I've been shopping around for a good wool kilt for a while (the prices are a bit too yikes from the sites I've been looking at), mainly to hike and be outdoors in. I walk a lot in colder weather, so it's wool I'm looking for, not cotton, not canvas, and certainly not polyester.

And, while I realize that a lot of the high prices do come from good kilts being hand made, I'm having a LOT of issues finding out specifically what kind of wool is being used. And whether or not the tartan is hand loomed or machine loomed. This is important to me when comparing costs because, as someone who spins and knits her own socks, sweaters, and other frivolous odds and ends, the details are extremely important. While I do enjoy a good Shetland wool, I fear it would be far too sticky for a kilt. BFL is incredibly hard wearing, but full of coarse guard hairs. Merino is nice, and standard, but far too common and easy to get to pay too much for. And it doesn't wear long very well.

To be honest, I'm looking for a good Merino Shetland cross wool kilt (probably along the lines of 80/20), maybe a little silk spun in (strength and insulation), a common black watch loom (hand loomed if someone is honestly going to charge $350+), and a good pleat.

I know I'm picky, but, as I said, I do actually spin and knit my own sweaters. I can spin and knit a good gansey for far less than $200 ($150 if it's a good merino, maybe $175 if I spin a little silk top in), and that's in a week for non patterned, a week and a half to two weeks if it's a cabled sweater. I have a hard time, extremely hard time, justifying a 'craftsman' price when I just can't get the details of the product.

Does anyone know of a seller that even knows such details about the product they're selling? Wool is not just wool. Wool is a start to a long, detailed history of a fiber.