Facts About Wool Fabric
Wool comes from sheep and is harvested annually by shearing domestic sheep. The wool fibers consist of protein that is hardened and does not contain sensory structure. Sheep do not feel pain or anything at all when their wool is sheared, according to Sheepusa.org.
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Composition
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Most people are aware that wool fabric shrinks if you put it in a dryer. When this happened, this is called felting. Wool consists of amino acids, which are protein building blocks. The protein that is in wool is hardened or keratinized when it forms and then grows on the sheep. Other examples of keratinized protein are fingernails and hair. The wool is surrounded by overlapping scales that are flat and which point away from the sheep's body as it grows. When the animal is sheared and the wool is processed, the fibers get mixed in their orientation and the scale edges may begin pointing in opposite directions.
The Process and Why Wool Shrinks
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When the wool is spun into yarn, the fibers come into close contact. The orientation of the fiber and the direction of the scale edges end up being random. When wool fabric is exposed to moisture or agitation the fibers will slide past each other but the edges on the scales, when coming together, don't allow the fiber to slide back, which locks the fiber into the new position. There are hundreds of fibers in the wool coming into contact with each other and locking into this new position, which is what causes shrinkage.
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New Techniques
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The textile industry has developed new techniques that allow wool to be washed. One technique is to coat the wool fiber so that the fibers can slide past one another and shrinkage doesn't occur or doesn't occur as much. Another technique is to expose the wool fibers to compounds that smooth the edges of the fiber scales. The result is the removal of prominent scale edges and smoother fiber and far less shrinkage.
Reaction
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Because wool fibers can be greater than 30 microns in diameter, when they come into contact with your skin they can poke you because they don't bend. When the fiber pokes you, you may react. A rash can occur. The structural rigidity is what bothers your skin, not an allergy to wool.
Precautions
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Wool fabrics are repeatedly washed to remove any chemicals that are used during the processing of the fabric. The washing occurs before the wool leaves the textile mill. There is not enough chemical residue left on the wool to result in a allergic reaction, although many people claim to be allergic to wool.
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References
- Photo Credit sheeps queue on sheep-run image by Piotr Rydzkowski from Fotolia.com
