Early nomads had no permanent living space, could not store and keep materials fresh or transport large amounts of anything. However, one of the few resources readily available to these nomads and weavers were their flocks of sheep and the resulting meat, milk,leather and wools. When and where man first learned how to shear sheep,process the wool, learn to spin and employ wool is one of those questions that shall never be fully resolved. Early man used furs and skins as clothing.

Whether wool was used first for clothing or for creating carpets and blankets cannot be documented but for sure wool was used in cold climates. Wool provides excellent insulation by holding pockets of body-warmed air close to the skin. The discovery of the Pazyryk carpet in the Altai Mountains of Siberia, which is more than 2000 years old, shows just how long man has been making woolen textiles. In countries across the world at different times wool has proved to be a mainstay of economies and vital to the wealth and physical well being of the population.

In England, whole villages and districts were involved in raising sheep and processing wool that was exported around the globe. In Asia, shoes and boots were constructed partly of felt from countries such as China and even Russia.

Clothing from South America, Rome and ancient Babylon was made from wool. Weavers have used very fine belly wool used to create Balishts for use as sleeping cushions. Today our weavers use only high grade Gazni wool which is unprocessed and unbleached.

The story of early animal husbandry is most clearly illustrated by the practice of using certain breeds of sheep for different purposes. For example, the fat-tailed variety most commonly used by nomadic weavers even today has a unique gland near the tail that stores fat during the abundant months.

When dry or drought conditions persist, the sheep draw off this reserve of fat. The result is not only that the sheep survive but also that the wool is constantly nurtured. This oil produces wool of a consistently high quality with high lanolin content, a factor essential to the health of the wool. Wool fiber high in lanolin can be bent but shall not snap under pressure, a factor very important for making carpets. Lanolin poor wool will not bend underfoot but rather break off at the point of pressure. This means that a carpet made of poor quality wool will wear prematurely.

Most wool, including wool imported from New Zealand, and used in the commercial rug producing areas of China and India is snow white and probably bleached. Once wool is removed from the sheep the lanolin content in the wool cannot be increased as connection to the blood flow has been arrested. Bleaching the wool, dying the wool with abrasive chemical dyes and mordant all cause further lanolin to be lost and leads to premature wear.

In an unbleached state, wool has hundreds of shades from light grey, soft brown to black. Antique carpets have the streaky lines of natural wool colour. These lines are not dirt but rather a sign of provenance that authentic techniques in wool production and processing were employed.

Bleaching and other abrasive processes also attack the very structure of the wool fiber. Each wool shaft is covered with tiny overlapping scales running down the length of the fiber. Bleach and hard dyes cause these discs to become brittle and break-off causing premature wear. Conversely when these discs are polished and matted down by the repeated touch of human hands and feet oil from our skin is deposited on the wool fiber. When the wool fiber becomes highly polished the carpet develops an inner luminescence and the colours are translated differently into a warm rich patina.

Our Valley of a Thousand Hills™ weaving project uses exclusively Gazni wool. It is highly regarded as one of the best rug weaving wools in the world. It originates from the legendary sheep from the plains of Gazni in Eastern Afghanistan. Sheep are generally shorn in the spring although some localized herders shear in the fall. Our whole vision is to process the wool as little as possible. No chemical bleaching is employed to create a consistently even colour.  As a result, over time and with proper use and care our Valley of a Thousand Hills™ rugs will increase in value and personality. (see: Natural Dye Lecture)