Monday, January 18, 2010

A Case for Natural Fibres

Snowball weather. The temperature is just right for 'packing' the cool white stuff, building a snowman and having a snowball fight. Remember those fun times?


Do you also remember how cold your hands got when your acrylic mittens got wet from having too much fun? The lucky ones among us, those who had handknit woollen mitts, won't know what I'm talking about because when their mitts got wet, their hands stayed toasty and warm.

Somehow, the miracles of modern technology cannot match the many wonderful qualities of wool. If your feet get cold while wearing nylon, acrylic or cotton socks, try wool. If you easily over-heat while wearing a synthetic sweater, try wool or a natural fibre. You won't need dryer sheets to stop static cling when you wear natural fibres.


The following is one of my all-time favourite quotes about the benefits of wool:


"Wool has a natural ability to resist absorption of moisture, insulate against heat and cold, resist flame, and maintain resilience. Wool can absorb as much as 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling wet to the touch, compared with cotton at 8% and synthetics at less than 5%. An added bonus is that when wool goes from dry to wet, it gives off warmth, with a single gram of wool producing 27 calories of heat."
- from Folk Mittens, by Marcia Lewandowski, Interweave Press, 1997

Let's keep the International Year of Natural Fibres in our thoughts. It's a good thing!

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