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melanthius t1_iz2toim wrote on December 6, 2022 at 1:24 AM

Reply to comment by Shearlife 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

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

Shearlife t1_iz43qfk wrote on December 6, 2022 at 9:13 AM

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/