Knitting Wool – Baaahh!
No, I didn’t say blaah, blaah, blaah! I said KNITTING WOOL – BAAAHH! Most adults would take it for granted that wool comes from sheep. But not everyone knows this interesting fact; even fewer understand the age old process and continuing range of uses of wool, especially knitting wool.
Sources of Wool
Knitting wool comes from lambs, sheep, llamas, vicuna (bet you never heard of that one before) and even yak. Wool comes seasonally and is a natural product of animals, which produce wool to keep warm in colder weather.
Wool can be produced anywhere the animals are found. Large wool producers are Australia, Scotland, India and Peru. Additionally, knitting wool as an industry is huge. Great Britain and America had the early mechanized mills but now these industries can be found all over the globe, especially now that wage differentials are driving manufacturing to more economical labor markets.
Qualities of Wool
The qualities of wool is an interesting study. Wool is warm, holds heat and even when wet the fibers continue to serve this function. The nature of woollen fibers allows them to be spun or woven into yarns which can then be knit, crocheted and further woven.
Spun knitting wool is spun hair and as such has natural traits within the natural strands. Individual fibers may exhibit all sorts of color gradations and textures. Irregularities can be problematic in knitting wool yarn, but that does not mean these yarns are unwelcome by any means. In fact, because knitting wool falls into this category, certain varietals are prized; it is often the specific irregularities that make the yarns sought after as valuable.
Knitting with Wool Is Fun
Knitting with wool is fun. To prove it I asked my wife, a knitter of going on four decades. After a long silence, she said “It is fun, but that’s because it gets you through the long winters!” I had to ask further “Do you mean the warmth of it or the craft aspects?” “Both of course” was the reply. You see, my wife starts knitting sweaters in July – lightweight but sweaters nonetheless. They are functional when going to restaurants or other air conditioned buildings and colourful too. By October she’s shifted to knitting wool sweaters for the colder weather and colder climates.
Knitting wool is not so colourful, but the grades and shades of color are also quite attractive and recently beautiful and lovely as well. The dying of wool produces soft tones and lavenders and greens are somehow nostalgic – perfectly suited for knitting woolen scarves, hats and sweaters.