The wool, it prickles... :-(

[Dianne B]

... and that's one of the main reasons wool went out of fashion with the advent of synthetics ;)

[Dan R Porter]

if you are allergic, be happy you found out with a $130 SWK and not a $550+ tank.

Good point. Careful with others advice of wearing wool more. Sometimes that makes allergic reactions worse!!!

I have the same reaction to wool, I show no skin symptoms but man do I feel it! It will save us money in the future!

[tulloch]

I suggest that you wear it a lot and don't clean it. The natural oils will soften it where it touches you. If it is 36" waist you could send it to me and I could wear it a while for you.

[Riverkilt]

Wade,

You can have any two of price, quality, or service. Sounds like you got price and service.

No doubt the wool in your kilt came from Pakistan. Who knows how they grade wool over there or what sort of wool went into your kilt.

Wool isn't just wool like beer isn't just beer.

There are many variations in wool. Sheep have two types of wool - coarse wiry guard coat and warm fleecy fine textured undercoat.
Wool is different depending on which part of the sheep it is sheared from....if it is sheared. Some wools are pulled from the hides of slaughtered sheep.

Sheep come in different breeds and produce different types of wool. Some sheep are raised on the open range, in herds, exposed to the elements. Some sheep are raised in sheltered pens. The exposure effects the quality of the wool.

Wool is graded on an international scale. Grading is by the fineness of the wool and the length of the wool. There are about 14 grades.

There are classifications of wool; virgin wool, reprocessed wool, reused wool.

There are also classifications based on how the wool is processed.

Worsted wools are long fibered and made from virgin wool. The wool fibers are parallel to each other and tightly spun. They are smooth.

Woolens are made from short-fiber wools, even reworked wool such as wool scrap and rags. Woolen fibers are criss cross, intermixed, and less tightly spun giving a rough fuzzy surface.

My guess is that your kilt is woolen, rather than worsted. Hence, the itchy feel. I don't think you can change that itchy feel because of how the fabric is made. Your best bet is protective, as suggested in previous posts.

For sure its made from an inexpensive wool of some sort. You would be hard pressed to buy the fabric for a kilt from Lochcarron Mills for the price of your finished kilt.

If you have a friend with a kilt made from Lochcarron, or another quality mill's fabric, ask if you can feel that wool against your arm. You will see there is no itchy feeling.

If you have access to a textile glass, photo loupe, or large magnifying glass you can see the difference between the wool in your kilt and the worsted wool in a more expensive kilt. You'll see the fibers poking out every which way that are causing the itch.

Please don't blame "wool" for the itch or decide you're allergic to wool. The cause of the itch is the inexpensive wool and the inexpensive way the wool fabric is made.

I've worn lots of itchy wools with cheap suits as a boy. Had the same fear of woolen garments. Yet I have owned many wool kilts made from fabric woven at quality woolen mills and have NEVER had any sort of itch with any of them.

Once you see the difference, I'm guessing you'll wanna start saving for a quality wool kilt. They may cost more but the VALUE is there, and they don't itch.

Ron

[Kilt TN]

Try having it dry cleaned, sometimes it chemicals added to the cloth for shipping to keep bugs or moths away. If anything it will compress the fibers some.

[Panache]

...Once you see the difference, I'm guessing you'll wanna start saving for a quality wool kilt. They may cost more but the VALUE is there, and they don't itch.

Or Ron he may just be allergic to wool.

But, if the type of wool is a factor instead of saving up for a quality wool kilt I have a suggestion. Were this problem mine I would order a 16 oz. tartan wool swatch swatch from Rocky, Matt, Steve, the Crofts, or any of our other kilt makers / sellers and then take that swatch and rub it it /touch it to the skin of my legs.

If there is no reaction then the type of wool matters

if there is a reaction then it is just an allergy to wool and therefore one should seek out alternative materials.

For the record I rather like the feel and look of my Stillwater wool Heavyweight Lamont variant kilt

Cheers

Jamie :ootd:

[Riverkilt]

Wade can check in on this one.

My sense is that IF he has an allergy to wool he would have found it out long ago and would never have ordered up a wool kilt in the first place.

Allergies to wool are very rare.

http://www.textilelinks.com/author/rb/990227.html

Itching from the way wool fabric is made, or chemicals used in processing, may cause allergic reactions. Who knows what chems they use in wool processing in Pakistan?

But there is a big difference between an allergic reaction and itching.

It would be sad for me if men denied themselves the pleasure of a quality wool kilt because of false fears based on previous experience with inexpensive wools.

Ron

[Spartan]

Try having it dry cleaned, sometimes it chemicals added to the cloth for shipping to keep bugs or moths away. If anything it will compress the fibers some.

Read the cleaning instructions from Stillwater first. My tank came with instructions from the kiltmaker not to dry clean.

[Jack Daw]

Try a kilt liner as underclothing.

http://www.activskin.com.au/shop/index.php?cPath=24

[The Barry]

Wool takes a little bit to get used to. Unless you're allergic, there's no getting used to that.