Archive for the ‘the wool fibre’ Category

Natural sun protection – from Merino wool

Posted by Helen East on Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

Aside from being fine, breathable and helping regulate temperature, a real benefit of Merino wool in the Summer is that it provides excellent natural sun protection.

Wool Silk Vest gives high sun protection

It absorbs the UV radiation before it can reach your baby or your child’s skin – naturally!

Here are the facts for you.  Research by Haerri et al (2000), Reinert et al (1997) and Hilfiker et al (1996)  shows that

  • Merino wool absorbs the UV radiation which damages skin.
  • Natural wool absorbs radiation throughout the entire UV spectrum even when completely untreated
  • This research also shows that it is far better than untreated cotton, linen, nylon, acrylic, silk and polyester.  Polyester (which many sun protection suits are made of) mainly absorbs only low-wavelength UV radiation.

Fine Merino Wool Children's Vest

We’ve found ourselves that Merino wool tops are great for beach wear – they’re light and breathable and easy to put on over wet bodies too – and as they’re still insulating when wet, they keep any shivers at bay.   Choose from plain or striped, long-sleeved or short, round-neck or hooded or for babies.  And now we’re very happy to find that the UV protection offered is unbeatable, as a separate study shows.

Gamblicher et al (2001) surveyed 236 different fabrics, assessing their UV protection factor.  Merino wool came out top.

  • All of the Merino wool fabrics – 100 of them! – had a UPF of over 40.  This is the equivalent of slathering your skin in chemical sun tan lotion – but without the chemicals.
  • In contrast, the majority of other fabrics had much lower UPF, with many offering very little protection at all.
  • Nearly 80% of the cotton fabrics had a protection factor of less than 20.

So if you are looking for natural sun protection, a silky fine Merino wool top is the perfect way to go.  Light, breathable, soft and healthy – wonderful wool.

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Posted in about wool, good for summer, the seasons, the wool fibre | No Comments »

Alpaca wool – why’s it so good for your family?

Posted by Rachel King on Wednesday, November 7th, 2012

Baby Alpaca wool is soft and warm and is one of the best natural fibres for your skin.  Because of its unique structure, Alpaca has many benefits for your family – it’s exceedingly gentle for your baby and child, and yet it’s more durable than sheeps wool.

Wolf and Bear hooded jumper in baby alpaca by Waddler

How can Alpaca wool be so special?

For thousands of years Alpacas have grazed the high plains of the Andes and the local people have sheared their fleece to make clothing for protection against the cold conditions.  Today, traditional techniques are still being used to make the finest ranges of alpaca knitwear from this unique wool.

For the Alpacas to survive in such an extreme climate, their wool needs to be very special. And it is.

  • It has micropockets – to give extra lightness and warmth, alpaca wool has developed microscopic air pockets to keep the warmth in.
  • This makes it 3 times warmer than sheeps wool!  So for your baby or child, a lighter, finer layer is just as warm and less bulky, more comfortable.
  • It’s more waterproof – alpaca wool absorbs water more slowly than other wools and shrugs it off more easily.
  • It’s as soft as cashmere…  delicious against the skin, and ideal for babies’ delicate skins which it keeps dry and healthy.
  • It’s harder wearing – despite its luxurious softness, Alpaca is around also much more hard wearing than sheeps’ wool to last the Alpaca in its rugged environment.  So it lasts longer for you and looks better wash after wash.

Gorgeous raglan jumper in baby alpaca wool by Waddler

Alpaca is environmentally positive

Alpacas are good for their local environment.  Their padded feet don’t damage fragile eco-systems, and they don’t over graze.

The wool we select has not been intensively farmed, and we make sure we only choose suppliers such as Waddler, MeDea and Serendipity who take care to ensure socially beneficial and ecologically sustainable production.

The best Alpaca knitwear for babies and children

We see a lot of Alpaca and have selected the best to stock here – and Rosy, Helen and I have to say we love Waddler and are tremendously excited when the delivery comes in!  MeDea’s alpaca is amazing too and is hand-knitted which we adore, and perfectly made and finished.  It’s a joy!

  • Coming soon – Discover how Emanuela at MeDea creates her own natural potions from flowers and barks to dye their beautiful Alpaca wool knitwear – naturally.

Have you tried Alpaca?  How have you found it?  Let us know – we’re always interested to hear.

Posted in about wool, alpaca, lovely wool clothes, natural clothing brands, the wool fibre | 6 Comments »

Why is wool good for you?

Posted by Helen East on Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Organic Merino Wool Baby Blanket by DisanaYou’ve probably noticed we use expresssions such as “breathable” and “regulates body temperature” a lot at Cambridge Baby.  Wool is naturally an amazingly clever fibre and here you can find out how and why.

I’m going to explain how wool can

  • breathe, absorbing water vapour from the body and releasing it into the atmosphere
  • dynamically respond to the environment
  • help regulate temperature
  • clean itself (oh yes!), and
  • repel rain (think: sheep).

The magic of wool

The magic of wool lies in its structure. Wool consists of three layers.

  • The inner layer or core is keratin, a moisture-loving protein that all animal hair has. It is designed to maintain a stable body temperature – to keep the body at a comfortable and stable temperature. Think how useful this is to babies, athletes and your own day-to-day living.
  • The second layer is a scaly covering. The overlapping scales are tiny, but as they rub against each other they push off the dirt. So it is self-cleaning, as anyone who’s put their baby in wool knows.
  • A wool fibre’s third layer, the top layer, is a filmy skin which keeps the rain out. Wool is quite water-resistant, as duffel-coat wearers and sheep can testify.

It gets even more amazing.

Wool breathes for youOrganic Merino Wool Hat by Disana

Now, the two outer layers of the wool fibre have tiny pores which allow moisture to pass through to the keratin core.  The keratin core can absorb this moisture.  So, if the temperature increases or the wearer becomes more active and begins to sweat, the moisture is wicked from the skin through the outer layers of the wool fibre into the central core.

Then, your natural body heat then wicks it out towards the surface, where it is released into the atmosphere.

In this way, it helps you and your baby maintain a stable temperature and keeps you and your baby dry and comfortable by absorbing and releasing sweat.

And wool is dynamic

Wool even does this breathing process “dynamically”, which means it does it more when needed, and less when not needed.   It responds to the environment around it and does what’s needed to the best of its ability.

It’s just the best thing, don’t you think? No man-made fibre can equal this.

Looking after your woolOrganic Wool and Silk Baby Bodysuit

To keep these abilities, wool does need to be looked after. But with 99% of washing machines now having a wool cycle, this is quite easy. Just use a liquid detergent for wool, or a drop of your own shampoo, and set the temperature on your wool cycle to 30C and dry away from direct heat.

Because wool is self-cleaning, wool clothes that haven’t been treated can be hung out on the line and “aired” and will start cleaning and de-smelling themselves.

In the next blog articles, I’ll explain more of the wonders of wool: how wool is also naturally antibacterial, how it absorbs water without feeling wet, why it’s stretchy and easy to wear, why it’s fire-resistant and more.

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Posted in about wool, breathable, temperature regulating, the wool fibre, wool & silk care | 2 Comments »