining them. Machine washable wool is usually merino blended with at the least 10 p.c nylon to stop it from shrinking during machine washing. These are the only items that can go right into a washing machine. Different products should be hand washed. Fill up a basin or sink with lukewarm water. Add your favorite clothes soap…enough to make a little lather. Gently immerse the article within the water avoiding agitating or rubbing the fabric together because that will cause it to felt and shrink. Let it soak for a time and gently squeeze the soapy water by means of the fabric, being careful not to be too rough. Treating the fiber roughly will cause the shrinkage. Lift the garment out of the water, careabsolutely trying to help the weight evenly.. I normally put it in a colander to empty while I alter the water. Make note, by really feel, the temperature of the water you might be dumping. It doesn’t have to be actual, but the rinse water needs to be near the same temperature or the wool will be shocked into shrinking. Gently squeeze the soapy water out of the garment, do not wring it out, once more, this roughness will cause felting. Lay it gently in the water and let it soak. Repeat this process until you’re satisfied the soap has been rinsed out. There are 2 ways one can remove the excess water to facilitate drying. One is to do something called “wuzzing” and the other is to make use of the spin cycle of the washing machine. Wuzzing is an old practice and it is much like what occurs in the course of the spin cycle. Put the garment in a pillow case, take it outside and quite quickly, rotate it by way of the air above your head or at your side to cause the water to fling out. Keep doing this till no more water comes out. To make use of the spin cycle, put the garment in a pillow case and into the washer, add something to balance the machine and turn the spin cycle on. When the cycle is over, remove the garment. It’s now ready to dry.
Lay a towel or towels on the floor and place the garment on the towel(s). Arrange it to the form it ought to have, or within the case of a sweater, to the dimensions it was knit to. Easy out any wrinkles and let it air dry. This is called blocking and it must be carried out each time the article is washed.
With proper care and protection from moths, wool articles can final quite an extended time. It’s still one of my first choices to work with for winter wear, either all wool or blends. If you have not ever worked with it, strive it. You will then change into part of a tradition of wool working that could be a few thousand years old.
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