Is wool absorbancy

Answer 1

Yes...if you were to get a piece of wool and put it in hot water or cold water it would soak it up like a sponge! :)
Wool is very interesting in this respect it it BOTH hygroscopic AND hydrophilic. That means that it both absorbs water and it repels water. The water that is absorbed is in two different places, partly the water rests as droplets between the wool fibers and partly water is absorbed by the complex protein chains that comprise the fibers themselves. The protein chains are lipids and thus the "fat" ends of the lipids that are on the outside of the fiber repel water; while the ends in the interior of the fiber can make temporary bonds to (absorb) water. This internal water will evaporate when ambient conditions allow it.

You cannot use wool to "wick" water, the lipids prevent wicking and the capilary action that transports liquids in for example celulose (linnen, cotton, hemp, etc.)

This is the reason wool is such a great material to have next to the skin (it has been developed for close to skin use for tens of millions of years!) You can remain warm in a wet wool sweater, you can sweat in hot climate and still feel cool (relatively) if you wear wool - the peoples of Northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia have used fine wool like this for thousands of years.

Answer 2

Yes...if you were to get a piece of wool and put it in hot water or cold water it would soak it up like a sponge! :)
Wool is very interesting in this respect it it BOTH hygroscopic AND hydrophilic. That means that it both absorbs water and it repels water. The water that is absorbed is in two different places, partly the water rests as droplets between the wool fibers and partly water is absorbed by the complex protein chains that comprise the fibers themselves. The protein chains are lipids and thus the "fat" ends of the lipids that are on the outside of the fiber repel water; while the ends in the interior of the fiber can make temporary bonds to (absorb) water. This internal water will evaporate when ambient conditions allow it.

You cannot use wool to "wick" water, the lipids prevent wicking and the capilary action that transports liquids in for example celulose (linnen, cotton, hemp, etc.)

This is the reason wool is such a great material to have next to the skin (it has been developed for close to skin use for tens of millions of years!) You can remain warm in a wet wool sweater, you can sweat in hot climate and still feel cool (relatively) if you wear wool - the peoples of Northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia have used fine wool like this for thousands of years.