After having one of my cats make a mess of a ball of yarn, I've discovered that a couple of things many people enjoy about wool I hate. The fact that wool "sticks" (which makes it great for steeking) is utterly annoying. I also strongly dislike the stretchiness. I love working with cotton & other plant fibers which most tend to dislike because there isn't any stretch in the fiber. Superwash wool is ok. As is a nylon/wool mix.