Wool passing through the carding process in a factory in the Faroe Islands
Since 10,000 BCE, humans have been weaving and wearing wool. Today, more than 1.3 billion sheep around the world are used each year for wool production. Like any other animal fur, wool is hair taken from sheep and other mammals, such as goats and rabbits, which can be woven into fabric for clothes and bedding. Several properties of wool make it suitable as a wearable material, such as being a good insulator for winter weather. Wool fibres are very elastic and can be stretched up to 30 centimetres before they break, which is beneficial when transforming raw fibres into spun yarn. They are also hydrophobic, meaning they tend to repel water, thanks to a natural oil that coats each fibre called lanolin.