WoolWeenies Club

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Mimi wrote:

and Trisk, you look wonderful, cute even!! congrats on losing all that weight!

Major cute!

[sandra]

Major cute!

what?

[Triskeliongirl]

I think she means the green shak. I have not seen one except in pictures, but I agree its a *very pretty* color. So pretty that today I was having doubts as to whether I should have ordered the green rather than black. But, since I want to use it for professional use, I think black is more of a 'power color' than the light green, but I think both the light green and light blue are very nice. I guess color choice also depends on the other clothes you plan to wear it with.

Green and purple and gray really layer nicely together. I was trying on stuff for my trip last night, and couldn't believe how pretty my green Kate looked under my thistle heather shak with my charcoal gray pants. I would advise you to just think about what other clothes you have, and how many different outfits you can make.

What I like about the full zip shak is how much it can be ventilated indoors since I live in a warmer climate, but when its cold outside its great in full zip mode. I also think it looks more chic for professional use. I think when I pair the black full zip shak with black wool pants, it will look like a casual suit.

[Natasha]

Triskeliongirl, I agree with you about the shaks. I prefer the full zip because of the ventilation factor that you mentioned.
I have a black full zip and wear it with pretty much everything. It looks professional enough to wear to work. The green is beautiful, but would not go as well with other colors. I am considering the green Carrie hoody as everybody's description of it sounds beautiful.

[Triskeliongirl]

Natasha, I know the Carrie Hoodie is a very popular piece. I tried it on in the store, and while its a very nice piece, be advised that it is a lot more casual looking than the shak, and made from a rougher scratchier feeling weave. In terms of sizing, all they had was a medium in charcoal with a thistle stripe, and it did layer very nicely over my small thistle shak without feeling like it looked too big. I didn't buy it cuz I wanted pieces that would go from work to cycling. While a nice piece, I didn't think I could do either with the carrie hoodie.

[Grog]

My husband wears his full-zip black Shak to the hospital (he's a medical student) over his shirt and tie! It's formal enough.

Mine is the hoodie version, not-so-formal...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Random notes:

The Carrie hoody seems a bit too casual to wear to an office. It also doesn't strike me as a particularly perfect biking jacket. But it's comfy and easy fitting and moves and breathes nicely. Though it has a fine nubbly/terrycloth like texture on the outside, I wouldn't call it scratchy though- it's not like burlap or anything, more like a fine towel texture. Hard to describe.

The "warm green" of the shaks is kind of a soft pea green, not a bright lime green. It looks pale on my computer, but is less pale in real life. Some people would just love the green, others not....everyone has different taste in color.

The full zip shak has a slightly more elegant/sleek look than the 1/2 zip jersey does. It's also more versatile I think, as you can wear it alone or over stuff like a cartigan sweater jacket, and take it off and on quickly. I like wearing the 1/2 zip under stuff, and also under the full zip.

Mimi- Ibex has gotten themselves into a bit of a mixup with all the sales and coupons and codes lately- apparently one can only use one code per order, plus some codes do not apply to sale items but that wasn't made clear. I think they are trying to straighten things out at the moment. You have to call if your code doesn't work.

Ribbies: they run somewhat small, so the medium ones I have fit me like they were small/medium, and the large ones fit me as though they were medium-ish. The ones on sale are now running low.

[Triskeliongirl]

So my icebreaker order from sierra came. I gave links in a previous post, they were all described as icebreaker 260zip T and long john. I have mixed feelings about these items.

1. What I like is that the wool is very soft, softer in fact than my ibex 18.5 wool, as soft on my skin as the 17.5 although not textured quite as finely.

2. I was worried that they would be too heavy, but I would describe them as between ibex light and heavy weight. They are not see through even in light colors like my green kate, but not as dense as my ribbie. They layer nice under my shak, and I don't think I would overheat in them in a normally heated room (tops that is) like I am worried I might in the ribbie.

3. Sizing. I found the small top fit like my small kate, and a somewhat looser than my small ribbie (although the sleeve length was shorter/better for me), although I can make both work. Medium top is definitely cut larger than medium kate, way too big on me.

I found the small bottom too big on me. According to the Ibex size chart I should be an XS on the bottom, but I didn't believe them since I have never been and XS in anything ever. I also decided these are overkill for me, and that I will just go with heavy lycra tights as my inner layer on the bottom. I also didn't like that they weren't gusseted. they just looked and felt kind of sloppy to me, but that may have been a size thing. Again though, it may depend on intended usage. To wear under a goretex shell for cross country skiing they are fine, but to layer under dress pants too baggy and heavy.

4. I was disappointed that the tops were not as pictured. From the attached picture would you guess this shirt has grey racing stripes along the sides of the bodice and arms, and thumbholes in the sleeves? The result is that it is too casual for professional use, unless I were to keep my suit jacket on. With that being said though, both the blue and red look terrific under my suit with the jacket on, especially unzipped with the lapels overlapping.......

