Views: 288 Author: Kaylee Publish Time: 2023-10-12 Origin: Site
Although wool is a well-known material that is as old as the hills, you have been asking us a lot of questions because there are a lot of facts regarding woolly hats that not everyone is aware of. We decided to compile a few of them and provide the solutions here.
Is it possible to wear a woollen cap in the summer? Is it possible to wear a wool cap in rain? Can you stretch a wool beanie? A woolly hat—does it shrink? Wool: Is it waterproof? How should a wool hat be maintained? How should a wool hat be cleaned? Which kinds of wool hats are available? Is it okay for me to swim in a wool hat? How should my head be measured for a wool hat? These are a few of the inquiries concerning wool hats that you have been posing.
Please continue asking us questions about wool hats; we would love to hear from you. Several of these have previously been covered in earlier blog entries. Ten of your woolly hat-related questions will be answered in this post as we discuss the wonderful properties and advantages of wool (which you can read about here) and how to take care of your woolly hat (here).
Wool is a terrific material for clothing, as we all know. However, what happens during hot weather, such as the summers in Scotland? The good news is that hot weather is appropriate for wearing a woollen hat! Wool controls body temperature because it breathes. It is composed of a naturally occurring protein called keratin, and it grows from follicles in the same manner as human hair does. A wool sample placed under a microscope would reveal a plethora of tiny empty areas. The twist, or crimp, in the wool is what produces them. Similar to how you would insulate a house, these tiny holes fill with air and function as insulation. Therefore, you won't feel the heat or the cold when wearing a woolly hat. Thus, accessorise with that gorgeous woollen beanie when the sun comes out next!
Wool possesses a remarkable ability: it can absorb up to 36% (or perhaps more) of its dry weight in water without feeling wet at all. The air pockets that we previously talked about are still effective in keeping you warm or cool. "Hydrophobibic" is the technical word for this capacity to retain water. We refer to it as magic. So, sure, you can brave the rain with your wool beanie. However, the wool will start to feel damp if you leave it outside in a prolonged downpour or for an extended period of time and it gets wetter than 30%. Here's where you do need to learn to wear your hat a little more gently. After your rainy excursion, you may roll it inside a clean, dry towel and give it a gentle squeeze when you arrive home. Much of the water will be absorbed by the towel. After that, carefully reshape it and let it air dry flat.
A wool beanie can indeed stretch. If it's dry, it usually bounces back rather than stretches permanently, which is helpful to know while reading the next question. Wool retains its natural shape even after stretching by approximately 30% due to its inherent crimp, which is similar to that of an elastic band. Wool may, however, stretch a great deal when it gets really wet. 50% is a lot. Wool has incredible elasticity, but as it gets wet, the strands become much weaker. Your wool hat may have trouble returning to its normal shape if it is stretched too much after being wet. When wet, handle it carefully (see to the above query). If your woollen hat is too tiny, you can try very carefully pulling it into a slightly larger size after it's completely soaked, then let it dry. This will work better with wool hats that have not shrunk in the heat, so take care to maintain the shape (see the next question).
We must first examine what transpires with your wool hat when it becomes hot in order to answer this question. And by hot, we mean hot enough to tumble dry or boil clothes. Heat alters the wool fibres' structure (we're talking molecules here). In actuality, the structure is rearranged, particularly in the case of an absence of air (i.e. buried under water). The wool gets weaker as a result. However, the heat isn't what causes your wool hat to shrink. Anger is the root cause of shrinking. The wool finally felts as a result of the fibres becoming more and more entangled. Motion + Heat + Water = Shrinking. If you've ever felt something, whether on purpose or accidentally, you'll know that the wool feels denser and has a different texture. Therefore, washing your wool beanie cold (by hand or in a machine wool cycle) will definitely lessen the likelihood that your wool hat will shrink. See above if you've unintentionally shrunk your wool hat and would like to try to extend it. Though felting is permanent, it might not work, it's still worth a shot. Recall that wool can be composted if it can no longer be saved.
You should already be aware that wool may absorb a significant amount of water if you've read the questions above. Lanolin, a fatty material produced by sheep to create a natural barrier, is found naturally in wool (a bit like sebum that humans make). Because of lanolin's remarkable ability to maintain smooth skin, it is frequently utilised in cosmetic treatments to keep wool feeling moisturised and supple. Thus, lanolin protects sheep from the rain when they become wet, much as it does to maintain moisture in human skin when we apply it as a cream. Although they are water-repellent, faeces are not waterproof. The lanolin is often removed from woolly hats made for commercial production, but we leave it in our Tiree wool, making our woolly hats waterproof!
Hats fashioned of wool by hand are treasures. If you take good care of it, your woolly hat should last you for a very long time because it is a very sturdy material. Our woollies come packaged in an organic cotton storage bag, which is the ideal way to protect them from the sun and dust, which can fade natural hues. Essential oils such as peppermint, lavender, citronella or lemon, eucalyptus, cedar wood, or citronella can be applied to your storage bag to protect your woollen from the terrible clothes moth (simply place a few drops on an area not contacting your hat). To find out more about washing your wool hat, read the question that follows.
The fragility of wool garments is a topic of much discussion. As previously mentioned, heat does not shrink wool on its own. However, unless your woolly beanie is extremely dirty, we advise airing it first and then giving it a cool wash if necessary. This is because hot temperatures weaken the fibres in wool, increasing the likelihood that your priceless wool hat will deteriorate over time. The safest method for washing a wool hat is by hand since you can regulate the amount of motion used. However, high-quality washing machines are equipped with a wool programme that reduces agitation and consequent shrinking. Because each machine is unique, be sure to thoroughly read the directions before using it on wool. We previously created a blog post with more thorough advice on how to take care of your wool hat.
Wool is an extremely adaptable material. Depending on how fine the strands are, fleece fibre can be spun into yarn and knitted or woven into various kinds of textile or felt. Because each resulting cloth has a unique structure, it can be used for a variety of clothing kinds. Hats are one area where options abound. Hats made of felted wool are timeless and available in a variety of styles. Though there are many different types available, knitted wool is less stiff and better suited for beanie caps. Bobble, brimless, sloppy, fitted—the list goes on. Read this article to learn how to fit the form of your face to a hat. Woollen hats have an unexpectedly large number of names. Read this to learn how to tell your toboggans from your toques.
A wool hat is the ideal accessory for a cold-water swim, provided that your head is not totally submerged. In the UK, wild swimming is growing in popularity year-round, and during the winter months, staying warm becomes essential. A 100% pure wool hat is the ideal beanie to choose (with or without bobble), as natural wool is water repellent and can absorb a significant quantity of water before becoming soaked through.
Since wool is extremely elastic, as we previously explained, most wool hats are available in one size to accommodate most heads. However, the length is the most crucial size if you want a wool hat to fit you ideally. We have produced a more comprehensive blog post about selecting the appropriate hat, along with intricate illustrations to help you understand the process. The quick version is to find the top of your head, which is the area towards the back, right before your head begins to curve downward once more, using a soft, floppy tape measure. There, in the centre, hold the tape measure's end and slide it diagonally down to your earlobe. If you would want to measure at the base of the earlobe, pull your beanie down to that level. According to our observations, most men are about 9" (23 cm) and most women are about 8" (20 cm). Fishermen's beanies should be an inch shorter and are typically worn higher up. Please get in touch with us if you need help selecting your size or if you would like to order a children's size. We would be delighted to assist you in obtaining the ideal wool hat.
