Wool is one of our most versatile fibers.  It is such a complex blend of properties that modern science still cannot duplicate it or create a synthetic version….although the search is still on.  Just when someone took a look at sheep and realized that its fleece might be useful is uncertain.  The earliest dated surviving textile, found in a Danish bog, originates from 1500 BC, while the oldest fine woolen fabric dates to the fifth century BC and was found in a Greek colony.  Early wild species of sheep had long, coarse outer hair protecting their short fleece undercoats. It is this underlayer that is desirable for textile use and has been selectively bred into modern sheep.

Because sheep, throughout history, have  lived in extreme climates, they have managed to evolve a highly sophisticated covering for themselves. Their fleece, with its tightly crimped fibers, contains many air pockets that insulate them, and us, from the cold. The outer cells of the fiber repel water while the inner cells absorb moisture, which is the property that makes wool such a warm material.  Wool is highly absorbent, capable of retaining up to 25 percent of its weight in moisture.  It becomes warmer to the wearer as it slowly absorbs moisture from the air.  Also, wool is slow to feel damp, and it dries just as slowly.  This property means that evaporation does not chill the wearer by drying too fast as other fabrics tend to do.  Wool is naturally flame-retardant, because of its tendency to retain moisture.  Also, its absorbency makes wool ideal for dyes-wool takes on richer, deeper, purer colors than vegetable fibers can.