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Wool
Fiber characteristics
Wool is a favorite of knitters, because it is so satisfying to work with. It takes dyes well, and so many beautiful yarns can be made with fine wool or wool blends.
- Wool is ideal for winter garments because it repels water, and of course, it keeps us warm even in the coldest climates
- Wool felts easily in hot water (except bleached light colors, and any superwash wools)
- The natural crimp in the fibers make it easier to spin, since the fibers stick together naturally
- Wool is wrinkle-resistant
- It's durable and stain-resistant
- Wool maintains its shape, and doesn't need to be re-blocked
Isn't wool already organic?
Many people assume that because wool comes from sheep, it must be already organic. It's true that some sheep are raised in humane and environmentally sound conditions, but not all sheep raised as wool producers have the same life experience.
For wool to be certified organic, several criteria must be met:
- the sheep are not genetically modified or given synthetic hormones or vaccinations;
- from the last third of a lamb’s gestation period, all feed grain and grazing pasture must be organically grown
- pastures may not be treated with pesticides
- sheep may not be dipped in pesticides to treat parasites like ticks and lice (the dipping chemicals can harm sheep farmers, and contaminate nearby ground water)
- sheep must be maintained in good health
- mulesing (gruesome removal of the skin, to treat blowflies) is obviously not permitted
- the number of sheep per acre of land is limited to the land’s natural capacity to support grazing livestock; producers cannot overgraze the land
- during the cleaning, carding and spinning processes, organic fibers are kept separate from non-organic fibers
- any dyes used are low-impact and metal-free
The organic wool industry is very small (19,000 lbs annually in US) compared to the wool industry in general, so the price of organic wool is higher than conventional wool.
New Mexico is the leading US producer of organic wool, supplying 81% of US organic wool. Main breeds for organic wool production are Columbia, Navajo-Churro, Rambouillet, and Rambouillet/Suffolk Cross.
For further reading
Organic Trade Association’s Organic Wool Fact Sheet
