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so whee can i buy wool fabric like the stuff ibex uses so i ca sew my own wool clothes?
i love ibex clothes and now i am getting into sewing and sewing a lot of my own clothes and i am feeling brave enough and adventurous enough to try and sew wool shirts and leggings.
I can't advise you on sewing, but when I was still doing a lot of needlework I found some nice wool fabric that I used for surface embroidery from a company that specialized in period reenactments. They sent me a swatch so I could look at it before I ordered a couple of yards of it.
I am sure you will find more traditional sources, but wanted to mention this as an option. Sounds like fun!
I may have made this comment last year on Rosh Hashanah, but yesterday, during the service, when the rabbi was asking all of the participants who were going to blow a shofar what kind of animals the horn came from, when one participant said, "Ibex," DH and I looked at each other and started laughing.
I think this is called a cognitive distortion. No one else around us in the synagogue was laughing...
I guess this means I am really a wool weenie.
Crankin, that's really cute! have a good year!
Happy New Year!
Thanks for that laugh!
If any of you are near or going to be anywhere near Brunswick, ME--check out the Maine Woolens outlet store!! They have really nice washable wool blankets made right here in Maine (and some non-wool ones too, and a few other things) and there are some great deals. They sell online too, but the prices are high online--much better in the store, especially the 50% off bin. I went today and picked up the following for less than $150 total: one full-size blanket, one twin blanket (pastel pink and off white, by far NOT my favorite color scheme but they were 50% off and it will be a nice warm emergency blanket to keep in my car), one nice thick throw, and two recycled-fiber beach/picnic/camping blankets (one is going to be a gift) plus a couple of carrying straps for the beach blankets and an AMC guide to various outdoor trips in Maine. Not a bad haul, definitely worth the trip!
Oh, MY!!!!!
Smartwool is making a footless wool tight! http://www.titlenine.com/product/735...artwool+tights
Must have! Must order! SusanO, sell these on TE! PDQ! S'il vous plait!
I love footless tights. I love that I can wear them a couple times between washes without stinky-foot syndrome. I love that I can wear socks over them without having the "two layer slip-n-slide" effect inside my boots. I love that I can use them as longjohns, sleep in them, walk around the house in them. I love that the heels and toes don't wear thin and sprout holes (since they don't have feets) and cut their lives short. I love that I can wear them with a skirt and flip-flops.
Seriously, if TE sold these I'd be ordering them right now.
That isn't a bad price either for wool and it is nice to see colors other than black. I admit that I use wool long underwear like tights.Quote:
Originally Posted by KnottedYet
I wonder what the difference is between those and these, besides $38. The "long underwear" wears like leggings or tights and they're definitely lighter weight than SW "midweight" tops. (That's actually my only complaint about them, the fabric is so thin that I don't dare wear them on the bike.) I looooooove mine.
ETA: hmmmmmmmmm, REI fall sale, I might need another pair of those....
I wear my Ibex long johns from waaaay back (when they made them dense and tough) on the bike under a pair of cargo shorts. But they don't work as tights with a skirt. (to get the same quality as the old Ibex, you have to check out Jones Wares)
It looks like the Smartwool tights are the same light weight as regular tights (gauging by the expansion of the stitching in the model photos). That's what I need for work, and I'll happily pay $10 more for a pair of wool leggings than for a pair of whatever-content leggings from Hue.
Smartwool has never let me down for socks, so I'm willing to trust them for tights/leggings.
I didn't catch if they were made in USA or not. I guess I'd better go back and check.
ETA: I cannot find info about where they are made and who is gainfully employed making them, so I must assume for the nonce that they are not made in the USA. Much of Smartwool and Wigwam *are* made in USA, so I hope to find out more after my little jaunt to Title 9 tomorrow...
Smartwool's website says "Knit in Korea" under features:(Quote:
Originally Posted by KnottedYet
Well, that's a bummer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueberry
I have an uncle who was a manager at a wool-carpet factory, and their entire shop was shut down and moved overseas. I'm a little cranky about the loss of US manufacturing.
