The Seven Wonders of Wool

1. Wool is an insulator: It recovers from compression beyond all other fibers. Wool entraps a wall of air between the body and the outer air, maintaining body heat at an even temperature, warding off chill and heat prostration alike.

2. Wool is absorbent: It absorbs up to 30 per cent of its weight without becoming appreciably damp. Wool’s absorbency makes it an unequalled, protective insulator by preventing cloths from clinging to the skin and robbing the body of its heat.

3. Wool is durable: Wool’s protein substances are arranged in an amazing complex structure which resists breakage to an astonishing degree. Wool can be twisted, turned and stretched. It always returns to its original shape without being deformed.

4. Wool is resilient: Wool’s complex inner structure is surrounded by a scale-like covering which quickly recovers from distortion when the fiber is stretched, thus preventing stretching and sagging of the fabric and of garments. That is why wool garments always keep their shape and retain their warmth.

5. Wool is wonderful to tailor: No other fiber can be woven into such an infinite variety of fabrics in different weights, textures and effects. No fabric tailors like a wool fabric. Its live, flexible character enables the tailor to shape it under the iron and through steaming. That is why wool garments can be altered so beautifully and succesfully.

6. Wool dyes magnificently: It is dyed in the fleece, in the yarn, in the top, and in the piece. Wool has more chemical groups anxious to blend with dyes than any other fiber. It resists acids, soils, and perspiration to a greater degree than any other fiber.

7. Wool is flame resistant: In intense heat, wool will char but will not support flame. That is an increasingly necessary insurance against the growing dangers of flammable fabrics, especially in the children’s apparel and blankets.

THE WOOL BUREAU, INC. 

GENTRY N.4 FALL 1952, page 21