Reinventing Wool by Melissa M. Littlefield

How did wool go from an essential part of everyday American life to competing with a world of synthetic fibers? In Reinventing Wool: How a Natural Fiber Survived the Synthetic Revolution, Melissa M. Littlefield takes wool lovers on a fascinating journey through the history of wool in the United States and the cultural and technological forces that changed how we produce, wear, and think about this remarkable natural fiber.

Drawing on textile science, advertising archives, government reports, and her own experience as a fiber artist, Littlefield explores everything from Woolite's 1950s advertising campaigns and the development of machine-washable wool to mothproofing treatments and the changing perception of lanolin. Along the way, Reinventing Wool asks thought-provoking questions about what we consider "natural," "improved," and high quality. For knitters, fiber artists, and anyone curious about wool history, this is an illuminating look at the fiber we love and what its past might teach us about its future.

Details:

• 240 pages; hardcover
• 21 black-and-white illustrations
• Language: English
• Dimensions: 6" × 9" (152 × 229 mm)
• Published: 2026 by Johns Hopkins University Press
• Print only; no digital download code included

Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction: Wool, Science, and the Synthetic Revolution
• "The Cold-Water Miracle Soap": Woolite's 1950s Campaign for Wool
• "Here's Wool That Won't Shrink": Making Wool Machine Washable
• "Now It's Easy with EQ-53": Mothproofing Wool with DDT
• "The Greasy Truth": Turning Wool into Lanolin
• Afterword: What's Left of Wool?
• Acknowledgements
• A Note on Sources

About the Author: Melissa M. Littlefield is a professor in the Department of English at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is the author of several books, including Instrumental Intimacy: EEG Wearables and Neuroscientific Control. Littlefield is also a fiber artist and host of the knittingthestash podcast on YouTube.