Hi, Julie :) I personally don't recommend spinning in the grease for
this or any other reason. For one thing, dirt is trapped deep inside
the yarn, then trapped still further in the finished garment. It's hard
to get it out then.
For another, how would the finished garment be washed? Lots of human
dirt is hard to get out without detergent :) Lanolin hardens over time
if you don't wash it out, making the yarn feel stiff and sticky and and
anything but cushy warm like wool should be. Of course, this is more of
a problem with finer wools than medium and long wools.
Wool is naturally water-resistant--think how hard it is to immerse a
clean dry skein in plain water for any reason--therefore we add a touch
of detergent as a wetting agent. But as a natural fiber, it's not ever
going to be waterproof unless the finished item is coated with some
chemical; then it probably wouldn't breathe, and we wouldn't like it for
that :)
The most weather-proof wool is certainly going to be heavily fulled or
felted. "Boiled" wool is just heavily felted. It will be both more
wind- and rain-resistant, but once it gets wet, it will take a long time
to dry compared to 'regular' woven or knit wool, and will be very heavy.
Of course, it won't sag, so there's pros and cons both ways :)
Holly
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