Cold winter days and nights need some seriously warm clothes. Thoughts turn to luxury woollen sweaters, scarves and accessories to wrap you up in cosy warmth. What can you choose?
One option would be a womens Merino wool Irish sweater. A true natural item of winter luxury. This wool is made from the coat of the Merino sheep.
History of Merino wool
People have been wearing woollen clothing for thousands of years, from Babylonia, to ancient Rome and through to the Middle Ages. The woollen industry moved from homes to factories during the Industrial Revolution.
Merino sheep began in Spain and in the late 1700s they expanded to Australia where they refined their breeding programme to provide the fine Merino wool we enjoy today. Many designers from Coco Chanel, to Yves Saint Laurent have used this luxury fabric in their fine designs – http://woolmark.com/about-wool/wool-fibre/the-history-of-merino-wool/.
Characteristics of Merino wool
Merino wool has insulating characteristics which work even when wet. This fabric can breathe and take moisture externally so you remain dry. It is anti-bacterial to help you stay smelling sweet – but this does not mean you don’t need to wash it to keep it fresh!
Items such as a womens Merino wool Irish sweater like this womens Merino wool Irish sweater don’t need any kind of special care. They are quite easy to look after.
Not only are they resistant to bacteria, so they don’t need washing quite so often, but they are quite resistant to staining too.
How to wash Merino wool
Machine washing is recommended – it doesn’t need to be hand washed.
• Use a wash of about 30 degrees, which is a fairly low to medium heat or find a wool wash cycle on your machine.
• Do separate colours from whites as you would usually do.
• Turn it inside-out to keep the finish quality.
• Find a gentle detergent.
• You may tumble dry it but keep the temperature low.
• You shouldn’t need to iron it – but if you do, keep it cool.
• Don’t manually wring the sweater out so as to lose its shape.
Enjoy it!
You hopefully have your luxury sweater, you know how to care for it, so now all that is left is for you to enjoy it. If you look after it well it should last you for a long time.
