Wool and allergies

This is all according to how I understand it.
You do not get points off the follow up quiz for proving me wrong. I
appreciate input about such things.

A LOT of people think they are allergic to wool. A lot of them are wrong.
Wool allergies are actually pretty rare. Much more common are allergies
to lanolin, or the chemicals used to scour or dye commercial wool, or to
make it washable (superwash wool).
It's like if new fabric gives you a rash, but after you wash it a few
times you are fine with it. That happens more often than you would think.

Wool has gotten a reputation, mostly because of cheap wool. Cheaper
wools are usually the coarser wools. Coarse wools can feel prickly and
scratchy on the skin. It is not what the fiber is made of, it is the
thickness of the individual fibers. If you take almost any fiber that
has an average diameter of 25-30 microns, spin it, and turn it into
fabric it will most likely itch you, possibly to the point of causing a
rash depending on how sensitive your skin is. The greater of the number
of fibers 30 microns or more in diameter, the scratchier it will feel.

Now so far as quilt batting goes, if it is treated to prevent bearding
then you run no risk of itching no matter how coarse the wool is. Though
if you are an allergic person you run the risk of the resins and
chemicals causing a reaction. If it won't beard then the fibers won't
poke you and make you itch after they are sandwiched into the quilt.
A couple of companies are making batting using blends incorporating fine
wools, mostly those from the merino family. I have dressed babies in
merino and they were fine and warm with no rash or discomfort. It seems
a bit overkill for a quilt batting, but if it makes people more confident
about using it then I guess it works.

Anecdote:
One of the places I get spinning fiber from sells mill ends and bin trash
from the Brown Sheep mill. I spun up some bin trash (I am pretty sure it
was from a Wildfoote run as it was superwash and contained mohair and
nylon) and knit some shooting mittens for a particular hunter of my
acquaintance. She loved and wore them for a couple of seasons before she
mentioned to me that she was allergic to wool. She still wears them, and
has decided that she is only allergic to some certain particular wool.
Yeah, really coarse wool. (G)

NightMist

Night, Thank you for taking the time to share this valuable information. I
truly appreciate it!
Barbara in FL

NightMist" wrote in message ...

This is all according to how I understand it.
You do not get points off the follow up quiz for proving me wrong. I
appreciate input about such things.

A LOT of people think they are allergic to wool. A lot of them are wrong.
Wool allergies are actually pretty rare. Much more common are allergies
to lanolin, or the chemicals used to scour or dye commercial wool, or to
make it washable (superwash wool).
It's like if new fabric gives you a rash, but after you wash it a few
times you are fine with it. That happens more often than you would think.

Wool has gotten a reputation, mostly because of cheap wool. Cheaper
wools are usually the coarser wools. Coarse wools can feel prickly and
scratchy on the skin. It is not what the fiber is made of, it is the
thickness of the individual fibers. If you take almost any fiber that
has an average diameter of 25-30 microns, spin it, and turn it into
fabric it will most likely itch you, possibly to the point of causing a
rash depending on how sensitive your skin is. The greater of the number
of fibers 30 microns or more in diameter, the scratchier it will feel.

Now so far as quilt batting goes, if it is treated to prevent bearding
then you run no risk of itching no matter how coarse the wool is. Though
if you are an allergic person you run the risk of the resins and
chemicals causing a reaction. If it won't beard then the fibers won't
poke you and make you itch after they are sandwiched into the quilt.
A couple of companies are making batting using blends incorporating fine
wools, mostly those from the merino family. I have dressed babies in
merino and they were fine and warm with no rash or discomfort. It seems
a bit overkill for a quilt batting, but if it makes people more confident
about using it then I guess it works.

Anecdote:
One of the places I get spinning fiber from sells mill ends and bin trash
from the Brown Sheep mill. I spun up some bin trash (I am pretty sure it
was from a Wildfoote run as it was superwash and contained mohair and
nylon) and knit some shooting mittens for a particular hunter of my
acquaintance. She loved and wore them for a couple of seasons before she
mentioned to me that she was allergic to wool. She still wears them, and
has decided that she is only allergic to some certain particular wool.
Yeah, really coarse wool. (G)

NightMist


--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

In article , says...

This is all according to how I understand it.
You do not get points off the follow up quiz for proving me wrong. I
appreciate input about such things.

A LOT of people think they are allergic to wool. A lot of them are wrong.
Wool allergies are actually pretty rare. Much more common are allergies
to lanolin, or the chemicals used to scour or dye commercial wool, or to
make it washable (superwash wool).
It's like if new fabric gives you a rash, but after you wash it a few
times you are fine with it. That happens more often than you would think.

Wool has gotten a reputation, mostly because of cheap wool. Cheaper
wools are usually the coarser wools. Coarse wools can feel prickly and
scratchy on the skin. It is not what the fiber is made of, it is the
thickness of the individual fibers. If you take almost any fiber that
has an average diameter of 25-30 microns, spin it, and turn it into
fabric it will most likely itch you, possibly to the point of causing a
rash depending on how sensitive your skin is. The greater of the number
of fibers 30 microns or more in diameter, the scratchier it will feel.

