Clothing clothing, fabric, household goods

Faroe

Un-spun
I have everything I need to spin, sew, knit, or weave, but have been too jittery and distracted for a couple of months to focus on any of it.

Was checking e-bay for a cardigan, since I don't own a heavy one, and won't be knitting anything in the near future. E-bay has been a good source for thick, beautiful 100% wool blankets, a good hatchet, a down vest, men's wool shirts, wool jacket...and other sundry end-of-the-world stocking up type items. I realize people need money, but why the heck would anyone sell a good, thick 100% wool blanket?? Ditto, nice down vests, and all wool sweaters. there is a seemingly endless selection of very nice men's lambs wool sweaters up there. Lost a recent bid on a Men's Harris Tweed coat (admittedly, I have a minor obsession with Scotland's tweeds and tartans), but I can always ferret another beautiful example that is reasonably priced. None of this has even added up to much outlay in money - all within budget over the last several months, a piece at a time.

I was thinking the internet auction bounty was due to Miminalists who haven't considered the risks of downsizing a perfectly good wardrobe. However, the person I live with insists that people are just getting desperate. OK, granted, maybe some of both, but the good cold weather gear would be the last things I'd ever sell. Every time I place an order, I want to message the Seller, "Either you, or someone you love is going to NEED this! What the heck do you think you are doing??"
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
No clue as to why someone would be selling winter clothing unless they recently moved to say Florida or Texas from the north and no longer need those items. Like you this would be the last things that OC and I would sell if we were in dire straights.
 

Babs

Veteran Member
I cannot stand the thought of someone else's dead skin cells embedded into the wool. :kk2: I buy lots of used items, but I don't buy used wool, unless I need it to make pads for the bottom of my furniture, or for wool craft.
 

Samuel Adams

Has No Life - Lives on TB
That is what a clean bathtub, 1/2 full of medium/hot water, a squirt or two of woolite and a spare 20 minutes is for. :)

(I have been known to cheat and use a little higher quality dish soap, in addition.....on the more demanding wool wash projects)
 

Babs

Veteran Member
That is what a clean bathtub, 1/2 full of medium/hot water, a squirt or two of woolite and a spare 20 minutes is for. :)

(I have been known to cheat and use a little higher quality dish soap, in addition.....on the more demanding wool wash projects)

I just don't trust that to do it. :eek: I'm entitled to my (perhaps) irrational fears. :lkick:
 

Babs

Veteran Member
You can wash a wool sweater in hot water as well, just don't agitate the sweater while it's soaking. It's the agitation that causes the wool to felt and therefore shrink, not the water temp.

How do I get the dead skin cells out, without agitation??? :prfl:
 

Faroe

Un-spun
How do I get the dead skin cells out, without agitation??? :prfl:
If you have killed the germs, you don't have to worry about the cells. Wool is less likely to hold onto debris than cotton and other fibers, it is also a less hospitable surface for germs. Take a long term camping trip wearing both wool and synthetics. The synthetics and cottons are the clothes that stink horribly after a few days, no so much the woolens. Socks also work that way. In an austere situation, you won't need to was wool anywhere near as often.

I have lived in hand-me-downs, thrift, and vintage my whole life. Never once got sick from anybody's old sweater. :)
 

Martinhouse

Deceased
Sheep are in some ways genetically similar to humans and it's possible that new wool could have dead sheep skin cells in it, so perhaps you should not use new wool, either.

Has it not been at least speculated that Syphilis originally came from sheep?

(:
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
I have everything I need to spin, sew, knit, or weave, but have been too jittery and distracted for a couple of months to focus on any of it.

Was checking e-bay for a cardigan, since I don't own a heavy one, and won't be knitting anything in the near future. E-bay has been a good source for thick, beautiful 100% wool blankets, a good hatchet, a down vest, men's wool shirts, wool jacket...and other sundry end-of-the-world stocking up type items. I realize people need money, but why the heck would anyone sell a good, thick 100% wool blanket?? Ditto, nice down vests, and all wool sweaters. there is a seemingly endless selection of very nice men's lambs wool sweaters up there. Lost a recent bid on a Men's Harris Tweed coat (admittedly, I have a minor obsession with Scotland's tweeds and tartans), but I can always ferret another beautiful example that is reasonably priced. None of this has even added up to much outlay in money - all within budget over the last several months, a piece at a time.

I was thinking the internet auction bounty was due to Miminalists who haven't considered the risks of downsizing a perfectly good wardrobe. However, the person I live with insists that people are just getting desperate. OK, granted, maybe some of both, but the good cold weather gear would be the last things I'd ever sell. Every time I place an order, I want to message the Seller, "Either you, or someone you love is going to NEED this! What the heck do you think you are doing??"
No people are getting really desperate. They can no longer afford those storage places or even their own homes. The new places just won't give them enough space, so they must downsize a lot.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Sheep are in some ways genetically similar to humans and it's possible that new wool could have dead sheep skin cells in it, so perhaps you should not use new wool, either.

Has it not been at least speculated that Syphilis originally came from sheep?

(:
Did it not come from the Americas? Specifically Southern / Central America? I don't think there were too many sheep there at the time. Then again, it may have and then given to the sheep and back to people.....who knows.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
If you have killed the germs, you don't have to worry about the cells. Wool is less likely to hold onto debris than cotton and other fibers, it is also a less hospitable surface for germs. Take a long term camping trip wearing both wool and synthetics.

The synthetics and cottons are the clothes that stink horribly after a few days, no so much the woolens.

Socks also work that way. In an austere situation, you won't need to was wool anywhere near as often.

This^^^
 

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
No clue as to why someone would be selling winter clothing unless they recently moved to say Florida or Texas from the north and no longer need those items. Like you this would be the last things that OC and I would sell if we were in dire straights.

I am sitting in South Texas and Tuesday-Wednesday (Feb 16-7) night, we had a wind chill of -17. Yep- 17 degrees below zero. The wind was screaming around the corner of the Cabin. Today, I learned that many ranchers around here lost Axis and even some Whitetail deer out of this freeze. Not normal. The electric company replaced broken light poles until they ran out of them. they are still not done.

I have a wool granny square afghan I picked up some time back at the Thrift for pennies because it had been moth eaten. I found several videos online that show how to repair a granny square. I have been wanting to match the colors and have recently come to the conclusion that I just need to spin some wool into yarn and fix the thing. Warm is always going to take precedence over pretty in my world. This storm was a big wakeup call.

Flea Bay is my go to for vintage clothes. I also like www.webstore.com
 

lonestar09

Veteran Member
I Have a trash bag full of silk and merino wool tops I have gotten over the past few years at the thirst store. Hand wash carefully and they work great. Especially worked well during the Texas freeze back in February when the power went out. Love the natural fabrics.
 
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