WoolWeenies Club

[Crankin]

Food is a possibility; I've been through all of the allergy testing, blah, blah, blah 3 times in my life. I know I am allergic to peanuts, though it's not like anything happens if I am near them or inhale the fumes from someone else's sandwich. I developed a shellfish allergy (everything except scallops) when I was around 35, during that time I was having all of the asthma stuff. I had about 6 months to a year of not even being able to walk through a department store without feeling weird from the perfumes. I also would have reactions to wine, which I stopped drinking for ten years . I got sick of that and tested myself during the Passover seder one year and since I had no reaction, that was the end of it.
Kmehrzad, what you have sounds pretty much like what I am experiencing. There's no rhyme or reason to it and I am not going through allergy evaluation again. I went for a run, wearing smart wool socks, Ibex boy shorts, tights, and a light weight merino jersey with a lycra-ish base layer plus a thin fleece jacket. I had on smart wool glove liners, too. I felt a little itchy before and it's the same now. No hives. That pretty much only happens when I scratch.
OK, off to school.

[rubywagon]

For those of you experiencing itchy, red skin that seems to only show up in cold weather, you might want to see a dermatologist about a condition called Chilblains. My husband was getting eczema type rashes on his hands and feet during the cold winter months. He thought he might be having a reaction to his wool socks. He went to see the dermatologist and it turns out he has Chilblains and they suggested aspirin therapy. I has made such a difference in his comfort.

http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailmen...kin-bumps.html

[kmehrzad]

Crankin, my hives got to the point when I could feel them coming on. First a burning sensation then the itchiness then the welt. At first it started on a waistband or bra strap region then eventually progressed to my face. I could feel my lip burning then it would swell. The dr. was quite concerned when the hives moved up to my face, but again, there were no answers - nothing in my routine had changed (no new foods, detergents, soaps, etc.). I'd immediately take one Loratadine when I felt the burning sensation and the hives would go away - thank God. I haven't had the facial reaction in over a year now. It's been a good couple of months since experiencing hives on the trunk of my body. I've learned to live with it and keep Loratadine handy just in case.

[PamNY]

Does anyone know how the Ibex Woolies crew compares with Smartwool's microweight crew in terms of weight/warmth?

On another topic, I finally dragged out ALL the thrift shop sweaters I bought last year. I almost fell apart laughing at myself; there must be more than a dozen. I was so darned determined to master winter biking -- and I did, although I didn't need nearly that many sweaters. I wish you people would stop making me spend money.

Pam

[Eden]

Kmehrzad, what you have sounds pretty much like what I am experiencing. There's no rhyme or reason to it and I am not going through allergy evaluation again. I went for a run, wearing smart wool socks, Ibex boy shorts, tights, and a light weight merino jersey with a lycra-ish base layer plus a thin fleece jacket. I had on smart wool glove liners, too. I felt a little itchy before and it's the same now. No hives. That pretty much only happens when I scratch.
OK, off to school.

You can get hives - and especially what you are describing swelling where you touch without necessarily having an allergy to anything. It's referred to as Urticaria (mainly a fancy word for hives). I had an episode like this after going into a sauna. I think it was caused by heat. I had itchy hives on my feet, knees elbows and my face swelled up - especially around my eyes in a rather alarming fashion.

Physical urticaria refers to urticaria induced by external physical influences. The weals take about 5 minutes to develop, and last 15 to 30 minutes. Some people suffer from a mixture of different types of physical urticaria and generalized urticaria. The cause is unknown.

Dermographism means ‘skin writing’. Stroking the skin causes it to weal in the line of the stroke. This is very itchy, but scratching causes more wealing. Dermographism usually starts quite suddenly. Weals come up where clothes or furniture touch, especially when the affected person is hot or upset. A warm shower followed by rubbing with a towel can result in itchy weals all over.

Cholinergic urticaria results from sweating. In severe cases, hundreds of tiny red itchy spots develop after running, when warm, or when concentrating.

Cold urticaria affects skin warming up after a reduction in temperature, especially in winter. Weals can be widespread and may cause fainting attacks. Affected individuals should not expose large areas of the skin to the cold or wind. They should be advised never to swim alone.

Contact urticaria results from absorption of an elicting substance through the skin or through a mucous membrane. It may be allergic or non-allergic in origin. It may result in wealing confined to the site of contact or spreading more widely. IgE antibodies on mast cells react to chemicals in white flour, cosmetics, and textiles, or to proteins in latex rubber, saliva, meat, fish and vegetables may cause contact urticaria. Non-allergic examples include the stinging reaction of certain plants (e.g. nettles), animals (hairy caterpillar) and medicines.

Localised heat urticaria, aquagenic urticaria (water contact), solar urticaria (sunlight), vibratory angioedema and delayed pressure urticaria are less common.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Does anyone know how the Ibex Woolies crew compares with Smartwool's microweight crew in terms of weight/warmth?

I have and use both a lot.
The Ibex woolies have cuffs, which make them seem more long-john like in style. They are longer in the torso.
The SW microweights are styled more like normal tops, and look more like a normal pullover and don't have as long a body length as the Ibex. Hence I like how they look over a skirt.
They are both about the same weight and warmth.
The SW ones are a bit more prone to holes, but their style is nicer to wear as a normal lightweight merino top. I wear the ibex woolies more like underlayers, and the SW ones more often as over tops.
Both are nice.

[PamNY]

I have and use both a lot.
The Ibex woolies have cuffs, which make them seem more long-john like in style. They are longer in the torso.
The SW microweights are styled more like normal tops, and look more like a normal pullover and don't have as long a body length as the Ibex. Hence I like how they look over a skirt.
They are both about the same weight and warmth.
The SW ones are a bit more prone to holes, but their style is nicer to wear as a normal lightweight merino top. I wear the ibex woolies more like underlayers, and the SW ones more often as over tops.
Both are nice.

Thanks, Lisa. Why am I so not surprised that it's you who could answer my question promptly and accurately?

Pam

[Crankin]

Thanks, Eden for that enlightening blurb. Yes, there's no rhyme nor reason, except the only common thread in the times I have experienced this (this is the third time in 25 years) is when I am under some type of stress, all different though. If I can negate the stress, it should go away.
I may go back to the acupuncturist. That was extremely helpful in helping me with stress a couple of years ago. I've gone back to doing yoga twice a week, too. I've been taking Claritin every day, which keeps it at bay. No real hives, just itchiness. I'm still wearing my Ibex!

[kmehrzad]

Eden, I 'second' Crankin's thank you for the enlightening blurb on hives. It just reinforces my appreciation for Loratadine, which I carry with me almost all the time.

[Catrin]

Backcountryoutlet.com has swobo merino wool cycling jerseys, short sleeve, for $18.99. If you go through bing cashback, you get 12% back.

http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/out...ve-Womens.html

My two jerseys arrived yesterday They are a little small, but that is good as I am dropping inches right now like they are on sale or something...so I don't want them too large come spring.

Sadly they do seem just a little itchy, which isn't my experience with my Smartwool long-sleeve base layer. The label states that it is 100% Merino wool. I am hoping that the itchiness is simply from it being a little tight or from winter dry skin - or am I in denial? I do like the cut and look of the jerseys...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Thanks, Lisa. Why am I so not surprised that it's you who could answer my question promptly and accurately?

Hmmm....maybe because you know I have 40 gazillion wool items in my wardrobe? LOL!

[Cataboo]

My two jerseys arrived yesterday They are a little small, but that is good as I am dropping inches right now like they are on sale or something...so I don't want them too large come spring.

Sadly they do seem just a little itchy, which isn't my experience with my Smartwool long-sleeve base layer. The label states that it is 100% Merino wool. I am hoping that the itchiness is simply from it being a little tight or from winter dry skin - or am I in denial? I do like the cut and look of the jerseys...

Congrats on dropping inches! It might just be winter dry skin, i didn't notice them being being itchier than smartwool...But I typically don't notice itchiness in merino wool unless I've been wearing it several hours.

[Catrin]

Congrats on dropping inches! It might just be winter dry skin, i didn't notice them being being itchier than smartwool...But I typically don't notice itchiness in merino wool unless I've been wearing it several hours.

This is good to know. I noticed the itchiness as soon as I put the new jersey on, whereas I have had my smartwool base top on for much of today and there is no itchiness present at all. I will probably just keep the two new jerseys and pray that come spring, when they are looser and my skin less dry, that I can wear them. If not I will find them a new home at that time - thanks for your input!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have some particular style Ibex tops that feel a bit itchy, while most of them don't feel itchy at all.
It may not be you, it might well be the item.

[Cataboo]

This is good to know. I noticed the itchiness as soon as I put the new jersey on, whereas I have had my smartwool base top on for much of today and there is no itchiness present at all. I will probably just keep the two new jerseys and pray that come spring, when they are looser and my skin less dry, that I can wear them. If not I will find them a new home at that time - thanks for your input!

I think you'll still be able to return them to backcountry if they feel itchy come spring - last I checked they had an unlimited return policy. But they did tighten the restrictions on returns to sac lately, so it's possible they did on their main site.