About Merino Wool

About Merino Wool

Wool has been used as a natural textile fibre for centuries. Depending on the breed of sheep, wool fibres differ in their fineness, length, crimp and other characteristics. Particularly fine wool fibres come from Merino sheep. Their wool is known as Merino wool and is widely used for high-quality clothing and knitted accessories.

Merino wool is characterised by its fine and highly crimped fibres. This structure contributes to the soft feel of fine Merino wool. At the same time, small pockets of air form between the crimped wool fibres, contributing to the insulating properties of wool. The natural crimp also supports the elasticity and shape retention of the material.

Properties of Merino Wool

Merino wool combines a number of properties that make it particularly suitable for clothing and accessories. Wool fibres can absorb moisture while also providing good thermal insulation. Their natural elasticity allows the fibres to stretch and then return towards their original shape.

Because of the fine fibre diameter of high-quality Merino wool, the material is often perceived as considerably softer than coarser types of wool. This makes Merino wool particularly suitable for garments and accessories worn directly on or close to the skin.

Scarves and wraps made from Merino wool, beanies, hand warmers and knitted clothing combine the natural properties of wool fibres with a pleasantly soft feel.

Merino Wool at LANARTO

Merino wool has been one of the key materials in our collections for many years. For numerous LANARTO scarves, wraps, beanies, hand warmers and knitted garments, we use Merino Wool Extrasoft.

In our workshop in the Oderbruch, we process Merino wool on our knitting machines to create different structures and patterns. This includes single-colour and multicoloured knitwear as well as our characteristic jacquard patterns.

The combination of material, colour and knitting technique gives us a wide range of creative possibilities. From graphic and geometric motifs to floral and playful patterns, we develop our designs ourselves and then produce them directly in our own workshop.

Virgin Wool and Wool Quality

Virgin wool is wool obtained by shearing living sheep and which has not previously been processed into another product.

The quality of wool is influenced by various factors, including the fineness and length of the fibres, their uniformity and crimp, as well as the subsequent processing of the yarn. With Merino wool in particular, fibre fineness plays an important role in how the finished material feels.

Our designation Merino Wool Extrasoft describes the yarn quality we use.

Merino Wool and Mulesing

One issue associated with Merino wool is the practice known as mulesing. This procedure has been or is used particularly in some parts of Australian sheep farming.

For our LANARTO products, we use mulesing-free Merino wool. This specifically describes the wool quality we use; the term “mulesing-free” should not be confused with organic certification.

International wool standards also address mulesing as a specific animal-welfare issue. Under the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), for example, mulesing is prohibited; the standard also includes additional requirements relating to animal welfare, land management and traceability.

A Material with a Long Tradition

Merino wool combines a long textile tradition with properties that continue to make it an interesting material for modern knitwear. For LANARTO, it is above all a versatile material that allows us to translate our patterns, colours and ideas into many different forms.

Whether Merino wool scarf, Merino wool wrap, beanie, hand warmer or knitted Merino wool clothing, what matters to us is the combination of yarn quality, design and production in our own workshop in the Oderbruch.

Sources

Fontaine (2011): Technologie für Bekleidungsberufe, 14th edition, Bildungsverlag EINS GmbH, pp. 34–40 and 161.

International Wool Textile Organisation – Information on the properties of wool

Textile Exchange – Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)