What is the difference between sheep wool and cotton?
Cotton obviously is derived from a plant and wool from sheep. Characteristics of the two; cotton is finer, smaller, softer fiber that when processed, looses its small amount of oil. Wool, on the other hand is a coarser fiber with a huge amount of natural oils, called lanolin. It is better for holding in the warmth as it’s coarseness and shape are more adapted to make the sealed air pockets that insulate the animal, and those that use the fiber from the source. Not only is it a better insulator, but it does not loose that property when wet. Without looking, my guess is that wikipedia would have more info on the unique structures of both that allow for making threads and materials in textiles, and how they played a part in the research of fibers and the development of manufactured plastic types of fibers; nylon, rayon, etc.
