Comments on: When is Wool Yarn not 100% Wool?

By: ghildeb

ghildeb — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:29:30 +0000

I have to agree with some of what sprockets said, polymerized should not be read as coated with plastic. A polymer does not equate to plastic, there are natural and synthetic polymers. All a polymer is is a chemical compound or mixture consisting of repeating structural units. Examples would be DNA, suger, wool, latex, petrolium based plastics. Also, polyamide should not be read as plastic either. Polyamide is both a naturally occuring and synthetic polymer. Naturally occuring polyamides are proteins such as wool and silk, and synthetic ones would be nylons and aramids.

By: Katie M

Katie M — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:20:11 +0000

Have you ever heard of Qiviut wool? It’s the wool of the musk ox. Its truly an amazing substance. It’s softer than sheep’s wool, warmer, stronger, and doesn’t shrink in any temperature! As far as I know they are never “farmed”, The wool is shredded naturally and collected by locals. Because of this, though, it’s VERY expensive. If you want a really high quality piece of clothing though, its the way to go!

By: grndmas babes

grndmas babes — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:49:44 +0000

H E L P ! ! ! ! I have purchased a few customed made ?Merino Woolie diaper covers? They Do NOT feel like the german made covers so known about! they are Hard after lanolin washing,,,Oh b.t.w….they are double knited. I was told different wools & knitting styles make a difference. Ias there a way to tell if I was Hoodwinked & had something other then Wool put Over My Eyes? LOL ! I have become obsecced over Wool ! My new Found Love for my Gr’babies! Help a Granny trying to make a difference in My lil one lives as well as Mine!

Sincere Thanks~ Doreen

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:16:19 +0000

HI Sprockets. Actually, “polymerized” does mean coated with plastic, as nylon is a type of plastic. Whether or not this type of wool is okay to use is a matter of personal choice. But I just want to make sure we have our facts straight. The E.U., by the way, allows almost 900 different chemicals to be used in making plastics, one of which is bisphenol a. So while it’s true that Europe has stricter standards than the U.S., we can’t say that if Europe allows a chemical to be used, it must be safe.

By: sprockets

sprockets — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:07:47 +0000

No need for hysteria here. “Polymerized” does not mean “coated with plastic.” Some of the facilities that create the superwash wool are in Germany, and Europe has much stricter environmental regulations than the U.S. I care deeply about the environment, but we can drive ourselves crazy without really trying on these issues. Is it better to use a handspun organic wool that has been trucked from the other side of the country? if we are responsible do we only knit with locally-grown, locally-spun and -dyed wools, even if we don’t like the way they work up?

I think we need to be conscious of the issues and make reasonable, balanced choices. So often, I see what looks like people trying to “out-organic” each other, as if this is a contest someone is going to win. It’s a process, and i hope we can just relax and have some fun.

By: Meg

Meg — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:33:13 +0000

Animal cruelty issues aside (and trust me, there are plenty here) …

I don’t see how it could be better for the environment to buy wool rather than use petroleum-based fibers (or plant-based fibers). Animal agriculture is incredibly bad for the environment and I wager a lot more petroleum goes into it than would take to just make yarn out of the stuff directly.

By: Natural pleasures « Plastic Manners

Natural pleasures « Plastic Manners — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:37:22 +0000

[...] yarn. I put a pot on an old pot holder, and the damn thing melted to the table. Now having read Fake Plastic Fish’s warnings on yarn, I should have known better, but nonetheless I was disappointed that plastic was hiding there too. I [...]

By: Frugal Kiwi

Frugal Kiwi — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:19:44 +0000

You could always take up spinning your own wool. I'm a felter and don't knit before I felt, but I'd love to learn to spin. If I spun my own wool, I think I'd be more excited about knitting it. .-= Frugal Kiwi´s last blog ..Would you survive as a pioneer? =-.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:51:27 +0000

Oops! My post should have read, “a H+ ion makes it an acid.” Sorry for any confusion!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:46:35 +0000

Chlorine by itself is neither an acid nor a base. An OH- ion makes a compound a base, and a H+ ion makes it a base. Chlorine bleach is a base, but hydrochloric acid, which also has chlorine, is a very strong acid. I’d suggest changing your text – it discredits the information here that probably is factual when you’re also presenting wrong information as fact.