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Home » Craft Materials

April 25, 2017 by Lou 3 Comments

10 Reasons Why I Love Wool Crafts

Or more to the point, 10 Reasons Why I Love Wool.

Working with wool is something I love for many reasons. I thoroughly enjoy using all kinds of natural fibres within my wool crafts of course, and those of you who are familiar with my products will be used to seeing everything from cotton to jute making an appearance. Wool though, particularly British wool, has a very special place in my heart.

I’m still surprised when people ask me what makes me so passionate on the topic as I’d assumed it had been discussed to death over the years by enthusiastic knitters, spinners and felters everywhere. Apparently I was wrong! So let’s take a little look at why and if you’re interested in discovering more, you can follow some of the links I’ll provide as we go along.

The List!

  1. First and foremost, wool is 100% natural.
  2. Wool is completely biodegradable. It’s a sad but common sight to see farmers burying unwanted fleeces in their fields.

    Fleece

                  Raw Wool

  3. Wool forms part of the natural carbon cycle.
  4. Wool is anti microbial and odour resistant. Bear that in mind the next time you ask why anyone would knit a pair of socks!

    Hand Knitted Socks

                   Hand Knitted Wool Socks

  5. Wool improves indoor air quality; making it a great option for rugs, carpets and home furnishings.
  6. Wool is a renewable resource i.e. it can be used repeatedly because it’s replaced naturally.
  7. It’s breathable which is better for clothing and bedding. Synthetic materials tend to make us sweat.
  8. Wool crafts allow me to help secure the future of native sheep breeds. Blacker Yarns, along with many others working in unity, helped to collect, process, spin and dye Boreray wool in recent years. This has successfully upgraded the Boreray breed from critical to vulnerable in the most recent survey by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. How awesome is that?
  9. Wool helps me to support my local economy. From independent hand dyers and wood carvers to local yarn shops and smallholders, every time I purchase tools and materials for my crafts, I’m putting money into another small business.
  10. Safety! This amazing material is fire resistant and fire retardant. You’ll find it’s often used for toy stuffing, upholstery, carpets and host of other applications.
Blanket Tiles

Start of a crochet blanket in merino wool

I could make more, equally compelling, points but I’m sure you get the gist. We’re incredibly lucky to live in a country that has an abundance of this natural material and if you’d like to know more about wool in general, check out the Campaign for Wool‘s site.

 

Filed Under: A Crafting Life: General Musings, Craft Business Concerns, Craft Materials, Eco Crafting Tagged With: fibre, green living, wool, working with wool

November 7, 2013 by Lou Leave a Comment

Wovember, Movember, Craft Stash and Craft Fairs!

Another busy month here in rather rainy Scotland. Winter is on its way with crisp mornings, lots of rain and the inevitable “nights fair drawin’ in” darkness. Definitely time to pull out those winter woolies.

Wovember 2013 Arrives

Despite that there’s lots of crafty fun and goodness to be had, not least with the start of Wovember and its celebration of all things truly wooly! If you haven’t come across this term before, pop on over to the Wovember blog where you can read all about it and find lots of interesting articles on growing, harvesting, processing, working with and wearing wool! I recommend grabbing a cuppa and some cookies before you start as it may take some time.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Craft Events, Craft Materials, Local Scottish Craft

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