Fabrics Question

[RenJunkie]

Here is something I am curious about. How can wool be such a great way to keep warm, yet also a great way to keep cool? Wouldn't it's radiating effect when paired with linen make it chilly in the winter? I know wool is fantastic in the cold, I'm not questioning that. I'm just wondering if anyone knows how it works well in both directions?

And what impact does felting (maybe using the wrong term...making it fuzzy) have on it's ability to cool in summer/keep heat in winter?

Is wool definitely cooler over a layer of linen than linen over linen? Would I be better off in the heat with all linen?

Again, not disputing anything. Just can't wrap me brain around how it does both.

Thanks!
Christopher

[Augustinian]

Wool is simultaneously breathable - it can absorb and let go of moisture, and it is insulating, meaning that it traps air. When coupled with linen as the first layer, the linen wicks moisture away from the body but when it gets to the wool layer, a number of things can happen. It will continue to pass the moisture outwards, in other words, wicking, which helps with cooling the body in hot weather, provided the wool is not too thick and tightly woven, and over-insulating. If the weather is cold, the natural insulating properties will keep your body heat in, even if the linen is trying to let it go.

In my opinion, if the wool and linen fabrics are about equal in thickness and tightness of weave, you will be equally cooled or heated when it is worn over a layer of linen next to the skin. The downside for all-linen would be when the weather is wet and/or cold. Since your body heat will escape faster, you won't dry out the linen as quickly as you would if you were wearing wool and trapping your body heat. If it's just cold, you'll simply lose body heat quickly; not the desired effect in cold weather.

[knitebee]

Good insulation regulates temperature doesn't increase it. Best analogy is a house, a well insulated house will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than a badly insulated house.

Wool also has awesome wicking characteristics that remove sweat from the body therefor cooling you. Thats why many hiking socks are wool.

[Alric of Drentha]

When I wear linen over linen in the heat, I feel wet, clammy, and miserable from all my sweat that won't evaporate and I can't wait to get it off at the end of the day. When I wear wool over linen, I get really wet but not clammy, because the wool allows the moisture I'm sweating out to evaporate. Wool over linen is better than linen by itself, imo.

[Charlotte J]

Here is something I am curious about. How can wool be such a great way to keep warm, yet also a great way to keep cool? Wouldn't it's radiating effect when paired with linen make it chilly in the winter? I know wool is fantastic in the cold, I'm not questioning that. I'm just wondering if anyone knows how it works well in both directions?

And what impact does felting (maybe using the wrong term...making it fuzzy) have on it's ability to cool in summer/keep heat in winter?

Is wool definitely cooler over a layer of linen than linen over linen? Would I be better off in the heat with all linen?

Again, not disputing anything. Just can't wrap me brain around how it does both.

Thanks!
Christopher

For summer, I would not use a felted or fulled heavy wool, I would stick with lightweight wools. But I have not noticed that a light wool is any warmer than linen. Is it better than linen? Hard to say. For the first time in years, I'm making 100% linen dresses to wear at Pennsic, for the purposes of experimentation. Honestly, I think by the time you're comparing a lightweight wool and a medium weight linen, it might just come down to color, and personal preference.

[bigfredb]

Wool is a great insulator. This is primarily because of the composition of its fiber.

The Wool fiber is hollow. Therefore it utilizes trapped "air" as its insulation barrier. This is one way that wool will keep you warm even if you are soaking wet in the cold (and why it was utilized).

[Thomas Powers]

Don't forget saying "wool" is like saying "auto" are we talking about a formula 1 race car or a 15 passenger van or a station wagon or...

Worsted prep worsted spun wool is quite different from woolen prep woolen spun wool and then there is fulling, felting, grade of the fiber---(you will notice that a lot of the desert wools are coarser in grade)

Worsted summer weight wools will be much cooler than heavy fulled "blanket" wools even disregarding the breathability and evaporation aspects.

Thomas

[RenJunkie]

So, no real confirmed difference for summer wear between two layers of medium linen and one med linen and one light wool, except for maybe the clamminess.

How light is the light weight wool of which summer wear is made?

Thanks!
Christopher

[James B.]

How light is the light weight wool of which summer wear is made?

When you are looking to buy they typically mark light wools as worsted, tropical, suiting, and gabardine. The hard part about picking one is not knowing how shiny the material is without seeing it in person. I also tend to stay away from modern suit colors like grays, dark blue, and heathered grays and greens.

I have survived three Pennsics without a single linen outer garment in my closet now. I don't care for the way linen hangs or the way it wrinkles. I also love the water shedding properties of wool when you get caught in the rain. I have a number of light wool outfits which I wear and except for the most hot and humid days I often wear two layers over my body.

[Charlotte J]

So, no real confirmed difference for summer wear between two layers of medium linen and one med linen and one light wool, except for maybe the clamminess.

How light is the light weight wool of which summer wear is made?

Thanks!
Christopher

I couldn’t tell you a weight as easily as I can with linen – most stores don’t sell wool that way. Unfortunately, shopping for wool can be a bit tricky. Many on-line stores mark it 100% wool, and it’s not. Mostly, if it looks and feels like wool, and only has a small dead-dino content, I’ll still use it.

Look for “tropicalâ€

[RenJunkie]

Tropicals, gabardines, and flannels. Got it.

Thanks!
Christopher