In her 1971 handknitting classic, Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmerman wittily proclaims her allegiance to natural fibres: “For people allergic to wool, one’s heart can only bleed. Synthetics are a marvelous substitute, but a substitute is all they are.” Fifty years on, it’s no small challenge to find a garment or household textile that isn’t at least partly synthetic.
At the same time, growing awareness of the environmental impacts of those (largely petroleum-derived) materials has dampened many people’s enthusiasm for synthetics and revived an age-old love of wool and other animal fibres.
The wonders of wool
The spinning of wool into weavable fibre dates back to ancient times and has spanned civilizations and millennia—hardly surprising, given wool’s extraordinary attributes. It insulates, breathes, wicks moisture, resists fire, and retains its shape. Wool is durable, dye-able, biodegradable, and available in a wealth of different textures and natural colours.
What about the itch?
As for those wool allergies that Zimmerman mentions, research suggests that wool fibre itself is rarely an allergen. While some people might be sensitive to lanolin (the fatty substance found on sheep’s wool) or to certain textile-processing additives, the main “itch factor” is large fibre diameters. Small-diameter fibres, such as superfine merino wool or alpaca, are very well tolerated and even beneficial for certain skin conditions.
Dyed in the wool
Maddy Purves-Smith, manager and co-owner of Custom Woolen Mills (CWM, customwoolenmills.com) near Carstairs, Alberta, is a passionate advocate for natural fibres and “slow fashion.” Her family-run business uses turn-of-the-(19th) century equipment to process fibre into a variety of products, including carded/unspun wool, yarns, bedding, and knitted goods.
While their output is much lower than that of a modern industrial-scale mill, CWM takes pride in the environmental sustainability of their smaller operation, as well as their ability to customize individual orders. Along with customization is CWM’s equal valuing, when purchasing fleece from farmers, of the many different natural shades of sheep, alpaca, and other animal fibres. According to Purves-Smith, many large mills view non-white fleece as low-quality.
Yet most of the uniformly white fibre that they seek is dyed using processes and chemicals that pose a serious threat to ecosystems and public health. The limited collection of dyed yarns that CWM offers is, by contrast, hand-dyed with the beautiful colours of local plants.
The eco-friendly alpaca
Although sheep’s wool occupies most of the shelf space in yarn shops, Edward Pickering and Shauna Seabrook of Chetwyn Farms (chetwynfarms.com) in Hillier, Ontario, have devoted their hearts and resources to alpacas.
In addition to the many attractive qualities of alpaca yarn—it’s both softer and warmer, by weight, than sheep’s fleece—the sociability and eco-friendliness of the animals themselves appealed to Pickering and Seabrook when they embarked on farming and small-scale yarn production.
Because alpacas are naturally mountain-dwelling creatures, Pickering points out, they don’t require lush grassland and are happy to graze together on smaller, scantier pastures. The fact that they have no upper teeth (who knew?) means that they’re also gentler on the land cover than other grazers.
“They don’t pull the grass up; they gum it!” Pickering says with a laugh. An added eco-bonus is that alpacas do all their pooping in a single, communal spot, producing pelleted manure, which can be immediately used as a soil enhancer.
An intricate weave
Like all activities that manipulate the natural world for human purposes, textile production is complex and multi-faceted. Among the many topics that could be further explored are the global need for more extensive regenerative farming practices, as well as the role of newer synthetics made with recycled materials or closed-loop manufacturing systems.
As with the food we eat, our textile choices can be difficult. Whenever possible, however, we’d do well to heed Purves-Smith’s advice to “dig into the background of our textiles” and consider the well-being of the people, animals, and ecosystems affected by those choices.
From sheep to shawl: What happens along the way?
1) Shearing
The fleece is shorn from the animal, typically in the spring. During this process, it’s crucial to treat the animals humanely, which is more likely on smaller farms.
2) Skirting
The fleece is spread out and trimmed. Things like guard hairs, dirt, and vegetation are removed. The fibre might also be batched according to colour and grade.
3) Washing
The fleece is washed to remove remaining dirt and, in the case of sheep, lanolin.
4) Carding
The cleaned fleece is combed into parallel fibres with large brushes. Once carded, these fibres that haven’t yet been spun are called “roving.”
5) Spinning
The carded fibre is twisted, by hand or machine, into a single strand of yarn of a desired thickness.
6) Plying
Multiple yarn strands are twisted together for added strength.
7) Finishing
The yarn may be washed again and is now ready for packaging and use.
Beyond socks: woolly gift ideas for the holidays
Farm tours
Many sheep and alpaca farms offer guided tours, featuring opportunities to learn about the animals and the steps leading from fleece to fibre. Some farms even offer an adoption program.
Care products
When it comes to cleaning and caring for animal-fibre clothing, less is more, but a gentle, biodegradable wool soap or mesh laundry bag can help those treasures last forever.
Wool dryer balls and pellets
Dryer balls made from wool reduce drying time and soften fabrics naturally; for gardeners, wool pellets, made of scraps from the shearing process, are a wonderful fertilizer.
Workshops and supplies
For the crafty types on your gift list, consider a class in spinning, knitting, or weaving. Knitters and other fibre enthusiasts might enjoy a supply of an extra-special yarn variety from a small-scale producer.
This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of alive magazine.
Heather Burt bicycles to Langara College, where she teaches literature and writing. Her novel Adam's Peak (Dundurn Press, 2007) was shortlisted for the 2008 BC Book Prizes.
Carime Lane
Adam Meyer
Emilie Richardson-Dupuis
Carole Ames