The merino is a genuine Spanish breed. Its origins lie in the Iberian Peninsula and it remained in Spain, isolated from the rest of the world, until the late 18th century. Over those centuries, Spanish merino became the leader in luxury wool. After being introduced into France in the late 18th century, merino breeding began spreading through Europe and America.
In the 19th century, Great Britain exported the merino in large numbers to its overseas colonies. Such was its development that, in just under a century, Spanish merino sheep introduced into different Western countries (France, Great Britain, Germany and the United States) and others in the southern hemisphere (Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia) gave rise to different strains: Rambouillet, Negretti, American merino, Vermont, Delaine and Australian merino.
PROPERTIES OF MERINO WOOL
Merino wool is a natural fibre that is environmentally friendly and biodegradable, because of its natural origin. Lightweight and soft, it feels like a second skin. It’s also the finest wool you can buy, and the one with the highest yield after shearing. This wool is the most expensive and sought after in the textile world, because of its shine, softness and beauty.
At the microscopic level, merino wool fibres are like springs. It’s the wool with the greatest number of “undulations” along the length of the fibre, compared to that of all other breeds of sheep in existence. These undulations survive the knitting process, which is a sign of quality and authentic origin. What’s more, the undulations trap air inside, which is what maintains body temperature. The more of them you have, the better the air chamber these fibres generate. This improves insulation and is the reason why even though merino wool is the finest, it’s also the best thermoregulator of all wools in existence.
Merino wool is a natural fibre that is environmentally friendly and biodegradable, because of its natural origin. Lightweight and soft, it feels like a second skin. It’s also the finest wool you can buy, and the one with the highest yield after shearing. This wool is the most expensive and sought after in the textile world, because of its shine, softness and beauty. At the microscopic level, merino wool fibres are like springs. It’s the wool with the greatest number of “undulations” along the length of the fibre, compared to that of all other breeds of sheep in existence. These undulations survive the knitting process, which is a sign of quality and authentic origin.
What’s more, the undulations trap air inside, which is what maintains body temperature. The more of them you have, the better the air chamber these fibres generate. This improves insulation and is the reason why even though merino wool is the finest, it’s also the best thermoregulator of all wools in existence. Despite the general belief that associates wool with keeping warm, merino is an excellent thermoregulator. It makes it possible to maintain the ideal balance between the body and the surrounding environment. Through a process known as “absorption”, the fabric absorbs humidity and retains heat when temperatures are cold and humid. Conversely, when it’s hot, the wool uses the “evaporation” process to release humidity, making the body feel cool.
Merino wool is a natural fibre that is environmentally friendly and biodegradable, because of its natural origin. Lightweight and soft, it feels like a second skin. It’s also the finest wool you can buy, and the one with the highest yield after shearing. This wool is the most expensive and sought after in the textile world, because of its shine, softness and beauty.
At the microscopic level, merino wool fibres are like springs. It’s the wool with the greatest number of “undulations” along the length of the fibre, compared to that of all other breeds of sheep in existence. These undulations survive the knitting process, which is a sign of quality and authentic origin. What’s more, the undulations trap air inside, which is what maintains body temperature. The more of them you have, the better the air chamber these fibres generate. This improves insulation and is the reason why even though merino wool is the finest, it’s also the best thermoregulator of all wools in existence.
What’s more, the undulations trap air inside, which is what maintains body temperature. The more of them you have, the better the air chamber these fibres generate. This improves insulation and is the reason why even though merino wool is the finest, it’s also the best thermoregulator of all wools in existence. Despite the general belief that associates wool with keeping warm, merino is an excellent thermoregulator. It makes it possible to maintain the ideal balance between the body and the surrounding environment. Through a process known as “absorption”, the fabric absorbs humidity and retains heat when temperatures are cold and humid. Conversely, when it’s hot, the wool uses the “evaporation” process to release humidity, making the body feel cool.
Despite the general belief that associates wool with keeping warm, merino is an excellent thermoregulator. It makes it possible to maintain the ideal balance between the body and the surrounding environment. Through a process known as “absorption”, the fabric absorbs humidity and retains heat when temperatures are cold and humid. Conversely, when it’s hot, the wool uses the “evaporation” process to release humidity, making the body feel cool.
The property of absorbing and releasing humidity, added to the fact that merino is a spongy fabric that doesn’t stick to the skin, creates a layer of air between the skin and the garment, making the product highly breathable.
Merino wool is durable. You can stretch it 20,000 times before it breaks. In comparison, a cotton fibre will break after 3,000 stretches, and silk after just 2,000. This means that not only do woollen garments last longer, they also maintain their shape for a longer time.
Because of the structure of the merino wool fibre and the limited twisting of our wool, owing to friction, you may encounter the pilling effect, colloquially known as bobbles. Remove them by gently pulling them off.
