WoolWeenies Club

Crankin, tell me more. Perhaps I strayed. I own the Ibex alpstar pant, but thought they might not hold up X-country skiing in switzerland in feb. if I got caught in the rain.

So, I just bought the arctyrex scorpion goretex shell pant, plan to layer it over my ibex woolies for x-country, and shebeest windpro fleece tight for downhill. Do you really think I'd be better of in the alpstar pant over woolies for x-country. I get cold very easily...........

Do you dress for x-country skiing like for biking, or warmer (i.e. I was planning to layer an ibex zepher and shak under my arctyrex goretex shell on top, or do I need my patagonia down sweater?). Same thing on bottom, is a fleece tight under the goretex shell too much, or will I need it?

I don't know about xcountry skiing, but I get way colder when biking in the cold than I do when snowshoeing in the cold. With biking, my feet and hands stick out pretty isolated, and I am heading into a constant wind of my own making on my bike, going much faster than on foot.

Hey Trisk,
You know, I do dress for x country skiing like I do for cycling. I don't ride when it gets below 40 (or 30 for very slow hybrid rides), but I just heat up so much when I ski. I wish I could tell you the style of my pants. My DH ordered them for me a few years ago, when we got back into skiing. They are like tights, in that they are "tight," and have ankle zips. The backs of the thighs are wool and the rest of the tights are a pretty good windproof type of material. These were my first piece of Ibex, although I had no idea where it would lead me!
What I usually wear for skiing: base layer, like a Craft LS top, or silk long underwear top. Once in awhile I wear a Smart Wool base layer, but it has to be pretty cold (like in the single digits). I find the Craft base layers keep me soooo warm. My mid layer is either a mid-weight wool piece or a mid-weight fleece piece. Most of them are cycling tops, although I have a couple non-cycling fleeces, along with my Shak hoodies I have worn. My jacket is a Go-Light. It's pretty thin and windproof. It is not a soft shell and not waterproof, but it's pretty water resistant. I have also worn it for winter riding. On the bottom I wear Ibex boy shorts and the above pants, or a pair of wool Jones Ware hiking pants. They are pull ups and have flared legs. If it's below 30, I wear a pair of thin silk long underwear, too. If it's super cold, like below 18 or so, I have another pair of long underwear that are mid weight, but are synthetic something. I wear wool ski socks, sometimes with a silk or polypro sock liner. That's it.
I add headwear according to the temperature, and often take my headband to switch to, because I sweat like crazy. I have a pair of Cabela mittens that are super warm. It has to be in the twenties to wear them. Otherwise, I wear my Pearl Izumi Am-Fibs. Yesterday I had my glove liners on, too. They have a nice little pocket for chemical handwarmers! I use those and foot warmers, when it's really cold. I had them on yesterday, because it was very windy, although not that cold. I start with a fleece neck gaiter on, so I don't inhale the cold air, but it drives me nuts after 20 minutes or so and I usually take it off, unless it's frigid.
I find the key to being comfortable is to dress in very thin layers, and for me, it has to be thin enough so that if I stop skiing for a few minutes, I feel cool. I just heat up so much, and then that makes me tired, uncomfortable, which makes me lose my form. I see a lot of people wearing way too much.

I think I just saw in another thread that LPH mentioned that dressing for winter cycling is similiar to dressing for cross-country skiing. Potentially the same level of exertion and generated wind. If the conditions were the same, I would think you could wear slightly less with cross-country skiing, but that would probably depend on how long you were going to be out there and how much stopping you might be doing.

I'm looking forward to trying out my new merino balaclava. It finally arrived today (clearance from Sierra Trading Post). I hate the microfiber/bamboo one I have been using, as well as the polar fleece one I tried. They get really wet, really quickly and don't ever dry out. This one is much thinner. It seemed easier to breathe through when I tried it on this evening. I think it will protect my face without being so hot and uncomfortable. I hope so, anyway.

A minor rant: people who have facilities crank up the heat in an already warm office. I've been boiling all week and have had to blast my fan.

As a result, I really can't wear my wool to work. Yesterday, I wore a lightweight cashmere cardigan and I was sweating. :(

It's hot and stuffy (the bathroom is the worst---don't ask!). It's like a breeding ground for germs and the woman who sits behind me has had a "snotty cough" for at least two months. They all claim it's a sick building but they fail to realize that insisting on having it overly warm makes the air quality worse.

None of them work out, by the way. I have the least "natural insulation" in the office, which is pretty ironic!!

I pretty much keep my mouth shut about it, since I'm apparently the only person who is too warm. I might ask the males if they find it too hot....

