Pretty much all the textiles that I purchase are cotton. I have eczema. So there isn’t a lot of room for deviation. I used to find my limited fashion choices more annoying. But since I discovered, gasp, that I can actually sew garments for myself, my choices have expanded.
This has not carried over into yarn so much, or specifically sweaters. I used to crochet (not well enough for sweaters). And DD and DH both have blankets that I crocheted for them. DDs is very cute. DHs is an odd color combination to me. But he picked it out. And he likes it. So there you go. Both of those are acrylic, which is not my favorite. Because after a while, it pills and can look very cheap. And if I can choose something not a petroleum product, I will.
So here is what I found out about fabric/fiber and eczema:
- Cotton is king. (I knew this.)
- Silk is queen, because it has hundreds of microfibers and is very smooth. But it can have resins in it that are irritating to some people.
- Bamboo and rayon are breathable, natural fibers. They rank next.
- Wool is the number one itch offender. But not all wool is created equal. Wool is classified by microns, which is the thickness of each strand. The thicker the strand, the scratchier the surface. The finer the strand, the smoother the surface.
- Cashmere, angora, and alpaca are names of animals. I’m sure you knitters and lovers of animal husbandry say duh. But I did not know until recently. I thought cashmere and alpaca were types of sheep, not different animals altogether.
- Since cashmere is finer than many wools and comes from a goat some people who cannot tolerate wool can wear it.
- Alpaca, an animal, not a sheep. Finer than wool, potentially tolerable.
- Angora, from a rabbit and claims to be hypoallergenic, even to those with very sensitive skin.
Obviously, these things are somewhat subjective. But I post it here in case it can be useful to somebody else, and for commentary.
I read more than one article by dermatologists claiming that silk must be dermablend, the kind that is antimicrobial and used in hospitals. But I have always found ordinary clothing silk to be pretty skin friendly, especially if hand washed.
My experience with bamboo has not been the best. The bamboo fabric I’ve encountered has been extremely thin knit and has run. I’m thinking this may have been a fluke. I can’t see it having become so popular if it ran all the time. It was not at all itchy. I’m thinking I will give it another try.
I’ve had very good luck with wool blend suits that are lined. They wear well. And if they are blended with rayon or something and lined seem to always be comfortable.
I can’t even be in the room with an angora sweater. I don’t know what that’s about.
I am about to give up on lining these three sweaters that belonged to my grandmother. They are 100 percent wool. And even lined, they itch me like I am on fire. I find this so sad. They fit me perfectly. And I really prefer to keep them.
I wonder if I can justify consoling myself with a cashmere sweater or a silk scarf.
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My skin and the outdoors really do not get along, but I’ve never had any problems with fabrics. I have two wool turtlenecks that don’t bother me but I could see how other might find them horribly uncomfortable. I think I just learned to tolerate it because I love turtleneck sweaters so much.
Have you ever tried a cashmere and silk blend. I can’t really describe why I think you might like it, but I have had a sweater for almost ten years that’s probably half of each and it still looks great. It’s very tactilling pleasing.
A friend from college just mailed me a cashmere scarf. I was thrilled.
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