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Wool Is King!

Started by Walnut Beast, January 18, 2023, 02:08:40 AM

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Walnut Beast

The king for warmth, quietness, antibacterial and the list goes on! You can wear a wool shirt or for days and weeks without washing it and it doesn't smell.. Try that with anything else. Isn't gonna happen! There is a reason old name brand wool garments sell for good money!  Woolpower base layers are some of the best out there! I've got some I've wore for years. I'm a wool lover 😂

Walnut Beast

If you want to read some interesting, technical and amazing stuff about wool here you go! These are some of the best outer garments out there! And made in the USA!!

https://weatherwool.com/pages/the-weatherwool-difference

SwampDonkey

Stanfields has been around since 1856 making wool underwear, cotton to. I use their wool underwear when it's below 20F. J.B Fields since 1877 making wool socks, I use their long leg socks in my caulk work boots year around. Big Bills has been around since 1946, makes rag wool pants and wool hunting jackets, got them to. :D Of course no store in these parts stock any of it. They used to. Zellers department store carried shelves and racks of the stuff, but no one will stock it now. Walmart sure don't. And I can see why when I see young people half dressed in summer clothes like they are in Florida or something. I hope their car is reliable, if they had to walk in a cold north wind at -10F, they would be in a bad way mighty quick. :D Like most good stuff these days you have to order it online, even shoes and boots. Sad state of affairs.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Ianab

Wool is still a thing here in NZ, but the market has gradually dropped off over the years, to the point where it's sometimes costing more to shear the sheep than the wool is worth (labour intensive).

But it's still a great fibre, just needs some better marketing. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

twar


SwampDonkey

I made this coat. Most expensive coat I ever owned. :D :D





Lined to. :)





The down side is it has to be in the teens are colder to wear it. It's too warm, if that is a complaint. :D :D :D  

And that wool is doublewoven, meaning two layers are stitched together by the loom. Which doubles the time it takes to weave. You are weaving a tube with the edges closed by the path of the shuttle, and the loom is stitching two layers together by moving threads meant for one layer into the other layer.  ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

peakbagger

Johnson Woolen Mills in VT makes some fine product. The trade off is they pay a living wage to their employees so its expensive. I have a lot of merino wool gear but it inevitably comes from China. Darn Tough socks in VT is an exception, all US made merino wool and merino wool blend socks. They supply the US military as well as having a big consumer line with a lifetime guarantee. Pre Covid they had a yearly factory sale at their factory in Vermont. Its not advertised but it seems like everyone in VT shows up for the deals. If you lived in VT odds are you get a bag of Darn Tough socks for Christmas. They sell their military seconds in bags of six pairs. The military uses a slightly higher blend of synthetic fibers so they are even more durable. The cushioned winter socks are about as warm and durable as a sock will get.

Labonville's in Gorham NH used t make wool logging pants complete with pockets for kevlar inserts but like a lot of their products they seem to always be out of stock. i think they had switched over to Cordura based pants, but again I think they are out of stock.   

Folks forgot to mention wool is also fire resistant, when I worked with the boy scouts, many scouts and some adults would show up with synthetic fiber pants like Labonville's cordura logging gear. It was durable but when messing around with campfires, they inevitably ended up with holes melted into them. Wool doesnt melt like that. 

The trade off is eventually in winter the wool pants do eventually wet out and freezes and it takes a long time to dry out. 

Walnut Beast

SwampDonkey that coat is gorgeous!! You did a beautiful job!!

Walnut Beast

Here is a video of Ralph from WeatherWool in freezing temperatures submerging himself in the river and getting out and drying out.  A fantastic company that he started that has garments all over the world, been on the history channel and has a warrior wool program. Many special forces to survivalists wear their 
Al's Anorak
https://weatherwool.com/pages/the-science-of-wool

Don P

The sheep and goat club here has recently purchased a wool baler hoping to pack and market their wool rather than just using the wool pool which wasn't paying well. A fair amount here was discarded after shearing, the prices are that low. Back in the day there was a breed of sheep named for this area. Unfortunately those genetics are now gone but sheep are coming back.

petefrom bearswamp

I have a Johnson jacket, a woolrich shirt and jacket a set of Stanfields wool underwear.
Love all of it.
Only downside is my wife laundered the Standfields improperly and they shrunk.
Oh yes I still have my other Johnson jacket which I bought from a friend in 1972, its threadbare and I only use it at my Adk camp in cooler weather.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

SwampDonkey

Have Johnson's, HBC and Briggs and Little wool blankets, plus blankets and throws hand woven. Have a Woolrich coat of my uncle's hardly warn and also a pair of their wool pants I got at Hyder, Alaska for $20 brand new. :D Used to work near there, on the Canadian mainland around Stewart Junction on the Nass R.

