Milk wool / milk cotton

Dear Community,
I came across the term “milk wool” or “milk cotton” while browsing the internet. It seems to refer to yarn made from milk protein (casein). This yarn apparently has good qualities and is easy to work with, especially for clothing. Have you ever heard of it?

No, I’ve actually never heard of it before.

I’ve heard of it being used in underwear.

I’ve heard the term before, too—I think it was at my local yarn shop. I was looking for baby wool. The salesperson also showed me milk wool. But since I don’t drink milk and really don’t like the smell or taste, I immediately decided I didn’t want that wool. Maybe it would have been great, but the word “milk” automatically puts me off.

Maybe someone here can chime in and enlighten us about the composition or the “milk content” of this wool.

Best regards, Ina

I’ve worked with some before—a blend of 70% wool and 30% casein fibers. It knitted up nicely. The result was pleasantly soft and kept me warm. 

I’ve actually knitted with this type of yarn before for a baby sweater. It was a blend of acrylic, cotton, and a small percentage of milk fibers. The yarn was very pleasant to knit with—it had a very even stitch pattern, felt very soft to the touch,
and had a slightly silky surface. And it didn’t smell like milk!