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Shearlife t1_iz0hbba wrote

Reply to comment by RareBrit in Did sheep fur always just endlessly grow or was that something that was selectively bred? Were they originally naturally adapted to be going through a lot of foliage and thickets and stuff that would keep their coat relatively trimmed? by EuroTraschBozos

Shedding breeds are becoming more popular also to cut costs of shearing, since wool as a fibre - particularly strongwool - has been fetching lower prices in the past years.

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the-channigan t1_iz0kgq1 wrote

Yeah. One of my main takeaways from the series Clarkson’s Farm was it costing more to shear the sheep than you make from sale of the wool. Madness

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RareBrit t1_iz0vmw0 wrote

It’s a fantastic fibre, but doesn’t take well to being put through a washing machine.

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Transmatrix t1_iz0z8dz wrote

Plus: allergies. Wool is one of the few materials that can keep in body heat even when wet, though.

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Shearlife t1_iz12pzr wrote

True, but wool allergy is in the 1,7% of the population, so it's more likely one is sensitive to coarse fiber than actually allergic to lanolin https://www.woolmark.com/fibre/are-you-allergic-to-wool/ https://www.healthline.com/health/wool-allergy#causes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11453903/

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[deleted] t1_iz1vv05 wrote

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[deleted] t1_iz269p2 wrote

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AnarchoSpider-man t1_iz2crhv wrote

Just last week I found three 100 % cotton shirts from a drift-store. That said drift stores aren't so reliable that you can get such clothes every time you go to one. (And when I tried to buy them new from my local supermarkets, couldn't find any, at least not at an affordable prize. So I'm kinda lost too as to where to get any. Maybe from online stores.)

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Own-Satisfaction3358 t1_iz381bs wrote

Merino wool made me breakout in hives but wool/silk blends didn’t. Now I know that I’m just sensitive to coarse fiber. Thanks!!

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scuricide t1_iz1izk5 wrote

One of the few natural materials. Lots of synthetics have this quality.

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InvincibleJellyfish t1_iz1k797 wrote

They make you smell tho. Wool is amazing at not getting smelly from sweat etc.

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daywalkker t1_izbwts1 wrote

Potentially, but the incredibly low cost of producing synthetics means a much, much less expensive end product. Plus, many synthetics perform better in inclement weather for numerous reasons. Synthetics are the #1 reason for the decrease in demand for wool.

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kingbane2 t1_iz339mv wrote

which synthetics keep you warm while wet? having worked outside in winters for many years i haven't found much that works well when soaking wet aside from wool.

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paranoid_android_OK t1_iz8gea2 wrote

I’d like to know the answer, too. Wool is the only material I’ve known to keep you warm and dry wick water off you.

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WimWumRay t1_izcrpcu wrote

Polypropylene underwear is very good for this purpose. I used to wear it for white water kayaking.

Synthetic fleece jackets are pretty warm while wet and much lighter than wool. Can't think what it's acrually made from though... I got a free one with a National Geographic subscription.

Main downside I notice compared to wool is that the synthics get kinda gross smelling if you sweat in them.

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[deleted] t1_iz1yvn6 wrote

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Eomycota t1_iz29c9v wrote

Detergent can rip off the oil, but the hot water and the tumbling actually change the structure over time. This will transform your wool into felt. Felt is made by applying pressure and hot water. When you make your own wool, you seperate two different length of fiber. The long one are spun and the short one are use to make felt.

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belmari t1_iz2b8qp wrote

This actually depends a lot on where you live and what kind of washing machines you have access to.

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dicewhore t1_iz1spff wrote

Jeremy Clarkson? Or is this a different Clarkson's Farm,,

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TheMereWolf t1_iz1x4ul wrote

Yep! Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear/the Grand Tour. He bought some farmland years ago but the caretaker he had on retired, so during the pandemic he decided to give farming a try, and made a show! It’s super entertaining, totally worth the watch.

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RareBrit t1_iz2thyn wrote

Watched it thinking he’d make an absolute muppet of himself, which to be fair he does. But he also gets how bloody hard farming is, it’s a great series.

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DirkBabypunch t1_iz2z705 wrote

He can be a bit insufferable at times, but I appreciate how self aware he is. I haven't looked at the farm show yet since I prefer listening to most of my entertainment and this one sounds like it deserves a proper watching.

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the-channigan t1_iz44h39 wrote

Definitely. It’s one of the better things he has done. He is far less of a bellend in that than the other things he does.

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joshsteich t1_iz1pnno wrote

It’s been that way for a long time aside from some specialty wool breeds

Source: my uncle was a sheep farmer

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melanthius t1_iz2toim wrote

I wonder if that has anything to do with it being itchier than 10,000 motherfucking mosquitoes

And you know, like, advances in synthetics and such

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Shearlife t1_iz43qfk wrote

Well, the theory goes that any wool fibre larger than 25 micron in diameter will not bend when in contact with your skin. Hence the distinction between finewool and strongwool. Ultrafine Merino is somewhere around 15 micron, while a Scottish blackface is 28 to 38. https://domesticanimalbreeds.com/scottish-blackface-sheep-breed-everything-you-need-to-know/ https://www.woolmark.com/fibre/what-is-merino-wool/

Finewool feels soft, strongwool itchy - but everyone is different so it's not set in stone -.-/

Synthetic fibre is indeed incredible, but carries the not so small problem of microplastic: https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2021/03/the-invisible-threat-microplastics-from-your-clothes/

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