WoolWeenies Club

[sundial]

Came across this the other day.

http://www.lab-gear.com/99/99mid

And a review:

http://bikeshopgirl.com/2009/12/lab-gear-99-preview/

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Today a good friend of mine is off to Canada with her boyfriend to go dog sledding among other activities.
This friend is not really an outdoors type, she's a Dr.Hauschka skin care rep (a very expensive brand of skin products). She didn't want to freeze up there, but it seemed unrealistic for her to buy expensive wool items just for her 3 day trip.
So I outfitted her with a great warm set of wool- socks, top and bottom base layer, over tights, turtleneck shak, jacket, mittens with liners, balaclava, earflap hat. The works. She had strict instructions not to wash anything (don't want anyone washing my wool but me).

I hadn't asked for anything in return, but she gave me a GIANT bottle of my favorite Dr.Hauschka face moisturizer, worth $50 retail, and a bottle of lavender shower/bath stuff worth $23. The face moisturizer is the one expensive skin care product that I actually do splurge on for myself- so this is about 8 months' worth for me and saves me $50!

Wool. Like money in the bank.

[Cataboo]

You're a great friend. I haven't quite managed to lend out my wool and let it out of my sight... I was kayak touring with a friend recently and let her borrow a lot of my kayaking clothing and equipment... I still cringed everytime I heard her whack my carbon fiber paddle with something.

I lent my sister a bunch of outdoor gear recently so she & her daughter could go tubing... A way long time ago she shrunk one of my wool sweaters, so I didn't let her borrow any wool, but let them both borrow down jackets, goretex shells and pants, etc. I was having nightmares of her washing my down jackets (thankfully she didn't!) or ripping some goretex. I'm sure it's all brands that she's never heard of, so she doesn't quite understand how expensive the stuff I was lending her really was, and I didn't want to be that person who lends you something and harps on how expensive and what it is, to the extent that you don't want to borrow it or use it anymore.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Catriona,
I never would have lent all that good wool to just any friend.
We discussed everything clearly- how she'd pay to replace anything lost or ripped, and she promised not to wash anything. She's very careful with her own clothes and she knows exactly how expensive my stuff is. She's a smart businesswoman, a good friend, and we are very frank with each other about such things. I felt safe.

[Tri Girl]

OK- you've all done it!! I went to the thrift store and bought 2 wool sweaters. They're a teeny bit itchy, and not very pretty, but HOLY MOLY I'm sooooo warm when I wear them. I bought a thin merino wool one to wear under my cycling coat and a thicker wool one to wear in our house (it's always cold).
I honestly didn't think that wool would make a difference, but I'm sold now!

Thank you for all your tips and advice. My torso has never been warmer. Someday soon I'm going to get some wool tights and then my legs will be just as happy as my torso.

[Cataboo]

I just mailed a load of wool off to my cousins in scotland - 3 260 weight icebreaker sweaters, 1 200 weight, 1 icebreaker t shirt, an ibex zephyr & ibex long janes for my female cousin, and 3 icebreaker t shirts, an ibex zephyr, a smartwool top, some smartwool socks, and 1 icebreaker quantum top for her brother. Both got softshells as well, and a few other things.

They'll definitely both appreciate it, and hopefully'll hurry up and pay me back for all the shopping I did for them.

[pdxgal]

[QUOTE=Catriona;487989]I just mailed a load of wool off to my cousins in scotland QUOTE]

Isn't that like shipping coals to Newcastle? You'd think the land of Shetland would be better equiped. But then again they don't really have merino sheep in Scotland, just the hardier breeds with coarser, scratchier wool.