WoolWeenies Club

[Tokie]

Hi Tulip! (Speaking of being busted)What size would you think would get good support with the ibex bra?(I'm a 32 A cup and I prefer my breasts held to my chest when I ride). Did you buy the matching underpants, and if so, how do you like them? I worry that the boy shorts would creep up. Thanks! Carol

[Triskeliongirl]

CORRECTION, it turns out the Ibex Organic Sweater we have been discussing IS made from merino wool, read about it here:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/organi...rweb421478.htm

I still can't give a report on the sweater cuz its not here yet, but it is due to arrive today, just in time for a cold front that is blowing back in tonight...... I so hope that it fits me and that I like it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

CORRECTION, it turns out the Ibex Organic Sweater we have been discussing IS made from merino wool, read about it here:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/organi...rweb421478.htm

I still can't give a report on the sweater cuz its not here yet, but it is due to arrive today, just in time for a cold front that is blowing back in tonight...... I so hope that it fits me and that I like it.

Hmm...just says that the company is announcing a line of organic merino wool knitting yarn for knitters. I can't see exactly where it says your sweater is made from merino organic wool. I don't think all their organic wools are merino. Check the label when it arrives, it should say if it's merino. In any case you know it's good quality wool, whether merino or not. And you won't be wearing it against your skin so it might not matter whether it's merino or not.
We'll all be waiting for a full report! I bet it will look wonderful on you...

[Triskeliongirl]

Lisa, I am pretty sure it is merino wool, at the ibex website it says its made of (O-Wool™) which it defines at a different part of the website as this wool spun by that place in VT I just posted the link to where that it says is spun from organically fed australian merino sheep.

The two sweaters they state at the Ibex webiste are made from this (O-Wool™) are the puzzle sweater and the organic sweater.

http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Product...rganic-Sweater

The puzzle sweater says under info: 100% organic merino (O-Wool™)

The organic sweater just says: O-Wool™ 100% certified organic wool

but since both say (O-Wool™) which they defined as wool spun from organically fed australian merino sheep I think its safe to conclude that it is merino.

BUT alas, I must send it back because it is much too big on me! The medium, even layered over a kate, thick cotton top, and my small shak, has oodles of room still left. To be honest, it fits me like a large would in most brands, even the shoulders hang off my shoulders, so its a very generous cut. Its a very nicely made piece, but its also quite heavy. I would call it more of a jacket than a sweater. GLC asked about the shade of charcoal, I would say while its not purply like the thistle heather, it would definitely coordinate with it, so its on the lighter end of the charcoal grey scale. It would go with all shades of grey, black, purple, etc. no problem.

For me the problem was it wasn't available in small, and given the way the Medium fits me, I would say I need even an XS in this item. Also, for where I live its much too heavy. For my trip, I can just layer my PI gavia jacket over my shak, or a fleece, if I need another layer.

So, now the question is if I want to reorder that small black shak. Do I want to, heck yes. But will I, sadly no, cuz at this point given where I live I can make due with the pieces I have. But if that strato sweater goes on sale in small...........

I think the base layers I have on order are more suitable for where I live, to layer under the things I have already on those days when more warmth is required. Even though I would love to toss my existing wardrobe and it replace it all with merino wool, I just can't afford to do that right now.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Oh well you do seem to be right about the merino question- you sure did a lot of research!

Too bad the sweater is not right for you.
But...it seems you did get a few other pieces of merino that will be quite useful and cozy, so that's ok.
Sometimes I think it's the inner layers that are the most important. If one is wearing a luxurious merino or cashmere base layer, to me it feels kind of chic to throw a favorite worn baggy thrift shop sweater over it. Of course, baggy isn't so good for biking, but it's nice around the house or going to the supermarket.

[Triskeliongirl]

Well, Lisa, you were right that the black full zip shak is a better choice than the organic sweater! I realized that I really do need a second sweater (I need something to wear while its drying....), so I re-ordered the small full zip black shak from Udans. Somehow seeing how badly the organic sweater fit made me realize what a truly nice piece the black shak is, and its even on sale. The organic sweater is more like the sweater of yesteryear, big and chunky whereas the shak is sleek and slender. I didn't know I could be so warm without bulk. I just love the shak/kate pair.

So... after dinner I went back to that store with the ibex 50% off sale and picked up the 2 small kates in green. In the beginning I thought they were too lightweight, and while I have some mid weight stuff on order, I am also realizing how perfect they are for where I live. They are dressy enough to wear without the shak when it warms up, but really add warmth when I need it. Like today, I wore my black kate and thistle heather shak to work (no coat). It started to warm up inside so I removed the shak and the kate looked nice. Then it started to cool down so I put the shak back on, and then tonite even though it was cold outside I was able to go out in the pair and be comfy both walking from my car to the store and inside the store. The kate is also a nice base under my cycling jerseys.