This fibre has natural antimicrobial properties, which means odours are slow to appear. Correct evaporation of sweat prevents the clothes from absorbing the salts and oils that our bodies segregate, which are the perfect habitat for generating unpleasant odours. Bacteria tend to be attracted to flat surfaces with a positive charge, like those of synthetic fibres, rather than scaly surfaces with a neutral charge, like wool. Hospital-based studies have shown that bacterial colonies are common in cotton sheets, while they aren’t present in merino wool blankets exposed to the same environmental conditions.
You’ll be surprised how well it repels dirt, because it contains less humidity than conventional wool. This reduces the static electricity that attracts dust and dirt from the environment.
Because the fibres are finer than those of other wools, it’s much softer to the touch. Besides that, it doesn’t cause itching or skin irritation for more sensitive wearers.
The property of absorbing and releasing humidity, added to the fact that merino is a spongy fabric that doesn’t stick to the skin, creates a layer of air between the skin and the garment, making the product highly breathable.
Merino wool is durable. You can stretch it 20,000 times before it breaks. In comparison, a cotton fibre will break after 3,000 stretches, and silk after just 2,000. This means that not only do woollen garments last longer, they also maintain their shape for a longer time.
Because of the structure of the merino wool fibre and the limited twisting of our wool, owing to friction, you may encounter the pilling effect, colloquially known as bobbles. Remove them by gently pulling them off.
The property of absorbing and releasing humidity, added to the fact that merino is a spongy fabric that doesn’t stick to the skin, creates a layer of air between the skin and the garment, making the product highly breathable.
Merino wool is durable. You can stretch it 20,000 times before it breaks. In comparison, a cotton fibre will break after 3,000 stretches, and silk after just 2,000. This means that not only do woollen garments last longer, they also maintain their shape for a longer time.
Because of the structure of the merino wool fibre and the limited twisting of our wool, owing to friction, you may encounter the pilling effect, colloquially known as bobbles. Remove them by gently pulling them off.
This fibre has natural antimicrobial properties, which means odours are slow to appear. Correct evaporation of sweat prevents the clothes from absorbing the salts and oils that our bodies segregate, which are the perfect habitat for generating unpleasant odours. Bacteria tend to be attracted to flat surfaces with a positive charge, like those of synthetic fibres, rather than scaly surfaces with a neutral charge, like wool. Hospital-based studies have shown that bacterial colonies are common in cotton sheets, while they aren’t present in merino wool blankets exposed to the same environmental conditions.
You’ll be surprised how well it repels dirt, because it contains less humidity than conventional wool. This reduces the static electricity that attracts dust and dirt from the environment.
Because the fibres are finer than those of other wools, it’s much softer to the touch. Besides that, it doesn’t cause itching or skin irritation for more sensitive wearers.
This fibre has natural antimicrobial properties, which means odours are slow to appear. Correct evaporation of sweat prevents the clothes from absorbing the salts and oils that our bodies segregate, which are the perfect habitat for generating unpleasant odours. Bacteria tend to be attracted to flat surfaces with a positive charge, like those of synthetic fibres, rather than scaly surfaces with a neutral charge, like wool. Hospital-based studies have shown that bacterial colonies are common in cotton sheets, while they aren’t present in merino wool blankets exposed to the same environmental conditions.
You’ll be surprised how well it repels dirt, because it contains less humidity than conventional wool. This reduces the static electricity that attracts dust and dirt from the environment.
Because the fibres are finer than those of other wools, it’s much softer to the touch. Besides that, it doesn’t cause itching or skin irritation for more sensitive wearers.
Yarns, fabrics and garments made of wool fibre offer a series of outstanding qualities, as you can see below:
- Biodegradability: environmentally friendly natural polymer.
- Environmental protection: industrially recyclable and renewable natural resource.
- Resistant to traction: stretches without breaking.
- Comfort index: humidity absorption, breathability and softness.
- Volume: curly fibre with high internal air content.
- Flexibility: folding and tucking without breakage.
- Thermal insulation: garments that are warm in winter and cool in summer.
- Dyeability: can be dyed with bright colours, with high light fastness.
- UV protection: natural, due to the presence of keratin in the fibre.
- Hydrophobicity: natural, due to resistance to water penetration.
- Fire resistance: burns briefly without flames and self-extinguishes.
- Prevents the absorption of odors, because of its bactericidal properties.
- Biodegradability: environmentally friendly natural polymer.
- Environmental protection: industrially recyclable and renewable natural resource.
- Resistant to traction: stretches without breaking.
- Comfort index: humidity absorption, breathability and softness.
- Volume: curly fibre with high internal air content.
- Flexibility: folding and tucking without breakage.
- Thermal insulation: garments that are warm in winter and cool in summer.
- Dyeability: can be dyed with bright colours, with high light fastness.
- UV protection: natural, due to the presence of keratin in the fibre.
- Hydrophobicity: natural, due to resistance to water penetration.
- Fire resistance: burns briefly without flames and self-extinguishes.
- Prevents the absorption of odors, because of its bactericidal properties.
All Las Hidalgas products support the Transhumance by Made in Slow project for the recovery of Spanish transhumance* and its merino wool.
Welcome to our project! 25% of the profits from your purchase will be directly used for transhumant livestock.
* Declared a Manifestation of Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage.