SkierChickie, see my above comments about wool and itchiness, etc.

I've been taking Claritin and Zantac for 10 days to calm down my body's response to wool. Although I've had this issue with hives/itchiness before, it hasn't occurred in a long time. It's definitely calmed down and I've been avoiding wool as much as possible in the winter. Yesterday, I got itchy again when I put on a very soft merino dress for an interview. That was fine. But, when I put on my wool coat, over the dress, the prickles and stinging started immediately. It's like the weight of the coat and its wool made the dress irritate my skin more.
I also wanted to get a wool bra for x country skiing, but I think I'll stick with my regular sports bras. I wear Craft base layers, too. They keep me super warm. Sure, they stink a little, but they work. The thought of a wool base layer now isn't good!
I am wearing a very light weight wool sweater over a lycra/cotton shirt right now. So far, it's OK.