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 animal friendly:
O-Wool's sheep freely roam the fields of Australia at a family-owned and operated farm and have never been mulesed. There are two main practices that O-Wool's growers use in order to cut down on blowfly strikes—which is the main reason for mulesing. Instead the sheep are bred for resistence so they are not likely candidates for fly strike attacks.
 dye friendly:
All dyes are low impact, which have a higher than average absorption rate meaning less water is required in the rinse process and less dye runs off in the water. They also do not contain heavy metals and do not require chemical mordants. Additionally, there are no chemical softeners applied to the yarns.
The fleece is combed to remove vegetable matter instead of using a carbonization process that uses toxic chemicals to it burn out. This combing process also removes short fibers which helps reduce the amount your finished project will pill. The combing process O-wool uses is GOTS certified.
 organic:
O-Wool's organic wool is sourced from 100% USDA NOP certified organic partner farms in Australia and Argentina. Certification of wool produced in Australia is certified by NASAA. Argentine wool is certified by Argencert.
O-Wool's organic cotton is sourched from 100% USDA NOP certified organic farms in Texas, United States.
All yarns are spun in the United states in mills that adhere to organic standards, including using vegetable based spinning oils.
why I like it:
Balance is a beautiful yarn. The blend of organic cotton and organic wool makes this yarn great for garments from spring through fall. The wool gives the fiber strength and elasticity and the cotton feels cooler against the skin and makes Balance more breathable than an all-wool yarn. Wool and cotton also each absorb dyes slightly different, so there's a slight heathered look to each color.
Many thanks to Marin at Vermont Organic Fiber Company and Jocelyn at Tunney Wool Company for their continued cooperation in helping me to understand as much as possible about the processing of O-Wool's yarns.
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