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Originally Posted by mickchick

It's hot and stuffy (the bathroom is the worst---don't ask!). It's like a breeding ground for germs and the woman who sits behind me has had a "snotty cough" for at least two months. They all claim it's a sick building but they fail to realize that insisting on having it overly warm makes the air quality worse.

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Oh yes, truly a breeding ground.

Thinking back when I worked in downtown DC, a woman who sat behind me was a chainsmoker (yes when smoking was allowed in the office) and I'd be literally dying from her smoke. She was coughing up a storm and I had to breathe in her secondhand smoke. My complaints fell on deaf ears. That was a sick building - when smoking was allowed indoors. And it really wasn't that long ago or so it seems to me (1970s).

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Originally Posted by kmehrzad

it really wasn't that long ago or so it seems to me (1970s).

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Oh, it was allowed in Ohio into the '80s... and building owners-landlords smoked in their offices well into the 90s when I retired. For all I know, they still do. Cleaning my office windows when there were smokers in the building was just DISGUSTING. I could wipe the brown-black film off the windows (with a LOT of solvent), but I didn't even want to think about what was inside my lungs.

But on topic - my sister's a musician in a state where smoking is still allowed in bars and nightclubs, and she didn't want to wear the Zepher zip-T I gave her when she plays a gig. I didn't know what to tell her about how well that sort of odor will wash out of merino. Anyone have any idea?

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Originally Posted by fatbottomedgurl

Hi girls- I wear the Seamless Sport bras and I love them, so much that I want to try the ones with smaller straps to wear under my regular clothing. Do any of you know the difference between the Seamless Wool Support Bra, and the Seamless Wool Bralette? I am guessing that the support bra has more support (duh) but I was wondering if the fabric in the front is thicker. I have a real "headlight" problem, those babies just don't lie down.

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I have the Bralette but not the Support Bra, but from their tech description, I think they're the same double-layer fabric. I don't have the sport bra to compare it to, but it's not at all thick.

I also have the Balance Light, and it's a single layer of the same weight fabric. It's not a lot of support, but very comfortable.

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Originally Posted by mickchick

A minor rant: people who have facilities crank up the heat in an already warm office. I've been boiling all week and have had to blast my fan.

As a result, I really can't wear my wool to work. Yesterday, I wore a lightweight cashmere cardigan and I was sweating. :(

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Different folks, different tolerances.... I'm one of those people who is almost always cold. When everyone else is fine, I can happily run a heater under my desk....(while wearing wool socks and a wool sweater)

I remember when I was young and clueless and smoking was accepted as totally normal....
I remember walking up and down the aisles of the supermarket with my cigarette going. And smoking on crowded Greyhound buses...and on AIRPLANES! :eek: LOL!!

Any of you tried any of the models of the Ibex sports bras for professional outfits?

I often bike to professional meetings. I sometimes have to change my shirt and pants when I arrive, but it would be nice to keep the same bra on.

The ones that offer the most support appear to have thick straps that might be too close to the neck? On the other hand, the skimpiest bra in the Ibex line looks, well...REALLY skimpy! I'm an A-B, but still.

Please share your experience! Thanks.
Mariposa

Mariposa, I love the Ibex Balance light bra, but it is indeed very skimpy (one layer of their thin fabric, and in my size, it really looks like a training bra :p). I'm a 32 c and I ordered a med, which gave me no support, so I exchanged it for the small, which fits me much better. It's more supportive than you would think it could be, but it shows when you're chilly, if you know what I mean. I haven't yet tried it on the bike, and am not sure it will be as good as the Bralette for commuting.

The Bralette is less skimpy (2 layers of fabric), but also not enough to hide much under a thin t-shirt, for example. If you wear thicker tops than that, the Bralette will probably work well for you. I think it would be fine under a tailored shirt.

I tried the sports bra, and I found it much too high in the neckline, so I didn't keep it.

Thanks for the bra feedback. I definitely want 2 layers in my bra...if you know what I mean.

Anyone have a clue when Ibex might have their annual clearing out of these bras? Or I could get it on TE of course.

Mariposa

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Originally Posted by mariposa

Anyone have a clue when Ibex might have their annual clearing out of these bras? Or I could get it on TE of course.

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They don't. I haven't seen them on sale since they were introduced, and I don't think they were on sale on TE either. They are not changing the models every year and I think they are pretty popular items...

Did others see a sale that I missed?

I finally tried my Ibex Giro Jersey and their Bralette on the bike. I also wore a zip neck Woolie. I'm thrilled with how everything performed. The jersey is the perfect form-fitting cut, with no elastic in the hem. It was in the low 30s F out, and although I worked up a sweat, the jersey is still dry, and I never felt damp. I did somehow manage to snag the jersey, so I'm a little concerned that it's too delicate (I want it to last forever!). Luckily, I can fix the snag with a crochet hook. I will not be picking up the kittens with this on, and I'll be hand washing it when needed, even though it says it's machine washable.