Now so far as quilt batting goes, if it is treated to prevent bearding
then you run no risk of itching no matter how coarse the wool is. Though
if you are an allergic person you run the risk of the resins and
chemicals causing a reaction. If it won't beard then the fibers won't
poke you and make you itch after they are sandwiched into the quilt.
A couple of companies are making batting using blends incorporating fine
wools, mostly those from the merino family. I have dressed babies in
merino and they were fine and warm with no rash or discomfort. It seems
a bit overkill for a quilt batting, but if it makes people more confident
about using it then I guess it works.

Anecdote:
One of the places I get spinning fiber from sells mill ends and bin trash
from the Brown Sheep mill. I spun up some bin trash (I am pretty sure it
was from a Wildfoote run as it was superwash and contained mohair and
nylon) and knit some shooting mittens for a particular hunter of my
acquaintance. She loved and wore them for a couple of seasons before she
mentioned to me that she was allergic to wool. She still wears them, and
has decided that she is only allergic to some certain particular wool.
Yeah, really coarse wool. (G)

NightMist

That was very, very interesting Nighmist. Thank you for going to all
this trouble. It was very interesting to me, because some sweaters I
feel 'itchy' in, but there is never a rash - I've never called it an
allergy, but thought that my ultrasensitive skin didn't like it! I will
have to make a note of the kinds of wool I seem to be able to wear, and
why that might be (I'll check the 'ingredients'). I have a place where
I sometimes shop that does a lot of merino wool. I have, in the past,
discounted wool, but latterly I seem to have a problem with acrylic as
well. So, your exposé about thickness of fibres etc makes huge sense.
Thank you for a piece of science I didn't know I needed. Wonderful!

Pat on the green

I'm like you, even acrylic isn't always comfortable, really interesting,
thanks.

Janner

France



That was very, very interesting Nighmist. Thank you for going to all
this trouble. It was very interesting to me, because some sweaters I
feel 'itchy' in, but there is never a rash - I've never called it an
allergy, but thought that my ultrasensitive skin didn't like it! I will
have to make a note of the kinds of wool I seem to be able to wear, and
why that might be (I'll check the 'ingredients'). I have a place where
I sometimes shop that does a lot of merino wool. I have, in the past,
discounted wool, but latterly I seem to have a problem with acrylic as
well. So, your exposé about thickness of fibres etc makes huge sense.
Thank you for a piece of science I didn't know I needed. Wonderful!

Pat on the green

"NightMist" wrote in message
...

Now so far as quilt batting goes, if it is treated to prevent
bearding
then you run no risk of itching no matter how coarse the wool is.
Though
if you are an allergic person you run the risk of the resins and
chemicals causing a reaction. If it won't beard then the fibers
won't
poke you and make you itch after they are sandwiched into the quilt.
A couple of companies are making batting using blends incorporating
fine
wools, mostly those from the merino family. I have dressed babies
in
merino and they were fine and warm with no rash or discomfort. It
seems
a bit overkill for a quilt batting, but if it makes people more
confident
about using it then I guess it works.

Very interesting and it makes sense too! I had wanted to try wool
batting but after reading so many articles about the wool batting
causing allergies, I shied away from it. But perhaps, it was a
problem only for a few and maybe it was from some other ingredient.
Who knows? So. I am going to try wool batting too now. Thanks
NightMist.
KT. in MI

Wool has gotten a reputation, mostly because of cheap wool. Cheaper
wools are usually the coarser wools. Coarse wools can feel prickly
and scratchy on the skin.

My parents used to make things with wool; my father would spin and
weave (he'd come home from work, have his dinner and just trance out
at the spinning wheel for an hour or two) and my mother would knit.
My father was an architect for the New Zealand government, designing
things like post offices, reform schools and scientific research labs.
The local animal husbandry research lab was the biggest job he ever
did, and he ended up being supplied with all the wool he could use
from their Experimental Sheep. Mostly it was brown to beige and
whatever you made from it had a texture like a pot scourer. I still
have some of the sweaters my mum knitted nearly 50 years ago. I think
the moths broke their teeth on them. They finally decided that the
wool from the Experimental Sheep was ideal for making carpets. So
imagine wearing one.

We also got Experimental Wine from the government vineyards, the folks
who created the New Zealand wine industry as it is today. My father
supplemented that with home-made stuff using whatever fruit he could
find, but figured that sterile technique was for wimps. In summer
there was always a wobbling blob of filter bag in the utility room
and a line of bottles along the side of the house bubbling evilly.
(I ended up with fairly strange tastes in wine: currently my fave is
the "Chocolate Shop" wine from our local supermarket with lots of
added sugar and chocolate flavouring. The more expensive wine is,
the more disgusting I'll find it).