I think the tops would be great as cycling shirts, and if I didn't already have enough shebeest drifit cycling tops they'd be keepers since they are nice garments, nice weight, well made. I am still thinking to keep just one top, perhaps the light blue since it does match well my bike as well as a lot of other things, and does look great with my suit in jacket on mode. And since I am a scientist and not a beurocrat, I could get away with it in jacket off mode too......in fact the rebel in my likes it, it dresses down my suit making me feel more comfortable wearing it. So, I will possible keep the blue and/or red tops, but decided to wait until the LLbean order comes on monday before deciding. Those tops were cheaper, and if they look more professional it may be hard to justify keeping the icebreaker.

FYI, the labels indicate the tops were made in 2005 and the bottoms in 2004. That's OK, that is typical of sierra, but just thought I'd let people know.

Lisa, sorry I didn't wear the mulberry ribbie today. While it looks sooooo niiiice, I am a tad concerned about how it feels on my skin. Remember, I could never wear wool on my skin until I tried the kate. While I loooove the way the mulberry ribbie looks and fits, I worry about my allergies since the icebreaker stuff and kates feel so much better on me. And, I do need to make a return package to ibex anyway with the organic sweater. This is the one item that I wish I did double order in medium (and only one that I didn't) just to see if it were cut looser if it would feel better on my skin. While it doesn't pull or anything, it is a very body hugging fit.

So, my LLbean order arrives on monday, and then I'll decide what stays and what goes.

I also need to ask you guys about wool care. I just noticed today that while my shak isn't really 'pilling' there are fuzzy things on it (not from washing, just wear I think, I washed it once by hand in woolite, but it looked fine after washing, but I've worn it nearly everyday for like 2 weeks straight). Should I use a lint brush to remove them? Is this normal? Do I brush in the direction the fuzzies go or away from them? I bought one of those new lint brushes with the disposable sheets. It worked great for getting dog hair off my new wool pants. Is this what I should use on the shak?

[GLC1968]

Another Carrie hoody picture:



This my group at work when we took our coworker from Beijing to lunch at Hooters. (It was a Friday, so we were casual).

I LOVE this top!!

[sandra]

GLC, that looks great on you. I love that color on you.

[Triskeliongirl]

Wow, it looks a LOT better on you than me Catherine!! I think the medium I tried on must have just been too big, cuz it kinda looked like a dumpy sack on me. Its really weird. Even though I have stopped losing weight, I think by how my clothes are fitting that I am continuing to get more compact. Really weird, but then it makes me scared to buy clothes (cuz this isn't the first time I've had to replace my wardrobe since I lost my weight, but I thought I was stable enough now to go ahead and do it completely). I just noticed trying on my size 4 pants today that they are looser than when I bought them, but at least they give me room to tuck shirts in now that I hadn't really thought about when I bought them. I didn't think I would ever be smaller than a small, so felt pretty OK buying stuff in smalls. Maybe I just need to send everything back, and stick with my small kates and shaks for now.

[mimitabby]

no, Silly Trisk, we're talking about YOU!!!

[Triskeliongirl]

Duh............Ok, thanks!

But I am so shopping impaired you guys must be so sick of listening to me. I so wish I had a local store that I could visit, try on everything, and then shop around for sales on the web. Having to do so much by mail order is sooooo frustrating for me. I never know what size I am. I was pretty surprised to find that store that carries Ibex, and they told me they are not doing it again, didn't do well at all here (hence the 50% off sale....). You can't imagine what its like to buy wool in san antonio. I was amazed to even find wool pants here this year. You also can't imagine the shock your body feels when you live in a warm climate and have to travel to a cold one. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised by the LLbean t-necks. They desribe them as longish, but I hope they aren't too long to tuck in. Has anyone gotten theirs yet?

[GLC1968]

Thanks, Trisk and Sandra!

OK, one last Ibex question and then I need to lay off the wool purchases for awhile!

Does anyone have the Ibex Outback shirt? I have one that I got from SAC about a year ago and I totally love, love, love it. It was my first Ibex piece and even though it was thinner than I expected from the description, it's a wonderful top. The fit is beautiful, the color is gorgeous (plum) and the weight of the top works in so many situations for me. My question is, if anyone has this top...what top would it compare to for current Ibex styles? The Ribbies crew, maybe? Or the LW Ribbed Crew? (though the Outback is not ribbed at all...)

This is the outback:
http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/out...ve-Womens.html

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Triskeliongirl]

I asked this earlier but it got buried in all my verbiage.

Can SOMEONE please tell me if its normal to see fuzzy things on my shak? It doesn't smell but does that mean its time to wash it, or does it need a lint brushing, or is something really wrong? I wouldn't really call it pilling, its just starting to get covered in small fuzzy stuff. If I lint brush it off, which direction do I go. Someone had posted that it is normal to see this stuff, and to wash it with jeans to get it off, but I have been hand washing alone with woolite, isn't that safer, or is that what I have to do????