It's bloody hard to find anything made in the USA any more. And we wonder why we have so few jobs and why our economy sucks? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKv6RcXa2UI
Too bad Wigwam doesn't make tights: http://www.wigwam.com/AboutUs.aspx
Guess I'll be sticking with Hue (made in USA) non-wool footless tights... until my patriotic pipe-dreams collapse under the siren-song of wool lust.
I dunno, of the four companies it says 95% of No Nonsense is made in USA, 75% of Burlington products. The others: HUE, CALVIN KLEIN & JOCKEY no such claim so probably all imported. But Wigwam's made here. Guess I'll review it. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by KnottedYet
Yeah, the SW long bottoms are from China. Ibex bottoms just don't fit me, unfortunately. :( Too long and too un-curvy. Korea is some better, I suppose. www.productsofslavery.org (although that site has some obvious omissions, so take it with a grain of salt)
I'm very afraid Jones Wares is gonna go under.
They've had limited supplies of US made wooly goodness for MONTHS now. http://www.joneswares.com/
Smartwool manufactures stuff EVERYWHERE. You have to look at the individual product to see if it's coming from a country you feel comfortable buying from.
Oh man, why hadn't I seen those before??? Do they run true to size?Quote:
Originally Posted by KnottedYet
My Ibex Woolies tank is my favorite thing in my entire wardrobe, and I hadn't decided whether to be really really bummed that they don't sell those any more, or let it go because it was from China ... and that Jonesware Sprint tank looks just like it. Must. Have.
That's too bad, if it's true. JonesWares has been touted as a successful local business around here. I had them make a pair of "semi-custom" wool pants for me, by bringing up the hem an inch and adjusting the waist measurement. I was squarely between an x small and a small and for 10.00, this was the best $ spent. I wear these pants x country skiing, snow shoeing, hiking, and even for a casual errand ride, with an ankle strap around the bottom. They are nice enough to go "out" to eat or other stuff, too.
I really can't wear Ibex bottoms, either. DH bought me a pair of wool/windproof pants years ago, and because they have a gathered ankle, I can adjust enough, so they are not too long. Otherwise, the smalls are way too long on me and I can't get the x-smalls over my hips.
I could wish JonesWares specified their fiber and fabric sources, though... but I'm taking a chance on that tank. From what you said, Crankin, following their size chart and going one size up from Ibex should be just right.
In my sock drawer - which has many wool socks. Nearby is my Shak, 2 ibex sweaters, 2 ibex skirts and a cashmere sweater. and more wool socks. What should I do? Will washing take care of this problem? I read on Martha Stewart that you should wrap items airtight in plastic wrap and freeze for a few days/thaw/ and refreeze to kill moths. I did that a year ago when I brought home some of my mother's sweaters that did have moth damage then I repaired them and washed them. Any suggestions? Do I need to clean out the armoire entirely as well? Thanks for any advice! tokie
Eeek, I don't have any advice for you Tokie, but here's a link that both validates the freezing method (72 hours at 0°F, thaw without removing from the plastic and repeat) and tells you how to identify clothes moths. Let's hope the moth in your drawer was some random other species that just happened to get in there.
Related: what's everyone's favorite source for darning yarn?
Unrelated: long sleeve Ibex midweight crews half price in black or white. Men's and women's both ... I'm getting one for me and one for DH's birthday. :)
Got the JonesWares tank. Excellent service. :)
Fit notes: It's as long as the discontinued Ibex tank, but the arm holes are bigger. I think Medium is definitely the right size for me, but as compared to the small Ibex tank, it's bigger in the shoulders. So overall it fits looser across the shoulder area.
I'd shave maybe an inch off the measurements in their size chart. Their size chart puts me smack in the middle of Medium; in actuality I'd say I'm on the line (as with most brands :rolleyes:).
Ibex. SOCKS!!!!!!!!
Hope TE will have them soon - but until then - 25% off this week.....
I so want to try the Ibex socks, but I've spent my pocket money for the month. Boo:( Maybe Santa will bring me some.....
This is my first winter cycling, and I'm getting cold. I just did a search for "wool" to see what the form thought, and this popped up. It didn't take long, I now have 3 items in my cart at Smartwool and I'm going to MEC Thursday to try and get merino leggings.
