TEXTILE TALES
As we celebrate Wool Month, this all natural and abundantly available fibre offers much undervalued versatility for the interior and has a bright future as well as a fine heritage
From the rugged allure of Aran knits to the feather-light softness of a cashmere throw, wool is truly a multi-faceted fibre. We may think first of its cossetting qualities of warmth and insulation, yet wool is an incredibly versatile textile with year-round value in the home.
The fibre’s notable degree of stretch enhances its resilience, while a natural crimp makes it a perfect staple to spin into yarn, which can then be woven into contemporary finishes such as boucle, traditional cloths like plaids, or blended for ethereal sheers.
Ancient fibre
One of the world’s oldest known textile fibres, wool derives primarily from the fleece of sheep but can also be created from other coats that can be sheared or brushed, including alpaca and llama, as well as yak, farmed in Tibet, China, Mongolia and Nepal. Cashmere and mohair are gleaned from the coats of goats and angora goats respectively, while camel hair – along with goat hair - has been used by nomadic Arab tribes for centuries to create Bedouin tents. According to the British Wool marketing board, wool has been spun and woven into cloth in Britain since the Bronze Age. The Romans brought with them white-faced hornless sheep and by 700 AD the nation was exporting woollen cloth to the continent. By 1100, wool had become pivotal to Britain’s economy, and through the medieval period its production defined much of the look of British landscapes, and the layout of towns. At that time wool cloth was considered the finest in Europe and vast swathes of the population were employed in sheep farming, wool trading or cloth production, in roles including scourers, carders, spinners, knitters, weavers and dyers.
Yet today, this once prolific fibre accounts for less than three per cent of the worldwide textile market, its historic influence eroded by the invention of synthetic textiles.
Heritage & innovation
Thankfully, a renewed appreciation for wool has been gathering pace over the past decade, with champions including H.M. King Charles III, patron of The Campaign for Wool. In Britain, several heritage wool mills, including Johnstons of Elgin, The Isle Mill in Scotland, and Abraham Moon & Sons in Yorkshire, have not only survived but thrived through the challenges of textile history.
Johnstons of Elgin is known for its fine woollen cloth and its stewarding of heritage techniques; its work towards sustainable manufacture recognised with a B-Corp certification. ‘The primary fibres we use are merino wool
