I hate itchy wool!

I've purchased some wool garments recently at thrift stores and found that one of the skirts has a particularly itchy waistband.  I got to wondering why some wool is itchy and some is not.  Turns out that wool is graded and the longer fiber wool is the softest.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wool:
"Wool is also separated into grades based on the measurement of the wool's diameter in microns and also its style. These grades may vary depending on the breed or purpose of the wool. For example:

• <15.5 - Ultrafine Merino^[9]
• 15.6-18.5 - Superfine Merino
• 18.6-20 - Fine Merino^[9]
• 20.1-23 - Medium Merino
• 23< - Strong Merino^[9]

• Comeback: 21-26 microns, white, 90–180 mm long
• Fine crossbred: 27-31 microns, Corriedales, etc.
• Medium crossbred: 32–35 microns
• Downs: 23-34 microns, typically lacks luster and brightness. Examples, Aussiedown, Dorset Horn, Suffolk, etc.^[14]
• Coarse crossbred: 36> microns
• Carpet wools: 35-45 microns^[9"

I'll be reading labels more carefully before I buy.

I found a solution for the itchy waistband, I lined it with vintage lace I picked up off of Etsy.  I also added a much nicer button.

≈