What does wool look like and what is it?

Wool is one of the most popular materials of natural origin for making various warm things and attributes. The excellent properties of wool have been valued since ancient times. In the modern world, wool fiber still remains at the peak of popularity. The production of clothing and other textiles does not stand still; new ways of processing these raw materials are being developed. Read on to learn about what wool is, where it is used, what it looks like, and its beneficial properties.

What kind of material is wool?

In the generally accepted sense, wool refers to the hairline of a mammal. It has an unusual structure, as it consists of two types of hairs:

• guard hairs - long and dense, which determine the overall structure and volume of the coat, and also perform protective functions and determine waviness;
• downy hairs, which together constitute the undercoat.These hairs are quite thin and tortuous, do not rise high above the skin, therefore they retain heat, and in hot weather they allow the animal not to overheat.

Important! The guard hair has an interesting feature: next to its bulb there is a special muscle that allows the hair to stand on end. At such a moment, an even greater thickness of the coat is created, which means the animal is warm.

The hairs in the coat are randomly located, often tangled and intertwined. It is due to this that peculiar “air pockets” are formed that help keep the body warm or cool..

Types of wool

Wool as a material for making something is collected for subsequent processing in two ways:

• most often - by cutting wool;
• less often - by combing.

Hair is collected from various animals, but for many centuries, wool from the most common mammals has been used in industry and handicraft: sheep, camel, goat, llama, etc.

Sheep

This is the most common type, used in a wide variety of light industries. Thanks to their ornate shape, the hairs tangle well with each other, so they keep their shape and retain heat much longer than some other types. Crimped wools have other beneficial properties, for example, They protect the skin well from precipitation and any moisture, as well as excessive pollution. And thanks to the structure of the hair, things made from sheep wool are quite voluminous, fluffy, hold their shape well and don’t wrinkle too much..

Among the highest quality types of sheep wool, merino wool can be distinguished. It is obtained from a breed of fine-wool sheep that live mostly in Australia and Central Asia.The thinness of merino allows it to be used not only as a yarn for sweaters, but also even in the production of warm underwear for clothing. By the way, Merino wool is one of the few materials that has never been replaced with synthetic fiber.

camel

The main difference between this species is the absolutely hollow hair. It means that a small air “pocket” is formed inside each hair, which significantly reduces the thermal conductivity of the material. Camel wool is very light and elastic, especially the undercoat (also called camel down), which is most often used in production.

Goat

Goat hair has a different texture than sheep hair: it is much smoother and straighter, which means it is harder to make yarn from. However, it is also very common in light industry. There are three highest quality types of goat wool:

• from an Orenburg goat. The well-known Orenburg scarf is made from undercoat (goat fluff). The length of the hairs is about 16–18 mm;
• mohair. It is taken from the Angora goat, which lives in Turkey and South Africa. The hairs, about 20 mm long, are very delicate, so the material requires delicate care;
• cashmere is the most expensive type. It is obtained from the Himalayan goat, the hair length is 22–25 mm.

Alpaca

The cute animal alpaca belongs to the camel family, lives in South America and produces beautiful wool. She much warmer than sheep and goat, very soft, light and fluffy, so it's not cheap. Interesting fact: it is believed that previously it was used to make clothes only for royalty.

Llamas

Lama is another representative of the camel family.The properties of llama wool are in many ways similar to its previous relative: it is also warm and light in weight. The main advantage is incredible fluffy undercoat capable of maintaining a comfortable climatic range of fifty degrees.

What is wool fur?

Often on clothing tags and on shoes you can see the inscription: woolen fur. This funny phrase actually has a very appropriate meaning. Wool fur is a material containing both natural wool (about 80%) and synthetic hairs (20%). Usually the hairs are fixed on a knitted base.

Externally, such material is difficult to distinguish from completely natural ones, but in terms of cost it is much better. The properties of wool fur are also very attractive: it retains heat well, but the thickness of the material is usually much thinner than real fur..

Important! Most often, wool fur is made from sheep's wool - one of the warmest and most comfortable to wear.

Characteristics of wool fibers

Wool fibers have many advantages based on their characteristics. Let's look at the most important of them:

• fineness is the cross-sectional size of the wool, that is, in fact, the thickness of an individual fiber. For example, in a sheep, the fineness varies from 10 microns (at the undercoat) to 160 microns (dense guard hairs);
• The length of the fur of all mammals is different, but the longer the hair, the more voluminous the yarn usually turns out and, accordingly, the finished item. In fine-wool sheep, for example, the length of the wool reaches 8–10 cm;
• thermal conductivity. The animal's fur consists almost entirely of keratin, which guarantees low thermal conductivity of the material. Basically, protection from the cold is created not by the hairs themselves, but by the air layer that forms between them;
• hygroscopicity.Wool absorbs moisture perfectly and removes some of the water in the form of evaporation, so it slowly gets wet. In addition, by absorbing a small amount of water, wool generates additional heat.

Properties of wool

In addition to the listed most important characteristics, it has other important properties, thanks to which it is appreciated by many consumers. Among them:

• strength. The natural stability of the wool is also strengthened using modern methods of weaving yarn and threads;
• resistance to pollution. First of all, this property helped wild animals, but people successfully adopted it;
• crease resistance. Indeed, some products made from natural wool are not ironed at all - this is not necessary. Being in a slightly damp room, the item itself will return to its original state;
• does not absorb the smell of sweat, is well ventilated;
• Sometimes during wear it can become matted, which further reduces thermal conductivity.

What things are made from it?

There are countless products that can be made from natural animal wool. Firstly, these are all kinds of wardrobe items, from warm sweaters to business suits. Thanks to the twisting wool of sheep, they are used to make felt, and felt has long been used to make felt boots, which are resistant to any frost. Grandmothers like to knit mittens and warm socks for their grandchildren from wool yarn, and for lovers of baths, saunas and other similar pleasures, special hats are made from felt to prevent overheating.

Secondly, wool is famous for its unusual quality - it absorbs sound well. That is why materials made from it are often used for coatings and recording studios.

Thirdly, it is ideal for creating warmth in the house, so special construction felt is made from low grades - a good insulation material.

How can you tell if something is made from natural wool?

The easiest way to determine that this is something made from real material is to smell it.. A characteristic smell in a new item may be present even if you simply bring your nose closer to the item. If you cannot immediately smell any specific odor, you can conduct a small experiment. For this you will need a small thread from the product. Try setting it on fire carefully.

Natural material will burn, while synthetic fiber will simply melt. Also, when wool burns, it will emit a characteristic smell of burnt hair, and the lint itself will turn into ash.