4 Myths And Truths About Wool

1. Heat and water shrink wool. Fact or fiction? You know how it is. That wool sweater fitted you perfectly before you put it in the wash. Hot soapy water got rid of the dirt. But now, that sweater is far too tight. Did you gain weight or did the sweater shrink? The truth is, wool felts, not shrinks. Wool appears to shrink because of shingles. When wet and exposed to heat, these shingles or scales on the surface of the wool fibers will overlap and lock together, causing the impression of shrinkage. Wool that has been chemically 'descaled' to allow safe machine wash without shrinkage are labelled super wash. Basically, chlorine is used to burn off the scales so it wouldn't appear to shrink. 2. Preshrunk wool can safely be machine washed. Hey, preshrunk means the wool has already shrunk and can't get smaller, so it can be tossed into the washing machine without fear of shrinkage right? Back to the technical aspects of wool processing. Preshrinking the wool means wetting the wool and then rolling it along a steel tube and having it pounded with wooden clappers. This causes the fibers to lock up. This is the fulling process which gets the wool in the optimum thickness for warmth, breathability and ability to repel water. Machine washing the wool is at your own risk as it affects the balance reached in the fulling process. There is a chance it could shrink further in the wash. 3. Wool is scratchy. That statement is both true and false. It depends on what kind of wool. The shorter fibers, like the ones used in woolens are not usually combed to lie flat. When you think of scratchy wool, army blankets come to mind. Not all wool is scratchy. Wool fabrics made of longer fibers of combed fabrics are a lot more comfortable. nnMerino wool is an interesting type of wool as it is far finer than regular wool. The scales are hence much smaller. The larger scales on regular wool can scratch the skin like barbs. With merino wool, the scales are much smaller, hence merino wool is more comfortable, less scratchy to wear. In fact. It even feels like silk. 4. Wool repels water True and false. The outer part of wool repels water. That is true. The inner part, however, absorbs water. Still, compared to cotton, wool is absorbs less moisture from the air, hence wool blankets are far better than water-thirsty cotton blankets in damp places.