Our merino wool

No Superwash treatment

Wool is wool… or is it? There are actually major differences between the types of wool – not only in terms of quality, but also – and perhaps more importantly – how the fibres are treated during production.

At our dyehouse, we work with untreated merino wool that in no way has received the environmentally taxing treatment, known as Superwash. Combined with our decision to forgo heavy metals at the dyehouse, this way of working with merino wool is completely unique to the industry. 

Superwash is a treatment that is used to improve the wool’s washing abilities first by removing the itchy hairs with chlorine and then coating the fibres with a thin layer of plastic (either natural (tree resin) or artificial resin (some form of plastic)). This treatment makes the wool more resistant to sudden temperature changes and rough handling. All in all, it makes the wool fibres washing-machine friendly. Unfortunately, with this treatment a lot of chlorine (AOX) is discharged with the wastewater, which has a negative impact on the environment. The treatment also ruins a lot of the natural properties of the wool. The plastic coating impairs the wool fibres’ natural ability to insulate against the cold, regulate temperatures, and absorb moisture.

Our eco-friendly, 10-hour dye and enzyme treatment

Instead of using a Superwash treatment to soften the untreated merino wool fibres, we use an eco-friendly, 10-hour long dye and enzyme treatment. The enzyme treatment works by attacking peptide bonds to break down proteins. This gently removes the itchy hairs and softens the wool fibres, while leaving all the natural benefits of the merino wool completely intact – so you get an extraordinarily soft, clean, and light product.

This enzyme treatment makes our wool unique – because it is produced without chlorine and plastic (Superwash). It does, however, make our merino wool products more sensitive to sudden temperature changes and rough handling. So, to keep the wonderful, natural properties of the merino wool fibres intact, make sure you follow the washing instructions on the care label inside your garment or visit our washing guide here to find washing instructions for your DILLING wool.

All products made from our signature wool quality – the 1x1, 8x1, and multi rib - have received our unique 10-hour long, environmentally friendly enzyme treatment for an incredibly soft and itch-free product.

All our single wool products have received a Naturetexx® Plasma treatment – an environmentally friendly shock treatment using only electricity and air to process the wool fibres. And our merino wool/silk products have received an EXP treatment – an alternative to Superwash - without the use of chlorine, which encapsulates the itchy hairs of the merino wool and leaves the wool super soft and itch free.

To find out more about each of our treatments, click here. 

The characteristics of merino wool

Merino wool fibres are among the finest and softest wool fibres. You can tell just how fine a fibre is by the fibre diameter, also known as micron and Nm. Below, we elaborate on these two terms.

Micron

Merino wool has a much finer micron than all other wool types, which is also why it is so suitable for next to skin clothing and performance– and sportswear. You see, when the fine merino wool fibres touch the skin, they simply bend – unlike other wool types that are prone to prickle and scratch the skin. For our products, we use superfine 17.5 to medium 21.5 microns, where one micron equals one millionth of a metre. For comparison, human hair is typically 50 microns.

Nm

In addition, we specify the count of the yarn, for example, Nm 40/1. Nm stands for “numero metric count” and is based on the number of 1000m (metre) units in a kg (kilogram) of yarn (1000m/kg). As a rule of thumb, the finer the yarn, the higher the count number.

All counts have two numbers – the first number is the count and the second is the number of strands (or ends) that have been twisted together to create the yarn. In our example, Nm 40/1, one kilo consists of 40.000 metres of yarn and a single strand. If the count would have been 40/2, it would refer to one kilo of yarn consisting of 40.000 metres of yarn and two strands twisted together, which, ultimately, would result in a thicker and plusher wool product.

For our products, we use merino wool with Nm ranging from 40/1 to 72/2.

Our wool qualities

The characteristics of the final product will vary according to different factors – like knitting technique and fibre composition.

To help you differentiate between our wool qualities, we have named each either by the knitting technique applied (1x1, 8x1, multi rib, 4x2, single, loop back, and terry), fibre composition (merino wool/silk, merino wool/alpaca), or treatment (wool fleece).

Read more about each of our ten wool qualities here, to find the product that best matches your needs.