“But It Itches!” – Part I

Two years ago, I wrote a two-part post about itchy wool.  According to my WordPress statistics, it continues to receive a lot of visitors.  So I decided to repost!  Here’s the first!

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I have lost track of how many (non-textile) folks who, while admiring a wool sweater I knit, sadly lament:  “Oh, I can’t wear wool; I’m allergic to it.”  (Source of pic at left)

Highly unlikely.

What’s the most common description of a person’s claimed allergy to wool?  “It itches.”  That is not an allergic reaction.  Further, there could be other factors one could be reacting to, including (but not limited to):  laundry detergent, the dye and/or mordant used to color the yarn, the chemicals used to dry clean the wool, the chemicals involved in original processing the wool, and organic matter (e.g., dust and pollen) remaining in the yarn.

With that in mind, here are allergic…