It is disturbing that so few people appreciate the qualities of wool, and that the price which a sheep fleece will fetch will scarcely cover the cost of its shearing.

It seems people have got used to the lightness of synthetics and often find a woollen coat or suit too heavy for comfort.

But much of the trouble lies in the ignorance of people who have been told that woollen garments are tricky to wash. It's a fact that synthetic garments attract dirt more readily, so need to be washed more frequently, and that they do not give the warmth of wool -- the exceptions being padded garments or the fleecy type.

I see children during winter time, wearing their trousers/skirts and blazers of Terylene or some sort of Acrylic fabric, with no warmth in it, and I wonder if the parents cannot realise how cold they must feel.

Children are being educated for ignorance about basic foods and fibres or of being in any way self-sufficient. This effectively ties them into being dependent on big companies. After all, if everything they buy is ready-to-wear and ready-to-eat, then they are less likely to ask questions and the small business is further pushed into oblivion.

Scotland is the ideal place to re-create a fashion for wool, which will also help to support sheep farming.

Stella Masters writes to us from the British Housewives' League, 17 Osborne Road, Palmers Green, London. N13 5PT