Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins and clothed them. --Genesis 3:21
Okay so I thought it pretty neat that the Bible takes in account the use of animals for clothing. The wheels in my head were turning today and I realized "THIS IS the earliest usages of animal"WOOL! At least...maybe???" I do not know if it was in fact a sheep now that I am reading the Bible. But I remember as a child being shown a wooly sheep being the animal used to clothe Adam and Eve. It would make sense since the Lamb of God and animal sacrifice was usually a Ram, Sheep, or lamb. Biblical Metaphors that play all throughout the Bible. But from the earliest of times, animals were the source of clothing for everyone! So I'm just suspecting that sheep and goats were used not only for a source of food but also for their woolly coats for clothing.
What is Wool:
According to the Merriam Webster's Definition Wool is : the soft wavy or curly usually thick undercoat of various hairy mammals and especially the sheep made up of a matrix of keratin fibers and covered with minute scales. A Filamentous Mass. A dense felted pubescence especially on a plant.
Wool does not only come from sheep, but also goats, camels, alpacas, and rabbits. But by far the most versatile of wool is in fact the sheep wool. It has certain qualities that just make it so useful in so many different ways.
Wonderful Characteristic of Wool #1:
Ability to be used in Cold and Warm Weather
Why is it that one may see someone wearing wool clothing not only in the cold areas of the world like the Gobi desert, Mongolia, China, Alaska, etc., but also in the more desert areas of the world like in Egypt?
Wool fiber is able to wick away sweat from the skin for one thing. This wicking away sweat from the skin creates the "cooling" effect we feel. Granted I am not saying wear a thick wool coat, but a thin layer made of wool material will do the trick. In the winter, wool is great because a thick heavy duty coat can shield from cold biting winds as well as keep a person warm because it is a great insulator.
The Crimps in wool (bends in the wool fiber) provide air pockets that can trap warm air in. Also the crimp of wool means that there are more fibers in one square inch than other fabrics making wool thicker and better at insulation and against the outer elements than other fabrics.
I know it may sound confusing and thoroughly conflicting. But hang in here with me through this Wooly Event! I have so much to share with you all! But yes, Wool can be used to keep warm in winter and cool in summer. The secrets of wool seem to be all the more clearer when seen underneath a microscope!
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Photo from Medical Sheep Skins |
Cloth Diapering Aspect:
Now from a Cloth Diapering Aspect I want something that can keep my child warm in the fall and winter months yet cool in the hot summer months. My own personal suggestion for wool cloth diapers is that I will have some variety of wool cloth to fit the season.
For Winter I would recommend long wool pants diapers that may or may not be felted.
I have found that for us personally a felted diaper for my daughter would be great for the cold months becomes it is so much warmer. Closer shrunken fibers of wool can hold more warmth during these months and it shields against the wind.
I find that the felted diaper is still very much breathable yet at the same time able to keep my daughter dry through the nights. She wakes up in the morning with her PJs dry and her sheets not soaked through because of a leaky diaper! I have noticed that though the inner diaper is wet and thoroughly used the wool diaper itself can be a bit damp. So I do know that it does allow moisture to evaporate by wicking moisture towards the outside of the diaper.
My thoughts for the Spring and Summer time would be non felted diapers that can be shorties or even longies! Of the Wool diapers we have I feel like my Three Happy Trees Shorties would be perfect for these Spring and Summer months because they are lightweight. Though I have been using them a lot even during these cold winter days!
But overall I think that Wool does a great job of regulating a person's body temperature.
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Research done for Wool:
Great Resource if you're itching to know more:
You can find more information of the 2009 wool productions here:
- Sheep 101 Info This website has a more up to date information about it than than
- Wikipedia's 2004-2005 info on leading countries.
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