WoolWeenies Club

[GLC1968]

That's you on the right in the blueish Carrie hoody just visible under the rain jacket, right?

Yep! That's a very bad photo of me.

And I agree with Lisa - I like the smartwool sweater. It's really sharp looking!

What types of things will you be doing in Boston? I mean, if you are mostly just in and out of meetings or lectures, you may not need any additional layers on the bottom. I never wore underlayers when I lived up there unless I was going to some event where I'd be outside and not moving much all day (like a football game).

Another source for gorgeous wool sweaters is Neve sweaters. Terry carries them and has a few on sale right now for good prices. I have the one at this link and it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL but not really as 'active' in styling as my Ibex or Icebreaker stuff.

http://www.terrybicycles.com/detail.html?item_no=5134

[Triskeliongirl]

So how does the sizing run at smartwool. I guess I could just order the small and medium and send back the one I don't like. It says its 'boiled wool.' What does that mean? WIll it be scratchy? Will it pill?

I don't mind spending this much for good pieces that will last, but I cannot stand it when they start pilling.

Do you guys know if ibex direct sends shipping confirmations? I haven't gotten one yet so maybe I could still stop the order on the 'organic sweater' which I gather you guys don't like so much. Its also more $ than I really wanted to spend, but it does look quite smart to me.

[Triskeliongirl]

In DC I will be just attending meetings in a hotel, and maybe walking at night to a restaurant. In Boston I am staying with my son at MIT, and no car, so we will walk a lot, say to to and from the subway, and maybe spend time waiting for buses outdoors. I'll just bring along the silk long undies I have, and play it by ear.

I've noticed that since my body is used to a milder climate (coldest it usually gets is the 40s, sometimes it drops into the 30s, rarely below freezing) that when I travel to a really cold place I need warmer clothing than folks who live there. I also need warm to stuff to wear in my house on those 30/40 days since our gas radiators can't really heat well in those temp ranges (no central heating). But, a day that starts in the 40s can end in the 60s, which is why I like pieces I can take off and have the inner layers be good on their own. Another thing I like about that ibex organic sweater. Maybe I'll just let them send it, and return what I don't like.

[GLC1968]

I like the organic sweater. I wish I could afford to buy one for myself!

Boiled wool is usually a bit denser than regular wool. And isn't boiled wool usually woven, not knit? Or do they make knit boiled wool as well? When I think of boiled wool, I think of thick wool blazers or winter coats...that dense, thick, warm fabric that doesn't have much stretch.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Boiled wool is usually a bit denser than regular wool. And isn't boiled wool usually woven, not knit? Or do they make knit boiled wool as well? When I think of boiled wool, I think of thick wool blazers or winter coats...that dense, thick, warm fabric that doesn't have much stretch.

I have a boiled wool jacket from last year that is soft, thick and stretchy.
I love boiled wool. Boiled wool is not quite as dense and heavy as loden wool, and has a very pleasant micro-knobbly texture to it. Loden wool is sort of felted, and VERY warm because it's so dense.

Tri, if you are not going to wear a sweater over bare skin, then why worry about it being scratchy? I doubt that Smartwool would be selling anything with their name on it that is too scratchy in any case- non-scratchyness is one of the things they crow about.

[Triskeliongirl]

Tri, if you are not going to wear a sweater over bare skin, then why worry about it being scratchy? I doubt that Smartwool would be selling anything with their name on it that is too scratchy in any case- non-scratchyness is one of the things they crow about.

Well, until I wore the shak, I thought I was allergic to wool. All the other wool sweaters I have make me itch, even with a silk or cotton layer directly on my skin. But something about the shak is different. So, if I am going to aquire a second wool sweater, help me decide between to smartwool rouett and the ibex organic sweater. While the organic sweater is very expensive, its also reduced more so is it a better 'value' or is that just how they fool you into spending more $ than you should really spend on this stuff???

[Triskeliongirl]

As you girls can tell, I am shopping impaired.......

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well, until I wore the shak, I thought I was allergic to wool. All the other wool sweaters I have make me itch, even with a silk or cotton layer directly on my skin. But something about the shak is different. So, if I am going to aquire a second wool sweater, help me decide between to smartwool rouett and the ibex organic sweater. While the organic sweater is very expensive, its also reduced more so is it a better 'value' or is that just how they fool you into spending more $ than you should really spend on this stuff???

Merino wool from merino sheep has the finest texture of any sheep wool and so is the softest and least itchy of all sheep wool. Many people who find regular wool too itchy can comfortably wear merino wool.
When a product says "wool", it usually means sheep wool. "Wool blend" means wool mixed with other fabric fibers that are not wool. Fabrics with names like "Woolicious" or "Wooltastic" are usually blends with only part wool. I once laughed because my dopey brother was bragging to everyone about his "genuine Cashmaire" scarf, which actually was about 20% cashmere and 80% polyester. If it's alpaca or cashmere or angora (wool not from sheep but from other animals), it will usually say so. And if it's 100% merino wool, it usually says so because that's something they'd want to brag about.

In terms of warmth, fleece is pretty darned good, a good price, and certainly easy to wash. It does not breathe quite as well as wool though, so it does not regulate your body at an even temperature when moving between hot and cold. Wool also takes sweat off your skin and evaporates it out so you feel drier, also wool does not get stinky like man made fabrics do. But yeah I have some fleece things that I love.