Wool – a wonder product
ONE of the world’s most widely used fibres is wool. Soft wool is popular for making clothes such as jerseys, scarves and socks, while stronger, coarser wool is used to weave carpets. These items are all produced in SA.
You might think all wool comes from sheep. Though it’s true that sheep are the main source and SA produces 2% to 3% of the world’s wool, the material is also obtained from various other animals, including goats, rabbits, camels and alpacas. Let’s find out more about sheep’s wool.
WOOL FROM SHEEP
The story of wool is nearly as old as that of humans. and prehistoric people picked it up to use for clothing. Eventually they learnt how to shear the wool off to use it. Archaeological finds from Iran show as far back as , while the earliest surviving date to .
