Woolens
Recovering a precious resource
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It’s still very cold where I am (it will warm up soon and I’m looking forward to that, though also feeling anxiety about all the snow suddenly melting on our dirt lane, but that’s life).
So I have some thoughts about leaving behind the polyester life and turning to wool. Even if it’s warming up where you are, now is a good time to thrift good wool clothing for the future. So I’m going to give you my pitch for it!
How is wool practical? How to care for it all? And how to wear it?
Today: how wool is different.
Sheep’s wool is antibacterial, anti-fungal, warm, and fairly resistant to water, but retaining a lot of its ability to provide warmth, even when wet.
People dread cold weather because polyester or acrylic sweaters don’t actually keep you very warm, and cotton sweatshirts only work down to a not very low temperature. Once you discover how warm wool is, you’ll wonder how you lived without it. (I will discuss sensitivity to wool — and I am very sensitive — and how to overcome it, in another post.)
Polyester and acrylic are derived from petroleum and, while they have their uses, the replacement of natural fibers has been an economic and environmental disaster. Synthetics don’t last, whereas I recently did a little mending on a beautiful handmade woolen cardigan of my daughter’s — a cardigan I thrifted almost 50 years ago! Who knows how old it actually is, and it’s a favorite of hers (hasn’t fit me in a long time, alas.)
Sheep can thrive in difficult landscapes not otherwise suited to production of food or anything else. They nibble, rather than tear, at the grasses, fertilize the land, and offer their wool and meat. Sheep actually need to be shorn! They are amazing animals!
Synthetics (which have their uses but not to this overwhelming extent) have also taken away the need for the housewife’s skill, resulting in a loss of collective memory and the feeling of just being caught in an endless loop of consumption, rather than being a caretaker.
So that’s my encouragement for being open to wool! I’ll talk about other aspects anon.
Mary Vermuyden Wheelhouse
Thanks for being here! Apply my thoughts to your situation with discernment, prudence, and confidence — and a sense of humor!
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For the longer version of this Substack and much more on this topic:
My 3-volume book on Order and Wonder in Family Life: