Dromhair

Write about the properties of a material which is used for clothing in your world.

Now our family's got an heirloom,
It came to me years ago,
Passed down since my great grand-dad wore it first.
I'll tell you all about it, but first you need to know,
That it's great grand dad's best dromhair shirt.

— From the song "Great grand dad's best dromhair shirt"
with acknowledgement and apologies to G Formby

The members of the dromemel family are noted for the fabrics that can be produced from their hair, whether woven or felted. Each of the subspecies has its own properties and whether by chance or by divine providence the qualities of the cloth are well matched to the climes the animals inhabit. In addition to being easy to prepare (assuming that your dromemel has not been frolicking in muck or Glueseed thickets) its fibres spin well, forming thread that is remarkably resistant to tangling and takes most dyes to an uncommonly high degree of colour saturation.

Cloth of dromemel hair - normally contracted to Dromhair is therefore a stable of most wardrobes across Marivar and in the years following the decline of the Empire it has even begun to be traded more widely, owing to its continued popularity with the Morivan peoples of Tarusia .

Properties

Material Characteristics

The coats of dromemels are typically mid brown but occasional in)dividuals have hair of other colours ranging from near white to black. The difficulties of dromemel breeding are treated on elsewhere (see Marivan Dromemel ) and so dying is the preferred option for changing colour, though the paler specimens have high value as bleaching the hair is difficult. The finest grades come form the hair of the mountain dromemel, with the Marivan Dromemel providing a good general purpose fibre and the southern subspecies the most hardwearing of the fabrics.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Dromhair cloth is hard wearing and if it has a failing it is that when well made it tends to be on the warm side. As noted above it readily takes dyes either as fibres, thread or finished cloth. If left undyed it is water resistant and when closely woven can even be made to make buckets with no further treatment and is resistant to rot. In short, if you can keep it away from dromflies (one of the few species, other than the dromemel itself, that can digest dromhair) it is near indestructible.

History & Usage

History

Endemic to Marivar there is no history to its use - for most Marivans cloth and dromhair are considered synonymous. It simply always has been.

Refinement

Whether looking to weave of felt your dromhair, first catch your dromemel. Done at the wrong time this can be difficult - but pick a swelteringly hot day and most dromemels will happily submit to being clipped. This is generall preferable to letting them moult for although it shortens the fibres it tends to make the cleaning much easier. The fibres can be washed but soap or similar should only be used if you plan on felting the fibres - for stripped of its natural oils the har will spontaneously felt as it dries.
Removing the oils is a necessary preparatory step to the dying but once spun the tendency to felting is much reduced though it still accounts for the relative expense of dyed thread for patterned weaving.

Environmental Impact

Whilst the cloth itself has no particular environmental impact - with dromemels the main draft animal of the continent few are kept specifically for their hair. The dying however is another matter and for this there is no better epitome than Bilverton.

Odor

Untreated it has a musky smell when new that fades with use. Dying changes the smell but the end result is highly dependent on the dye used and the dying technique: many expert dromhair traders claim to be able to identify the dyer from its smell alone,

Taste

Don't try it!

Fabrics of the Mountain Folk

Like most of the people of Marivar, the people of the Long Range are normally to be found clad in dromhair, but delight in the intricate weaving of dyed thread into complex geometric designs many of which are beyond the abilities of weavers elsewhere to match. The sheer quantity of time put into some of these fabrics makes them not just status symbols but also heirlooms to be handed down and argued over.
The finest weavers are able to unweave an inch or two of fabric and splice it into their own work creating what could be considered to be a lineage in cloth. With this happening over a several generations, some of the most impressive of these swatches exceed the height of their wearers by as much as ten fold and are among the most respected of regalia at any large gathering.

But I Tell you dahling... The drape, the hang of it... Divine, utterly divine.

— Ortin Slooch, cloth merchant at Orris

A Heartfelt Note on Dromhair Felt

So much is the woven fabric eulogised that the qualities of the felted fibre are often overlooked. Though not used for clothing it makes some of the finest padding for upholstery and has excellent insulating qualities valued both in the cold of mountain climes and the heat of the southern deserts where it is used in the soles of footwear and for seating pads as well as for padding of pack saddles.
The thermal qualities also make it highly valued by smiths and other workers of hot materials - for gloves, for insulated tool handles as such like.
Yes it lacks the glamour of the cloth, but fibres dyed and then felted create some interesting effects and a skilled felter can contour and shape his product to match the shape of any item making it an ideal packing medium for fragile valuables.


Did I mention that I have a small warehouse stacked with this wonderous material inherited from my uncle? Do step this way sir...