The bra is great. It got a little sweaty, but I definitely could still wear it all day. It does not smell, and the layer over the bra (the Woolie) is still dry. It was enough support on the bike, and it was so comfortable I never gave it a second thought.

kittens? what kittens?
we have a half grown kitten too. She likes to be held while I wear wool. I wore silk the other day and she did not like it!

Well, technically cats, but Eddy's just 1 and a half. He's still my baby kitten. He actually hates to be held by me and will struggle, which makes the snags. Terrible teenager.

I just fixed the snag by carefully pulling it through to the wrong side.

I trim my (indoor only) kitty's claws to save my wool clothing. :)

Our kitties show a very definite preference for lying on wool. If DH and I are sittin gin bed having our coffee, kitties will drap themselves on the one that is wearing wool, instead of cotton (or nothing). :D They love lying on real wool, they obviously have good taste.

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

Our kitties show a very definite preference for lying on wool. If DH and I are sittin gin bed having our coffee, kitties will drap themselves on the one that is wearing wool, instead of cotton (or nothing). :D They love lying on real wool, they obviously have good taste.

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Ours too. We just adopted a new shelter kitty and if I leave any wool lying around, he's sure to point it out to me by laying on it!. My black Carrie hoodie is permanently decorated with light grey cat hair, I think. :rolleyes: Oh, and he seems to prefer the boucle fabric over the shak fabric. Silly cat! :p

At one point in time I was making kitty beds out of recycled wool sweaters (There's a Goodwill outlet in town - they sell everything left over by the pound....). I was finding the largest sizes I could and was washing them in hot water to shrink and felt them a bit. I kept two and my kitties love them, but I broke my sewing machine doing it and lost the impetus.... I still have some sweaters. I should start back up again.

Sadness! Catastrophe!

The brand new Tarrah I bought for myself before Christmas (from Ibex, of course!) has a hole in it. After washing it a grand total of twice. I was really disappointed, and immediately wrote to Ibex, who (of course) offered to send me a replacement right away. They asked me for a photo but I won't have to return the shirt since I'm in Canada. I thought that was pretty classy. I still offered to send it back in a bubble envelope (cheap), but they haven't responded to that.

So my sadness shall be taken care of. But I thought it was really too bad. Brand new! It's nice that they stick by their products though. The customer service rep who emailed me was really nice, and she noted (as I had enumerated my Ibex items I was fully satisfied with to her) that while there had been returns on tops like the pointelle (which I own) it was her first one on the Tarrah. Oh well.

I LOVE my new Smartwool tights. I think I might have found the brand that fits me best!

Our kitty likes my house sweater if I leave it where she can find it. It has an extra layer of warmth with all the kitty fur. I know she's just concerned for my welfare.;)

Deb

You all are lucky your kittens just lie on your wool. Sammy, my puppy, chewed up the sleeve of my ibex zephyr this morning. I guess it will become a short sleeve shirt.

Serves me right for leaving it where he could reach it.

Ack! Don't let it put you off wool, the way it put me off expensive sunglasses when my dog ate my Oakleys.... :rolleyes:

Ooooh, lookie: http://www.twinsix.com/gear/the-stuf...-merinotrainer

Fatty wool sweaters! Way too expensive for me, but don't they look nifty!

Came across this the other day.

http://www.lab-gear.com/99/99mid

And a review:

http://bikeshopgirl.com/2009/12/lab-gear-99-preview/

Today a good friend of mine is off to Canada with her boyfriend to go dog sledding among other activities.
This friend is not really an outdoors type, she's a Dr.Hauschka skin care rep (a very expensive brand of skin products). She didn't want to freeze up there, but it seemed unrealistic for her to buy expensive wool items just for her 3 day trip.
So I outfitted her with a great warm set of wool- socks, top and bottom base layer, over tights, turtleneck shak, jacket, mittens with liners, balaclava, earflap hat. The works. She had strict instructions not to wash anything (don't want anyone washing my wool but me).

I hadn't asked for anything in return, but she gave me a GIANT bottle of my favorite Dr.Hauschka face moisturizer, worth $50 retail, and a bottle of lavender shower/bath stuff worth $23. The face moisturizer is the one expensive skin care product that I actually do splurge on for myself- so this is about 8 months' worth for me and saves me $50!

Wool. Like money in the bank. :D

You're a great friend. I haven't quite managed to lend out my wool and let it out of my sight... I was kayak touring with a friend recently and let her borrow a lot of my kayaking clothing and equipment... I still cringed everytime I heard her whack my carbon fiber paddle with something.