Wool will dry faster than heavy cotton by the way.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Nebraska

All these folks wearing synthetic fabric when wool is ultimately renewable, kinda like a tree.   I have some work woolies too. :)

Don P

Nebraska, a surprising amount of my county ended up out there. Your Nuckolls county was named in appreciation of an early surveyor from here. I bet they took some animals. I doubt any would still be around, any chance you've run across a "grayson" sheep?

K-Guy


I like Wool to but if I was to get a coat made it would be heavy leather lined with wool so the leather would stop the wind and wool would insulate it.


Walnut Beast
Good topic but I really didn't want to hear about your poor hygiene habits!  smiley_jester 
You can wear a wool shirt or for days and weeks without washing it and it doesn't smell
Nyle Service Dept.
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
- D. Adams

firefighter ontheside

I love merino wool.  I weat merino wool socks a lot in the winter.  When I went to Ireland over 20 years ago I bought an amazing merino wool sweater that I love, but wear rarely.  Partly I don't want to ruin it and partly because it is so warm I can't keep it on in the house or I get too hot.  At one time I had a great wool button up shirt that I wore almost every day when it was cold while building my house.  As pointed out, it didn't stink.  It just smelled like wood.  Well, one day about 10 years ago I put it on and it had shrunk about 5 sizes.  Cindy sweared that she washed it the way she always had, but it was never fitting me again.  I should look for a replacement.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

WV Sawmiller

  Did you know that allergy to wool used to be a legitimate excuse for exemption from military service because the uniforms and blankets and such contained or were completely made of wool.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

beenthere

And under that wool, silk underwear is the most comfortable when working hard and sweating. Two natural fibers, (not leaving out the comfort of cotton when temps are not below freezing).

Silk socks under wool socks the best combination to keep feet comfortable when working in the cold.

And I have some hand-me-down army wool pants and jacket that are perfect for woods work when temps are cold. Also have a couple of sets of Johnson wool jac shirts and vests, thanks to a side trip in Vermont some years back.

Agree, wool is king.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

SwampDonkey

Trust me, you don't need no leather exterior on a wool coat. Tight woven wool will not let the wind through, the liner helps make it easier to slip on and off. All across the north wool Hudson's Bay blankets were made into coats in years gone by. ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

Going to town scarf. Alpaca - silk blend, double woven. Double woven to make pattern, but also it is very fine yarn. A little wrinkly, but who notices when around your neck? :D



"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

OntarioAl

Swamp 
How much time setting up and weaving?
 For example that scarf
Cheers
Al
Al Raman

SwampDonkey

That particular scarf, I wound enough yarn onto the loom for 3, which was 396 ends of yarn. That involved winding yarn onto 37 spools, each spool has to carry enough yarn to fill 11 sections with 6 yards on my loom's yarn beam. Then the loom is threaded with those yarns into the harness (mine has 8 shafts with polyester heddles) and then also in the reed which spaces them evenly. This was threaded 11" wide with 36 threads to the inch. Then tie up the shafts and treadles to the lamm levers to control shaft movement.  That was probably around 10 hrs there. Then I wove the scarves roughly 60" long, including fringe. Each scarf is 4-5 hrs of weaving. Remember this is foot and arm powered stuff not automated. :D When doing doubleweave you have to throw two shuttles, one at a time in rotation, to get the same distance one shuttle would normally get with a single layer cloth. Plus the constant shuttle shuffling slows the weaving down. You need two shuttles and at least 2 contrasting colors, on the loom and in the shuttles, while weaving doubleweave to make a pattern, or else it just looks plain or solid color. I break it up over several days. You loose yarn due to loom waste so you plan on doing several items when you set up a loom. Plus I design most of my own patterns or at least modify others to get the width, length and design elements that satisfy me.

That scarf got instigated over a group discussion about a particular scarf seen in a video. I proved it had to be doubleweave to get the design to work out. Weavers in a group are like a swarm of bees over new patterns figuring out the thread interlacements to make it. Too funny. :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

21incher

Beautiful jacket. I am an unlucky one that can't wear wool. If it touches my skin for some reason I break out in a rash almost like poison ivy. I don't  think it's an allergy because they are caused by breathing in allergens but just a skin reaction from the fibers. I was always cold when I was young because there weren't good alternatives back then. 
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

SwampDonkey

Some folks have a sensitivity to it for sure. Some wools are softer than others, merino and alpaca are a lot softer than most.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

moodnacreek

 Count me in also as a Johnson woolen mills fan.

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