I often look at the ads in the early newspapers to see what items are selling as I am curious if lamb’s meat was a regular item available in these grocery stores. Most often mutton is listed with at least one grocery store. But what caught my eye this time was the fashion show that the Babbitts were putting on. No expense was overlooked it seemed from the advertisement as music, dancing and entertainment was to be a highlight of the fashion show. The show would have all the latest women and men’s fashions from head to foot. However, the ad did not mention that any of the garments were made from wool! But continuing looking through other ads in the newspaper I found that woolen goods were considered a good investment back 100 years ago and were much in style for both men and women.
One ad for March 1919 was for Easter Suits. W. H. Allison, the service tailor, was agent for Victor Ladies Tailoring Co., Chicago. His ad begins recognizing the value of good clothes and that the price in the beginning may be high, but at the same time, those clothes will last a longer time and be in fashion longer than other clothes. His ad listed styles in women’s and misses’ high-class suits, coats, dresses, skirts, waists, and petticoats as ready to wear and made to measure of the finest all-wool grades. I have added the ad from the March 21, 1919 newspaper which I retrieved from https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/digital/collection/sn82015761/id5568/rec/892

W.C. Rittenhouse also had an ad in the same newspaper which stated “a wealth of exclusive, serviceable patterns in Spring and Summer woolens are offered” at his store to be “tailored to order, costing no more than the other kind.”

Babbitt-Polson Co. placed an ad in the April newspaper (April 4, 1919) for men’s “waist-seam suits” that were either “single or double-breasted variations, slanting pockets, crescent pockets, slash pockets, cuffs, piping on the collar and cuffs” made by Hart Schaffner and Marx of all wool. Later in May, another ad with more details about the Hart Schaffner & Marx all-wool suits was placed stating that the suits were “Special Prices for Peace-time” at $37.50.  Wow!  What a bargain; can’t find a woolen shirt at that price today let alone a complete suit!

Now, I must find who produced the woolens.  It is reasonable to assume that the wool was a product of the United States as there were many woolen mills and millions of sheep in the early 1920s in the United States.

My last blog discussed the many benefits of wool fabrics.  Today I will discuss the very few limitations of the use of having wool fabrics as either clothing or rugs in your home.  A. Moths find wool fabrics extremely tasty.  Other types of fabrics that you may wrap your woolen garments in for storage will not deter them in their quest to get to the wool.  This is easily prevented.  Moths you see in your home are not the kind that eat clothes.  Clothes moths don’t like light so you won’t see them.  Moths will lay eggs on your clothes and the larvae will eat the fabric.  Always laundry your woolens prior to storage for the summer.  If you have wool carpet, keep it clean from stains and yes, vacuum it a lot.

B. Using moth balls as a deterrent has drawbacks.  The most obvious is its smell, but it also contains pesticides.  Clothes must be aired before wearing and the smell of the moth balls can still linger.  Don’t want to smell like moth balls? – use lavender which leaves a very pleasant smell on your clothes, not pesticides.  Unfortunately, lavender will not kill moth eggs or larvae so you still need to watch for the hidden moths in your home.

C. Bleach and wool fabrics do not mix!  Even a small amount will harm the fibers making them stiff and yellow; larger amounts will dissolve your garment.

D. Older woolen fabrics should never put in the dryer.  Shrinkage will result from the combination of heat, friction and pressure.  However, there are new woolens that may be laundered and tumbled dry.  Be sure to check the label before home washing.  IF you have to use a dry cleaner to clean your garment, always air dry before wearing as chemicals are used in the process unless you frequent an eco-friendly cleaners.  Never store your garments in the plastic bag that the cleaner returns your garments.  This may turn your garments yellow especially if left for a long time in the plastic.  This is true for all fabrics!

E. A mild detergent must be used if you do launder as many laundry soaps contain strong alkalis which cause the wool fibers to lose their soft luster.

F. Wool fabrics can be damaged by excessive and direct heat from an iron so always use steam when pressing any woolen garment.  If use dryer on wash-dry woolens, use the lowest setting and don’t forget those woolen dryer balls!

From the above list it is obvious that woolen garments have few downsides and with wool being a eco-friendly product, it should be a favorite item to have in your wardrobe. There are many wools today that can be worn all year even in warm to hot climates.  That reminds me of another story for another day about the English requirements of wearing wool prior to cotton fueling the industrial revolution.

I will be posting in the next day or so, how wool could be your answer for a better night’s sleep.  So stay tuned.  If you like this post, please like and follow this webpage.  Thank you.  I will be adding family stories again next week as I am still gathering newspaper stories and talking with families.

At the Flag Wool and Fiber Festival June 2, 2019, part of my presentation was on the versatility of wool. Some of these facts may be obvious to some of you and some may be new.  We are all concerned about the environment, wool needs to be presented as a fiber that has many benefits to the person using the wool, either through wearing it or using it in their home, and has very few limitations.  The limitations will be discussed in another blog.