I NEVER thought I'd see the day where I'd buy a $20 pair of socks.
I stopped by a local alpaca farm on Sunday...got a little carried away shopping but they had some great stuff (and they were having a big sale). I got a pair of "Alpaca Extreme" socks, a hat and a really nice sweater that will be great for the winter. I wish I could upload pictures from my phone...the lady at the shop let one of the alpacas in to wander around (there's a door connecting the barn to the shop), and it was hilarious!
I had a 35% off coupon for STP the other day so I splurged and bought a new boiled-wool jacket from Neve. It showed up today (I think I ordered it less than 48 hours ago!) and I'm in LOOOVE. All of the reviews said it the arms were too thin and too long and the jacket was suited for "aliens." Well, from the review details, I took a wager that I might be that alien and ta-da, it fits beautifully! The sleeves even cover my gumby arms all the way over my wrists! All that, at $200 off. For once I'm glad to be so oddly proportioned.
Very little that Neve makes fits me (and I have an XS sweater I'll be selling here shortly. Sleeves are too short! I loved it so much I bought it anyway but I've had it 2 years and worn it once).
Ibex Indie long johns $42
Sale goes on all weekend, for those who observe Buy Nothing Day.
Icebreaker has 30% off all black items. Or something like that.
Still too expensive for me but I thought I'd pass it on! Gonna check out TE's sale now...
I'd had been waiting for Icebreaker tops to go on sale before giving them a try and your post "enabled" my purchase. I got two of the Oasis Crewes--black--for 30% off. These are as nice as my Patagonia merino tops.Quote:
Originally Posted by jessmarimba
My only beef was the shipping time, but I went with the free shipping option (always slower).
I'll be adding more Icebreaker pieces to my wool collection. :-)
Thank you, Jess, for posting about the sale. :)
Hurray! So glad you found something :)
Well, after wearing my Smartwool merino thin soft black baselayer crew tops for several years now, like about 60 days a year each and many washings, they finally have begun to get enough tiny wear holes to relegate them to 'sleeping tops'. I finally broke down and ordered several replacements through TE today, with free shipping. They've proven their worth in my wardrobe over the years. :p
Too funny. Alpacas in Maine, mingling with lobsters? They live in the Andes... Be careful, they are consummate spitters.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jolt
love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl
My all time fav "smartwool" source is Marshalls.........but it is once a year and no color choice- don't care for half price on my college kid budget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For anyone else in Maine, Reny's has some "Minus 33" wool baselayers on sale right now as well as Wigwam merino socks buy 3 get 1 free (and the socks are made in the USA to boot). There were also some merino zip-neck sweaters that looked nice but of course, they were out of the small sizes (at least at the store in Wells).
I guess no one is buying/thinking about wool, since it's been so mild out?
Oh Crankin, no that is NOT true. I sold two paintings over the holiday and decided to splurge; and buy Ibex that was (gasp) NOT on sale. I bought this:
https://ibex-clothing.s3.amazonaws.c...d/198_2682.jpg
It's a little lighter than I hoped, but it's beautiful. And, btw, it's freezing here today.
That's really pretty.
Yea, I think our "warm" winter is coming to an end. I was going to do a group ride at 10 AM today, but it was still in the 20s. So, I think I am pretty much done with the outdoor riding for about 6-8 weeks.
I went to go to a step class, wearing my Teko wool socks (just to keep this on wool) and I had the time wrong; the class had started a half hour earlier than I thought. So, I did the elliptical for 30 minutes and now I am going to get fully wooled up and go for a hike.
Anything to avoid my paperwork.
you know, I wear wool socks almost all year round! ( for a week or three in the summer I don't)
I wear wool socks all the time.
For cycling, in the summertime I wear very thin smartwool crew socks or anklets (which smartwool apparently doesn't make anymore, grrr), and in winter, I generally wear those same thin wool socks under a slightly thicker pair. When I use two layers of wool socks I'll wear my winter biking shoes, which are a bit large for me otherwise, or my Keen sandals.
Off bike I'm almost always wearing some sort of wool socks, mostly smartwool, I have a drawer full :o
Very nice jacket, Mimi.