Wool is an amazing fibre. It is environmentally-friendly, fire resistant, moisture wicking, hypoallergenic and extremely durable. Yet, despite these attributes, wool in recent years is surprisingly considered as 'worthless' and a 'by-product' of the farming industry.
Many farmers are opting to burn their wool "because the price that they would receive is less than the cost of transporting it for processing; hundreds sell it at little or no return." The fall of wool can be attributed to the rise of synthetic materials. In addition, with the high demand for "animal-free" or "vegan" products, it seems the reputation of wool as a sustainable material has been further hurt. There are a lot of misunderstandings and misinformation surrounding this unique fibre, when in fact it is the most reusable and recyclable fibre on the planet.
Surprised by wool being labelled as waste, I am inspired to be re-acquainted with this material and see what I can do, in my little corner, to promote this by-product through preparing raw fleece, hand spinning and weaving one-off pieces.
*MORE INFO TO COME*