Last week, people reflected on things they are grateful for, such as family, friends, housing and good health. Well, here’s what I’m grateful for: wool. It’s true, I said wool, the fiber that comes from sheep. It may sound weird, but I stand by my choice. Without wool, I wouldn’t even be here right now.
When I first visited Washington State 22 years ago, I asked my boyfriend (now husband) what to pack. “It’s August,” he told me. “Bring shorts and t-shirts and you’ll be fine.”
Turns out a girl from San Diego asking a boy from Snohomish County for packing advice was a big mistake. I froze my butt. At one point I remember being in a movie theater and walking across the parking lot to an Eddie Bauer outlet to buy the first warm piece of clothing I spotted, a black wool cardigan merino. Luckily it was on sale as I couldn’t afford it.
“Where have you been?” asked my future husband on my return.
“The bathroom,” I said, not wanting him to know how cold I was. “There was a very long line.”
Wool saved me that summer. The sweater was itchy but the warmth was worth it.
You would think that after that first visit to the Pacific Northwest I would have learned my lesson about proper packing, but that is not the case. The next time I came to DC was in the winter with an engagement ring in my hand. I brought the black cardigan with me, but since it was the warmest thing I owned, it wasn’t enough to do the job alone, even though my future in-laws kept their house warm according to the PNW standards. “Do you want to go to Alderwood Mall with me?” asked my future sister-in-law.
“Yeah,” I said, happy to put on my coat. As soon as we arrived I bought a second black wool sweater to wear over the first. I looked like a normal person wearing a sweater when in reality I was a shivering Californian wearing two sweaters at the same time.
I have now lived in Washington for 17 years. In addition to woolen sweaters, I own woolen socks, woolen leggings, woolen shirts, woolen vests, woolen hats, woolen dresses and woolen blankets, all in varying degrees of itchy.
Some of my favorites include the Nordic sweater I bought at Costco almost ten years ago. He is able to keep me comfortable even when the oven breaks. I bought used vintage Pendleton shirts on the cheap. Once the moth holes were sewn up, they were like new. Darn Tough socks are also useful and come with a lifetime warranty. Wool is the fiber that continues to give long after the wear of other garments.
Do you see now why I am so thankful for wool? It is the miracle fiber that made my happiness forever come true. That’s why I’d like to say, “Thanks to the sheep everywhere.”
Jennifer Bardsley is the author of ‘Sweet Bliss’, ‘Good Catch’ and more. Find her online on Instagram @jenniferbardsleyauthor, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as author Jennifer Bardsley. Email her at [email protected].