Felting is the old trick for making wool truly weatherproof — work it tight until the fibers lock, and the cloth turns wind and shrugs off a light rain the way a raw fleece never could. We have our ranch wool felted dense for these vests, then cut them plain and useful: a high collar, deep pockets, horn buttons, room to move when you're throwing hay.
It's the layer I live in from October, when the larch turns gold, clear through shearing. Warm without bulk, quiet in the brush, and good-looking enough to wear to town without thinking about it. Like all of Beargrass Woolens, it started as a fleece on a sheep grazing our hay meadow — about as honest as a garment gets.