1.  Wool is 100% natural as it grows on sheep.  It is not based on petroleum or other harmful elements, contains no artificial chemicals.
2. Wool is a renewable resource since it grows on sheep.  As long as there is grass to graze on, water to drink, air and sunshine, sheep will produce a new fleece every year.  Shearing sheep is like a person getting a haircut.  It is not harmful to the animal and actually needs to be shorn off for the health of the animal.  If not sheared each year, it would be like a person putting on a fleece at the beginning of the year, then the start of the next year, donning another fleece and continues until the person can’t stand up.  Shearing sheep has been an occupation since the beginning of the domestication of the animal.
3. When the wool is turned into fabric, it uses significantly less energy than man-made fibers.  Wool production produces lower carbon dioxide emissions and for all you environmentalist, has a low carbon impact on the earth; a win-win for all!
4.  Sheep consume biomass carbon (carbon converted through photosynthesis) when they eat grass and thus is it transformed into amino acids of the wool fibers
5.  Wool is biodegradable and can be returned to the soil, or marine environment where it decomposes and releases valuable nitrogen based nutrients back into the ground or ocean.
6.  Wool reduces microsynthetic fiber pollution as wool biodegrades relatively rapidly and does not accumulate in the environment as synthetic fibers do.  Man mad fibers soak up toxins in the environment which can be eaten by fish which in turn can be part of the food chain for man.  Synthetics are much more harmful to the environment when they are part of the food chain.
7.  In most cases wool is an easy to care for fiber and stain resistant.  The protective outer layer of a wool fiber is a natural resistant to stains.  When used in carpets, the overlapping scales means that dirt sits on the surface of the rug and is easily vacuumed and removed.  In the same way, spills will not absorb quickly and thus can be easily blotted up.  Similarly, wool carpet and clothes do not attract static electricity and that means lint, dirt and dust with no static does not cling to garments or carpet.  The absorption property of wool means that it will take harmful pollutants from the internal air in a building (think your home) and since it does not release it back to the atmosphere makes your air cleaner!
8.  Wool also has great sound insulation properties and can be used to limit the spread of sounds in a building. (think children’s bedroom!)
9.  If a wool dryer ball is used in your clothes dryer, the amount of time necessary to dry clothes decreases.  Your electric bill is reduced and the time for doing the laundry is reduced.  The wool dryer ball also keeps a consumer from using fabric softeners and, that in itself, is a savings to the consumer.  The bouncing balls fluffs your clothes and that helps reduce the drying time and using these balls means your clothes do not have the artificial fragrances from a dryer sheet.  I highly recommend the use of these dryer balls and they can be purchased on line.  I bought mine at Mystic Pines Fiber Processing in Williams, Arizona.  They have a webpage where these and other items can be purchased from them.  www.mysticpinesfiber.com
10.  When wool is dyed, it absorbs color deeply and uniformly.
11.  Wool has a unique crimp providing it with a natural elasticity and the fabric will return to its natural shape, resist wrinkles and creasing.  Wool fibers can be bend more times (20,000 times) over cotton (3,000) and silk (2,000) without breaking and thus makes wool fabric resistant to tearing.

Limitations of wool which only amounts to five things will be discussed tomorrow.

Only sheep seen on a two-week plus trip across from Arizona to Ohio. Unfortunately, they got scared away from the road and no telephoto on my camera when I wanted to take and no time to change when along I-40.

Just some photographs today of the sheep.

Today’s story may seem like it’s about camels which it partially is. In surveying a route across northern Arizona, Navy Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale atop his large camel, Seid, and accompanied by 24 more camels, 10 wagons, pack mules, horses, 250 sheep and 50 men following behind blazed a trail across the state. Now, Beale had learned from previous explorers going across the northern area of Arizona to have a supply of food so you don’t have to eat your pack animals or one you would ride. Thus, the sheep in the camel train!
Most of his trip took place at the end of summer as he was in Flagstaff by September 11, 1857. He reported, “The grass throughout the day has been most abundant, and we have constantly exclaimed, ‘What a stock country!’ I have never seen anything like it…” What Beale did not know was that within twenty years that thousands upon thousands of sheep would be found in the area of Flagstaff westward to Ash Fork. As Beale used the San Francisco Peaks to guide him, sheep would use the cooler temperatures of the slopes and graze on the abundant grasses that Beale had mentioned in his journal.
In crossing the Colorado River, the expedition lost two horses, several mules and many sheep. But no camels were lost. While Beale would make the return journey in January to determine the viability of such a route in winter, documentation of sheep accompanying him cannot be substantiated at this time. More research will need to be done.

Come join me at the 2019 Flagstaff Wool and Fiber Festival June 1 and 2 at the Pioneer Museum, 2340 N. Fort Valley Rd., Flagstaff. The festival runs from 9 am to 4 pm both days. There is something for all ages to enjoy: sheep, alpacas, yaks, shearing, food, craft vendors selling yarns and handmade items, demonstrations, classes and lectures.

I will be talking on three topics June 1st at 11 am. The first topic will be the wonders of wool and its versatility. Second, on one or two sheep families, most likely the Pouquettes from the Williams area, or the Espils. Last, I will introduce a new product now being produced in Arizona from sheep: cheese. The Rovey Dairy in Glendale, Arizona has been raising sheep for about 10 years and about five years ago, got involved in sheep cheese making. They are what you would call a Repurposed Dairy, environmentally friendly.