What the heck is a Micron, and other Wool Secrets Demystified

If there is one thing we are obsessed with, it’s wool…we love it! Luckily, we are the proud owners of a sheep farm in the Hakataramea Valley, so we have plenty of wool to play with which keeps us busy. There is so much to wool - from how the sheep are raised, which can affect the properties of the wool clip; to what happens following the shearing process, where our wool goes, and the distinct qualities it needs to become one of our stylish The Clip coats. And then there is the jargon which we touch on below, to help demystify, educate, and excite you...because we want to encourage the love of wool, and maybe it will come in handy one day - pub quiz anyone?!

So, let’s talk ‘microns’. It sounds terribly technical, but does it really matter in the wool-coat world? You betcha it does. A micron is a measurement unit, equalling one-millionth of a metre. In wool terms, a micron is the diameter measurement of a wool fibre; the smaller the micron, the finer the wool. Merino sheep, for example, grow a finer wool than Romney lambs, making Merino wool more suitable for undergarments and fine clothing. The higher the wool micron count, the thicker, stronger, and denser the wool, making it more suitable for products such as wool carpets or insulation. The first wool cut from our Romney lambs has the perfect micron count for a wool coat; not to heavy, not too light – you get the idea!

Shearing is an important time of the year for us. Taking place in late summer, it is when we see our planning, hard work, ram selection, and a sprinkle of luck in complete view on the wool table. The crimp, style, length, and micron are all on display for our team’s expert eyes to critique. The fleece is quickly ‘skirted’ (the off-coloured and shorter wool removed with a swift hand), and the fleece is folded, rolled, and added to the ‘fadge’ (a large wool pack that sits in a fadge holder or wool press). Once the wool press is full to about 180kg, the top of the fadge is clipped shut. It’s dirty, hard, and sweaty work – but it’s worth it. Wool is a remarkable commodity to work with.

‘Scouring’ is another jargon term bandied around the wool world. Put simply, it is the process of cleaning the wool by removing excess oil, dirt, and foreign matter. The wool is then cleaned in a warm alkaline solution, rinsed and baked dry, resulting in a beautiful clean product with minimal damage.

But let’s get back to the wool. The climate, ram selection, and stress levels of the lambs directly affect the wool clip. The team go to great lengths when choosing the ram for the season, ensuring improvement year on year on the style, crimp, and length. The lambs are given space to roam and play, and while we can’t control the weather, we can keep our animals as stress free as possible by moving them before a storm, and by working hard on our fertiliser programmes to give them the best feed we can. The Hakataramea Valley is proving to be an ideal spot to produce coat-worthy wool!

Wool is the most amazing product: its moisture-wicking properties keep your temperature regulated and keep you feeling drier. Made up of keratin-based proteins, wool is fire and water-resistant, hypoallergenic, incredibly durable, and, of course, environmentally sustainable and biodegradable. Caring for wool is simple. Brush it after you’ve worn it, use a damp cloth to remove build-up or stains, and dry-clean it annually to keep it in tip-top condition.

So, have we captured your interest? Increased your love and knowledge of wool? Broken down jargon to help you appreciate the wool cycle? Nothing in the `wool to wear’ process is by chance.