I tried a midweight base on with my shak in the store, and was overheating in the dressing room. I also got to compare how the 17.5 merino felt against my skin vs the 18.5, and it really is more luxorious. I'll keep the tags on the new kates until the mail order stuff arrives so I can compare everything and decide, but I wanted to grab them before they sold out. The stuff was pretty picked over this time. Most of the ibex was gone. This time the clerk that checked me out was more knowledgable, said, wow you snagged some 17.5 Ibex at an amazing price, I didn't think we had any left.

So, while it sounds like I've bought a HUGE amount of wool, so far what I am definitely keeping are 2 shaks and 2Kates. I'll probably keep the 2 new Kates, one set of mid-weight icebreaker260 (top and bottom), and a bean t-neck and/or the ibex ribbie, but I'll decide after trying everything on. I find while I can wear the shak everyday for a week without washing, I do need a fresh base daily, even trying to air them out at night. I worry the midweight bases will be overkill where I live, and on cold days I just need to layer my terry vest or PI gavia jacket over the kate/shak combo, or add a cotton sweater under. To cycle, I just need to layer my PI vagabound jacket/vest or craft rain jacket over the kate/shak. Its amazing to me, pieces that work for both cycling and work, over a wide range of temps. I can tell these are pieces I'll have for a good long time, long after those cotton sweaters are ratty and gone.

[Triskeliongirl]

I just wanted to post one more tid-bit on the organic sweater. As I packed it up to send back I did notice the label said 'hand-knit' so it really is a nice piece for someone who lives in a cold place looking for a chunky warm generously cut piece. While it didn't suit my needs, it is a very nice sweater.

Advice on bases please. I ordered a bunch of mid-weight stuff, but now I am worried it will be too warm for layering where I live. But, I like to be able to take off my outer layer and not have it be see through. My kates are OK, but how are the ibex woolies, or the icebreaker 150 or 200 tops?

[Brandy]

I'm stuck on wool as well right now. I've been riding in Woolistic Body Base base layers and a Woolistic wool jersey. Keeping me nice and cozy!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Triskell- I think you will do very well with combining your thistle and your black shak with your black and your green Kates in various ways. You will get a lot of mileage out of just those two type items. Both are also elegant enough to wear alone.

As to needing a fresh base layer daily...we are all different, but I would like to mention something that I discovered several years ago and like very much:
http://www.luckyvitamin.com/086449300093.html
This "crystal" spray deodorant is really wonderful. It has no odor at all, and seems like plain water. What it actually is is a solution of mineral salts in water. It does NOT have aluminum salts, but has other mineral salts like perhaps magnesium salts, etc that are harmless. How it works is that it creates a PH environment on your skin that the underarm bacteria cannot thrive in. Odor happens when those bacteria multiply over the day. The mineral salts create a pH that the bacteria have a hard time breeding in. So in a way this deodorant works the very same way as the wool does- creating an underarm environment where bacteria will not thrive and multiply much.
I really like this stuff and it is much more natural than most commercial deodorants. It leaves no residue and does not have any perfumes at all.
It also comes in a crystal salt "rock" form that you wet and glide on, but I like the little pump spray myself. (non-aerosol of course, so doesn't hurt the environment)

[Triskeliongirl]

Well thanks for the tip Lisa! Do you usually mail order it, or do you find it in health food type stores?

My skin is very sensitive so I usually avoid underarm deodorants, but something like this may do the trick for me, and save me on washing out my bases so frequently!

But, please, answer my question on how see through the other 'light bases' are like the woolies or LW ribbed shirt if I decide to exchange my middies for lighter ones.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well thanks for the tip Lisa! Do you usually mail order it, or do you find it in health food type stores?

I buy mine at our local health food store. But i do see it is cheaper on the link I sent, but I don't know about shipping. It doesn't go bad, so if you liked it I suppose you could order like 6 bottles online and save a bunch that way.

But, please, answer my question on how see through the other 'light bases' are like the woolies or LW ribbed shirt if I decide to exchange my middies for lighter ones.

I can only answer about the ones I know.
I once bought a very lightweight base layer on sale from Ibex in a "maize" pale yellow color. I found it to be way too see through to wear alone, even with a light colored bra. It would be ok as a base layer under stuff.
I have the Ibex "woolies" base layers in black and in a melon color. The melon is a bit too see through to wear alone, but the black is no problem to wear alone at all. Same thing with my Smartwool microweight base layers- the blacks are fine alone, the light colors are just a bit too see through for my liking to wear alone.
I think that even though they are the same weight, that both the Ibex and SW lightweight base layers are more open weave than the Kate, which I did try on the other day. Maybe they are supposed to "breathe" more with an open weave since they are marketed as base layers, whereas the Kate is a "shirt". The Kate seems more silky and closed weaved even though it's lightweight too.
I wear my black Ibex and SW lightweight base layers alone all the time, no see-through problems. So sticking with a dark color might help there.

