What Is Merino Wool?
Merino Wool is what these fine looking fellows grow. They are Merino sheep, and in sheep terms, are the King of Sheep! They live their days out high in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. You have to be covered in something super warm to live up there among the snow and the tussock, and these Merino sheep have the perfect fleece for it. Other breeds of sheep wouldn't survive but Merino sheep have really fine wool that keep them extra insulated to beat the cold. And it gets hot in the summer too, so this amazing wool is breathable as well, allowing the sheep to cool off in the summer. Only nature could come up with something so amazing!
So, here’s a few things about the beautiful Merino Wool fabric that the Snowgrass clothes are made from:
- Merino Wool is so fine that it doesn’t even feel or look like wool! It is luxuriously soft and therefore is soft on the skin. One small strand of Merino Wool is less than 19.5 microns in diameter, whereas a human hair is at least 50 microns in diameter.
- The Merino Wool fibres have naturally kept the Merino sheep nice and cosy in the winter and cool in the summer for thousands of years, and now the Merino Wool clothing will do the same thing for you. The Merino Wool fabric forms a thin layer of air between the cold outer air and the warm inner air (a bit like double glazing). So it keeps you warm when it's cold outside and keeps you cool when it's warm. And if you sweat, it whisks the sweat away so you don’t feel any dampness.
- Merino Wool is naturally fire resistant, and also has a high UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Rating) of at least 50, which is about as high as you can get! It is also odour resistant so it doesn’t get smelly and can be worn days on end (now, there’s a challenge for you!).
- And best of all, Merino Wool clothing can easily be washed in the washing machine with all your other clothes, it doesn't need any special washing treatment like other wool products. Too easy!
Photos by Kind Permission from New Zealand Merino Association and Levana Textiles, New Zealand