A lot of the time it was like living in an episode of the Simpsons.
I had the Bart role - spent a lot of my time in the shed mixing up
agricultural chemicals to make them pong and go up in coloured flames.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k
Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland
mobile 07800 739 557 http://www.campin.me.uk Twitter: JackCampin

Now that we are a bit smarter (?), even the event 'allergic' gives us pause
for thought or backing off and reconsidering. My sister is / was violently
allergic to cats. Now she has a magnificent uppity quite pretentious QI and
no allergy in sight. How much of this was in our heads?
Just lately, my eyes swell, my nose runs and my delicate sensibilities
are offended by scents in laundry detergent. Druther go pound my wash in
the creek and lay it to dry on the gators. A quandary, methinks. Polly

Just reread this and saw I made a slight boo boo.
I don't know what I was thinking when I typed the number of microns, but
it should be 30 to 35, not 25 to 30. pretty much any wool that averages
under 30 should be comfortable, and the ones under 25 are quite yummy on
the skin. Over 35 and it should be going to outerwear, carpets, and
tapestries instead of next to the skin clothing.
I correct this because sometimes places sell wool and woolens by breed,
or brag about their sheep. Knowing the breed gives you an easily
findable average micron count.

NightMist

On Thu, 20 Feb 2014 15:34:44 +0000, NightMist wrote:

This is all according to how I understand it.
You do not get points off the follow up quiz for proving me wrong. I
appreciate input about such things.

A LOT of people think they are allergic to wool. A lot of them are
wrong.
Wool allergies are actually pretty rare. Much more common are allergies
to lanolin, or the chemicals used to scour or dye commercial wool, or to
make it washable (superwash wool).
It's like if new fabric gives you a rash, but after you wash it a few
times you are fine with it. That happens more often than you would
think.

Wool has gotten a reputation, mostly because of cheap wool. Cheaper
wools are usually the coarser wools. Coarse wools can feel prickly and
scratchy on the skin. It is not what the fiber is made of, it is the
thickness of the individual fibers. If you take almost any fiber that
has an average diameter of 25-30 microns, spin it, and turn it into
fabric it will most likely itch you, possibly to the point of causing a
rash depending on how sensitive your skin is. The greater of the number
of fibers 30 microns or more in diameter, the scratchier it will feel.

Now so far as quilt batting goes, if it is treated to prevent bearding
then you run no risk of itching no matter how coarse the wool is.
Though if you are an allergic person you run the risk of the resins and
chemicals causing a reaction. If it won't beard then the fibers won't
poke you and make you itch after they are sandwiched into the quilt.
A couple of companies are making batting using blends incorporating fine
wools, mostly those from the merino family. I have dressed babies in
merino and they were fine and warm with no rash or discomfort. It seems
a bit overkill for a quilt batting, but if it makes people more
confident about using it then I guess it works.

Anecdote:
One of the places I get spinning fiber from sells mill ends and bin
trash from the Brown Sheep mill. I spun up some bin trash (I am pretty
sure it was from a Wildfoote run as it was superwash and contained
mohair and nylon) and knit some shooting mittens for a particular hunter
of my acquaintance. She loved and wore them for a couple of seasons
before she mentioned to me that she was allergic to wool. She still
wears them, and has decided that she is only allergic to some certain
particular wool. Yeah, really coarse wool. (G)

NightMist

"Polly Esther" wrote:
Now that we are a bit smarter (?), even the event 'allergic' gives us pause
for thought or backing off and reconsidering. My sister is / was violently
allergic to cats. Now she has a magnificent uppity quite pretentious QI and
no allergy in sight. How much of this was in our heads?

Some cat breeds are less allergenic than others, so this might not be
all in her head.

Just lately, my eyes swell, my nose runs and my delicate sensibilities
are offended by scents in laundry detergent. Druther go pound my wash
in the creek and lay it to dry on the gators. A quandary, methinks.

Fabric conditioner is a common trigger for childhood asthma. Yucky
stuff. Why can't they make it unscented?

But before you try the alternative, get tested for gator allergy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k
Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland
mobile 07800 739 557 http://www.campin.me.uk Twitter: JackCampin

On 2/23/2014 12:32 AM, Polly Esther wrote:
Just lately, my eyes swell, my nose runs and my delicate sensibilities
are offended by scents in laundry detergent. Druther go pound my wash
in the creek and lay it to dry on the gators. A quandary, methinks. Polly

Have you tried any of the "free and clear" detergents that claim not to
be perfumed? I use Seventh Generation Free and Clear; it does not have
any noticeable odor. Stay away from fabric softener and dryer sheets. I
use the washer's fabric softener dispenser for white vinegar; it helps
to ensure that the detergent rinses out, as well as deodorizes and acts
somewhat as a fabric softener. Before I started using the vinegar, my
husband's undershirts always seemed to have some residual perspiration
odor, even after washing. I don't notice it now after using vinegar.

Julia in MN