I lent my sister a bunch of outdoor gear recently so she & her daughter could go tubing... A way long time ago she shrunk one of my wool sweaters, so I didn't let her borrow any wool, but let them both borrow down jackets, goretex shells and pants, etc. I was having nightmares of her washing my down jackets (thankfully she didn't!) or ripping some goretex. I'm sure it's all brands that she's never heard of, so she doesn't quite understand how expensive the stuff I was lending her really was, and I didn't want to be that person who lends you something and harps on how expensive and what it is, to the extent that you don't want to borrow it or use it anymore.

Catriona,
I never would have lent all that good wool to just any friend. :D
We discussed everything clearly- how she'd pay to replace anything lost or ripped, and she promised not to wash anything. She's very careful with her own clothes and she knows exactly how expensive my stuff is. She's a smart businesswoman, a good friend, and we are very frank with each other about such things. I felt safe. :)

OK- you've all done it!! I went to the thrift store and bought 2 wool sweaters. They're a teeny bit itchy, and not very pretty, but HOLY MOLY I'm sooooo warm when I wear them. I bought a thin merino wool one to wear under my cycling coat and a thicker wool one to wear in our house (it's always cold).
I honestly didn't think that wool would make a difference, but I'm sold now!

Thank you for all your tips and advice. My torso has never been warmer. Someday soon I'm going to get some wool tights and then my legs will be just as happy as my torso. :)

I just mailed a load of wool off to my cousins in scotland - 3 260 weight icebreaker sweaters, 1 200 weight, 1 icebreaker t shirt, an ibex zephyr & ibex long janes for my female cousin, and 3 icebreaker t shirts, an ibex zephyr, a smartwool top, some smartwool socks, and 1 icebreaker quantum top for her brother. Both got softshells as well, and a few other things.

They'll definitely both appreciate it, and hopefully'll hurry up and pay me back for all the shopping I did for them.

[QUOTE=Catriona;487989]I just mailed a load of wool off to my cousins in scotland QUOTE]

Isn't that like shipping coals to Newcastle? :) You'd think the land of Shetland would be better equiped. But then again they don't really have merino sheep in Scotland, just the hardier breeds with coarser, scratchier wool.

[QUOTE=pdxgal;488084]

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Originally Posted by Catriona

I just mailed a load of wool off to my cousins in scotland QUOTE]

Isn't that like shipping coals to Newcastle? :) You'd think the land of Shetland would be better equiped. But then again they don't really have merino sheep in Scotland, just the hardier breeds with coarser, scratchier wool.

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I don't think they have merino sheep. Looks like those were initially developed in Spain/Portugal:
http://www.sheep101.info/breedsS.html


They definitely have wool, most of it's the standard itchy wool whenever I've gotten sweaters from over there... and all of it's a lot more expensive than what you can find merino wool on sale for over here.

I have a lot of friends in New Zealand or australia who have had me ship them icebreaker if I find it on sale cheap here - they can't get it at those prices back home, so even with the costs of shipping it to them, it's still cheaper. I've had new zealanders or australians buy icebreaker wool off me on ebay...

Just got word from my friend that she's back from Canada, and both she and my wool are safe and sound. :D

Backcountryoutlet.com has swobo merino wool cycling jerseys, short sleeve, for $18.99. If you go through bing cashback, you get 12% back.

http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/out...ve-Womens.html

I've been having more and more problems wearing wool. Even 17.5 merino. Yesterday I wore my Kate after coming home from hiking, taking a nice shower, and settling down to relax. I was itching after a couple of hours and this morning my arms are bright red. Wearing my Smart Wool ski socks is also bothering my legs.
Since I am going x country skiing up in the Northeast Kingdom in 10 days, I need to get this to settle down. It's a place where wool is mandatory!

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Originally Posted by Catriona

Backcountryoutlet.com has swobo merino wool cycling jerseys, short sleeve, for $18.99. If you go through bing cashback, you get 12% back.

http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/out...ve-Womens.html

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Thanks for this, I ordered two of them, though should have probably purchased brighter colors. My first jersey purchase :D

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I've been having more and more problems wearing wool. Even 17.5 merino. Yesterday I wore my Kate after coming home from hiking, taking a nice shower, and settling down to relax. I was itching after a couple of hours and this morning my arms are bright red. Wearing my Smart Wool ski socks is also bothering my legs.
Since I am going x country skiing up in the Northeast Kingdom in 10 days, I need to get this to settle down. It's a place where wool is mandatory!

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What kind of laundry detergent are you using? It might not be the wool.

But it would really suck if it were. You would have to give all of your wool to us. (So what size are ya? :p )