Most of us associate wool with scratchy sweaters and bare-skinned sheep, but wool is much more than that. Wool was used for clothing as early as 4000 BCE and over 200 different breeds of sheep produce it, and so do other animals like goats, camels, alpacas, and llamas.
Wool has many different useful characteristics, making it a great fiber for a variety of garments. Wool is both extremely absorbent as well as water-repellent: to put it simply, wool absorbs water slowly but once it starts, it can absorb a lot of water without feeling wet to the touch. This makes wool a perfect material for outerwear garments such as cloaks and coats. Another very practical characteristic of wool is its ability to insulate the body by keeping out the cold in winter and the heat in summer. For this reason wool is a great any-time fabric. Its traditional use in military uniforms allowed soldiers to need only one uniform rather than an entirely new one for each season. Wool is also fire resistant; the fibers will curl up and shrink away from a heat source before catching fire, giving the wearer extra protection around open flames. Thus, wool was a popular fiber for firemen’s uniforms.
Most fibers need to be woven in order to make cloth, but not wool. Because of the scaly, crimped nature of the fibers they can be dampened, heated, and agitated to make them come together to form a solid sheet. This process, called felting, was used to make material for hats and was a quick alternative to spinning and weaving. Another process, called fulling, is similar but the wool is spun and woven first then agitated to make the fibers come together even more tightly. This type of fabric, often called broadcloth, was quite popular and did not require hemming because the tight fibers did not easily fray. Broadcloth was used for everything from men’s suits to women’s cloaks.
Although wool can be finely spun for use in fabrics or thickly spun for knitting bulky mittens, it was also frequently used in its raw state. Raw wool can be found in quilted petticoats, quilted bonnets, and as insulation and padding in other garments as well.
Wool has been used for millenniums as a valuable fiber and fabric, which means there are a multitude of extant garments made of wool. Interested in learning more? Visit the exhibitions or explore the resources of the Research Center at the Connecticut Historical Society, One Elizabeth Street, Hartford, CT 06105. For hours and more information go to http://www.chs.org/
