As a knitter, I found this to be an interesting look at the history of something I touch every day! If you're interested in textiles, I'd give this a read :)

This is a fascinating history of Wool. The author starts at the beginning and shows the rise and decline of wool use in the US. The text is a good easy to read general history. Accompanying the text are lots of wonderful historical photographs. A bibliography is included in the back if more information is desired. Enjoy this informative history

Wool by Peggy Hart draws on the author's deep professional experience in the wool industry to explore its rise, fall, and resurgence in America. From the birth of this nation to present day, Hart traces the sheep, fabrics, and trends.

This is an approachable general history--you can learn about agriculture, social issues, economics, industry, and fashion. It explores the impact mechanization (and convenience) had on America’s Wool industry. While this is an introductory volume, an extensive reference and bibliography directs you to more information.

This is an enjoyable read and the archival photographs provide additional delight.

Great history of the use of wool. You learn so much about how the world has changed and how wool has helped changed it. Great information and a good read.

Wool by Peggy Hart provides a history of the wool industry in America for anyone with or without prior knowledge. Interwoven between the history of sheep breeds and their immigration to America are the tools and innovations that led to an increase in cloth and other textile production. The book contains photographs and images of scanned documents within the text. Although not highly in-depth, the overview with some detail is a quick and easy read.

As a yarn crafter, I know yarn and wool are interesting...but I never thought of wool in this way! Peggy Hart delves into the topic of wool and the history of its production and distribution in the United States. From wool's origin point in the US to modern day, she gives us a thorough and fascinating history on how wool production has been a backbone point of American life for generations.

This is an easy read for yarn crafters looking to increase their knowledge on the history of wool and yarn crafts in America and how our balls of string still play a part in this country. Peggy's writing is fun and entertaining and I felt drawn through to the end of the book fairly quickly.

Wool history goes deep back in time of the human history, but "Wool" starts around colonial time to show just how heavily we relied on it then. So many article clothes were made out of wool including undergarments, something that is very hard to imagine today, not to mention wool curtains and bedding. Amazingly there was no mention of any allergies. I would love to touch many of wool things. Were they soft or coarse? Did they make one too warm or was it just fine? "Wool" zooms through history as a well researched story with beautiful pictures, however, I wish it created more connections, brought emotion and some interesting stories to make it just as warm as cozy as wool.

History buff that I am, I can never turn down a social history. Wool and the history of the cloth industry might seem odd stuff to some, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From its beginnings in human history through its loss of importance in the wake of synthetic fabrics, the author examines the rise and fall of wool in British and, by default, colonial American history and beyond. Great reference.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4 on Goodreads.

A fascinating look into the history of wool production in the United States, focusing mainly on the manufacture and production of wool fabrics. It starts off in colonial times (it reminded me of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s "Homespun" in some ways, but broader in scope) and continues through the 20th century, with an afterword discussing some of the more recent revivals and niche popularity of wool.

Wool was a staple resource when the country started out, providing a warm, fire- and water-proof fabric essential for life in the cold Northeastern climates. Tending to sheep, collecting the fleece and treating it, spinning it, and then weaving it into cloth was a major part of daily life for many people. Even when weaving mills became common, and ready made clothes first made their appearance on the market, many households were still producing their own fabrics and/or yarns. The mass produced goods were supplements to the handmade, rather than complete stand ins.

This all changed in the 1920s and 30s. A variety of new synthetic fibers were created (the first being rayon, derived from cellulose) and combined with the sudden influx of electric inventions, including household heat and electric washers, created a dramatic change in demand from wool garments (which were much warmer and couldn’t be machine washed) to lighter weight and easier care synthetics. The popularity of synthetics continued throughout the rest of the 20th century (and remains today), wool working its way down in the ranks, until it was mainly used for car upholstery; but even this only lasted through the 50s, when synthetics once again took over.

Within 40 years, wool went from a staple of every day wear to a niche market. The Handcraft Revival of the 60s and 70s did bring back the home production of yarns and fabrics through hand spinning and weaving, which also brought back the demand for wool. The popularity of wool yarn in a variety of fiber arts continues today, but still remains a niche market; wool fabric is not widely mass produced nor is it what makes up the majority of clothing items available.

While it can be dry and a bit repetitive in some sections, it was still a fascinating read and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who thinks they might be interested in the history of wool and how its manufacturing has changed and evolved in the U.S.

2.5 stars

I don’t typically read nonfiction (my goodreads shelf has only 25 nonfiction titles out of 290 books read) but I am a huge fan of knitting and wool. I thought this book would be a good fit. I did enjoy it, but reading the 196 pages of Wool: Unravelling an American Story of Artisans and Innovation by Peggy Hart was a challenge.

Hart has obviously done a vast amount of research, but it’s presented in a way that is simply someone plopping a pile of papers down and saying matter-of-factly: “Here’s a vast amount of research.” I would have liked to see some narratives, maybe describing the different tools used, what it was like for colonial people to spin and weave in their homes, etc. I found myself frustrated by the lack of engagement on anything but a purely intellectual level. There was a lot of sentences that were just lists of things, which made my eyelids flutter and gave the writing a very “junior year research paper” feel.

Thankfully, the history the Hart presents really speaks for itself. The ebb and flow of wool’s popularity in the U.S. is carefully chronicled, with lots of sources. If you can get past the lack of voice and the total information dump, there is just so much here. Hart has described the rise and flow of wool fiber from the colonial era to present, with the focus mostly on wool fabrics but a lot about yarns (which was what I was interested in) thrown in as well. So, I trudged on. I’m glad I did, because what I learned was interesting - I just wish I didn’t put the book down feeling like I had slogged through the piles of articles, journals, and correspondence myself.

Overall: if you’re curious about the role that wool has played in American history, this is a good book. If you don’t know much about fiber arts, make sure to have the glossary bookmarked so that you can look up all the things that aren’t explained in the text!

If you knit or crochet or sew, and have ever wondered how people used to interact with fibers and how things have changed over the years, this will help answer some of those questions. It's pretty easy to follow, and explains things well for those not familiar with some of the history. It tells in plain language about the difference between sheep imported to North America and those indigenous with completely different coats, and how innovation has revolutionized the use of wool on top of many other things. It answered a lot of questions I had learning to knit and spin wool, and was pretty entertaining as well.

Wool Unraveling an American Story of Artisans and Innovation by Peggy Hart
Love learning about the history in the US about wool and why it's no longer used as much as back in the 1600's.
I am a knitter and do use patterns from 1860's for Sturbridge Village using the wool from their animals to knit the items they want. Love that this village is mentioned in the book. So fascinating to learn so much!
Sketches along the way showing what is being talked about. It's much of how I picture the early 1900's with the local mills (I live in RI so am familiar).
Loved hearing of the resources that still produce wool yarn today.
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Received this review copy from the author via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book, and believe it would appeal to anyone interested in the fiber arts or fashion industry. I knit and most often I knit with wool, so this book was a very in-depth look at wool.