[Dianyla]

But, please, answer my question on how see through the other 'light bases' are like the woolies or LW ribbed shirt if I decide to exchange my middies for lighter ones.

All of my various lightweight base layers (e.g. Icebreaker 150 weight, and the lightest Smartwool and Ibex categories) are somewhat transparent. For example, if you wear a white sportsbra under a black base layer, it will gleam through. It's rarely a problem because I rarely wear these layers by themselves, but occasionally on a very hot summer day I'll wear one and just make sure I've got a flesh-toned bra underneath. Normally the thinnest layer I'll wear standalone (nothing over or under) is a midweight wool, in summertime.

Someone asked about pilling a few posts back - Icebreaker recommend throwing a pair of hard denim jeans into the washer with your woollens. I tried this out and it does actually work to remove light fluffing that's starting to pill. Hard mature formed pills must be shaved off, as with any other garment.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

All of my various lightweight base layers (e.g. Icebreaker 150 weight, and the lightest Smartwool and Ibex categories) are somewhat transparent. For example, if you wear a white sportsbra under a black base layer, it will gleam through. It's rarely a problem because I rarely wear these layers by themselves, but occasionally on a very hot summer day I'll wear one and just make sure I've got a flesh-toned bra underneath.

This makes sense. I usually wear black bras anyway, unless I'm wearing really light colored tops. And I always would wear black bras under my black base layers, so there is no "gleam through" at all that way.
Gleam on!

[Triskeliongirl]

WOW, all I can say is that if yesterdays ibex package was a letdown, today’s FAR EXCEEDED expectations. This is what arrived and this is what I think about it (all pieces on sale in outlet section of ibex site):

1. Mulberry Ribbies Crew: http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Product...t=Ribbies-Crew

This piece looks more casual in the picture than it really is. Its weight is substantial, can easily wear it alone as a rather elegant sweater top. The color is very rich and it goes beautifully with my charcoal grey wool suit and it’s a keeper for my DC professional meeting. The color also goes well with my thistle and black shaks. It looks nothing like long underwear.

I can see wearing it in san antonio layered under my shak inside my underheated house on a cold day, and alone in my well heated office on a cold day.

Small fit well, just like the shak and kate.

2. Knee warmers:
http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Product...t=Knee-Warmers

I simply cannot believe these are the quality they are for $20. I bought and returned so many leg warmers cuz the thigh band was too loose and/or they were too long (in unisex small). These fit better than anything else I’ve tried (unisex small), and are so well made, they have a mix of lycra and wool, substantial weight. While called knee warmers they fit long enough on me that with tall sox I could cover my entire leg if I wanted to. They are a tiny bit loose (perhaps an xsmall would have fit even better but that wasn’t an option) but hopefully they’ll stay in place when I ride. I can really see packing these on a tour when one is trying to keep pieces to a minimum.

3. Arm warmers:
http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Product...t=Knee-Warmers

Another impeccable product. I almost didn’t order them cuz I do have PI arm warmers but they were on sale for a great price and they match the leg warmers so I thought I’d give them a try. My only hesitation is that the PI armwarmers are XS and these only S, so while the band feels OK, its not super snug so I hope they don’t fall down. Unlike my PI arm warmers, they really gave me the impression of adding sleeves to a short sleeve jersey. By that I mean rather than being skin tight to my wrist, some air (but just a little) can get in at the wrist, so I expect they’ll ventilate better. They are also quite long, they go all the way to my armpit, but that’s OK as long as they don’t end up falling down. If they do, you’ll see them for sale here after Ibex has sold out of their on sale ones!

So for me, these are all keepers along my shaks and kates.

Tomorrow, the icebreaker order comes, and the LL bean order is due on Monday, but I may end up sending the rest back just cuz I am starting to have enough stuff. I am also realizing that the mid weight bases may simply be too substantial for where I live, but I can see possibly keeping one more top if I really it, and possibly a set of icebreaker long janes/zip T for skiing, at least I’ll get to size myself in these other brands and inspect quality firsthand. My inclination is to stick with ibex though, since no one has yet reported pilling except of the switchback which they admitted had a defective weave. I’ve heard a lot of reports of pilling now on the icebreaker.

Last night I picked up some Express lycra tights w a coupon I had to add another bottom layer, as my daughter thinks I’ll overheat indoors with midweight long underwear on under my lined wool pants.

[mimitabby]

oh that ribby crew is tempting. it looks like Magenta is darker than Mulberry?
how could that be?

I usually wear medium. I wonder if i need small in that; i have to check my Ibex zip sweater at home. (like i REALLY need more wool)