WoolWeenies Club

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Are these technical wool items different than the fashion items I have never had the pleasure to enjoy?.....Has anyone who welts tried the newer sports-tech stuff and survived?

Just to clarify, the new softer merino wool items we tend to rave about are not 'sports-tech' or 'technical wool'. They are just WOOL. But they are 100% merino breed sheep wool- which is much finer and softer to begin with and tends to not make people break out and itch like the wool sweaters we were used to when growing up.
There's nothing 'technical' or 'sports' about it aside from the fact that the merino breed of sheep produce the finest softest fiber sheep wool there is.

Maybe buy a sleeveless Smartwool base layer vest and give it a try? Smartwool, Ibex, and I believe Icebreaker use only fine merino wool in their 100% wool items. Others offer it too, like Patagonia.
You can also look for labels saying "100% merino wool" in thrift store sweaters.
Always read the labels....and beware of things labeled like "wool blend" or "wool tech", "wool fleece", etc....usually indicating only part wool content.

[GLC1968]

There's nothing 'technical' or 'sports' about it aside from the fact that the merino breed of sheep produce the finest softest fiber sheep wool there is.

I would have to slightly disagree. I've been wearing Merino wool for more than 30 years. When my friends were wearing sweatshirts at camp, I had big cable knit wool sweaters! Over time, there have been major advancements our ability to knit/spin the wool into these thin, soft, delicate fibers that make these garments suitable for athletic/sports base layers. The merino wool sweaters of my HS days were wonderfully soft, but they were entirely too thick and too 'fuzzy' (for lack of a more technical term) to be worn for potentially sweaty athletic pursuits. We would wear the fine silk under garments and then put the wool on top. Even 100% merino can be too 'itchy' when it's not woven into these wonderful fabrics. I'd say that qualifies them as 'technical'.

Mommybird -

I would guess that since you can wear smartwool socks with no welts forming on your ankles, then you are probably just sensitive to the texture more than to the lanolin and you'd probably be fine with a soft base layer. Give it a shot...come to the wooly side!

[Eden]

Very true - technical companies (like smartwool) tend to use merino, but that doesn't mean all merino is technical wool and may require more gentle care than say, Smartwool socks and base layers, which can even be thrown in the dryer. Do that with a merino sweater and you'll probably find it a suitable size for a 6 yo... not that you cannot wash wool. I have a nice cashmere-silk blend turtleneck that I wash often. I just make sure to air dry it. Unlike the wool of old times, it is thin, soft and dries quickly.