The Green Side of Wool
We have a soft spot for sheep. For many, sheep are symbolic to New Zealand culture with the rearing of sheep being the backbone to the economy for many years.
Sheep farming was established in New Zealand by the 1850s and has played an important role in the economy ever since. For several decades wool accounted for more than a third of New Zealand’s exports by value with the sheep population peaking at just over 70 million in 1982.
This number is significant when comparing it to New Zealand’s human population. By 2020, sheep numbers dropped to 26 million, following a decline in profitability compared to other types of farming, particularly dairying.
While also farmed for their meat, today’s article focuses on sheep wool and its environmental attributes.
Wool is a natural and renewable resource and as long as our beloved sheep are eating the tasty green pastures from New Zealand farms they will always produce wool. Wool has amazing properties that make it ideal for many applications from home textiles through to incontinence underwear.
At this point in time, cotton and synthetic fibres are the most commonly used and produced fibres globally, however their performance does not come close to wool, in particular the environmental benefits.
From wool to yarn: The wool clip (total yield of wool shorn during one season from the sheep) is sent to the scourers where the wool is cleaned and dried, and from there to a woollen spinner where the fibre is spun into yarn. The yarn is then sent on to the manufacturer of textile products where many different processes are involved.
The yarn is wound onto dye cones and dyed to the required colours. Next the yarn is warped onto beams. These warp beams are then threaded through the looms so that the weft yarn can run across the warp to create a woven fabric.
The fabric is then inspected and then washed and dried. Very few chemicals are used in the processing, typically only water and heat.
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This week's prize winners
Congratulations to the winners of the $100 grocery vouchers. The winners are:
Blair Roddick from Blenheim
Greer Bell from Snells Beach
Dorothy Burt from Levin
Hannah Rice from Aranui
Winners must get in touch with us here before Tuesday, 25th February to claim their prize.
Not a winner this time? Never fear, there's always next week.
The Online Garage Sale of the Summer
It's time to clean out the garage (or closet or cupboard!) and make some money back on your summer goods. Get involved with the Neighbourly online garage sale on Saturday, February 22nd.
Whether it's time to let go of your spare tent, your beach umbrella or maybe clear some clothes from your wardrobe, the Neighbourly garage sale is the place to do it - it's free and it's local!
If this is your first Neighbourly garage sale, the way it works is that you list your items individually ahead of the event and members perusing the garage sale items online will contact you to buy it.
Make sure you check out the treasure trove of bargains on Saturday, February 22nd - it's well worth a look!
🧩 Crack the Code: Today’s Riddle Challenge! 🤔
I’m a three-digit number; my tens digit is five more than my ones, and my hundreds digit is eight less than my tens—what am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
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