Haven’t found a favorite sweater? Hate your itchy woolen blankets? We have the solution to your problems. This quick rundown of the wool fibers will have you promising “’Til death do us part” to the next sweater or blanket you buy.

BUT FIRST, WHAT'S WOOL?
Wool is a natural choice for fall, winter and the in-between seasons because it provides warmth and comfort in a wider range of temperatures because it regulates body heat much better than synthetic fibers. Wool works well for knitwear garments in both the winter for its durability and resistance to moisture as well as the summer for its breathability and moisture-wicking property. It dries faster than cotton and has a long lifespan.

Despite the seemingly identical DNA of wool fibers, all wool isn’t created equal and doesn’t have the same purpose or come from the same source. The wool fiber group includes sheep’s wool, cashmere from cashmere goats, mohair from angora goats and merino from merino sheep, among others. Here are the ones we like to use:

ALPACA
Spun from the fleece of alpaca, this dense fiber is hypoallergenic, making it a good option for those with sensitive skin. To avoid over drape, this fiber is best when blended with other natural fibers to strengthen the tension.

CASHMERE
Cashmere wool is an extremely soft fiber from the cashmere goat, native to India, Tibet, Iran, Iraq and China. The cashmere fibers are those closest to the body of the goat. The wool is cultivated by combing the goat instead of clipping it and each goat produces less than 500 g of wool per year. This makes cashmere one of the most exclusive and most expensive fibers in the world. One thing to keep in mind when it comes to cashmere is that it doesn’t breathe as well as other natural fibers, which is one of the reasons we mix our cashmere with other breathable fibers.

LAMBSWOOL
Lambswool fiber is wool from sheep less than seven months old. It has a softer hand touch than standard wool and we sometimes use it for knitted garments or throws in our collections. It has the same characteristics as sheep wool, but the texture is softer.

MERINO
Merino wool comes from the merino sheep, and it has an incredible softness, great breathability, superior shine and a high warmth-to-weight ratio. The wool is naturally white which makes it easy to dye in all shades of colors. We often use merino wool in our thinly knitted sweaters as the merino fiber is softer and finer than regular sheep’s wool.

Now that you have a better understanding of wool, go get what you’ll cherish forever.