Welcome to the SlowYarn.com Blog!

Handspinning, dyeing, eco-printing, being an artist in a crafting world, wool allergies… if it has to do with fibers I’ll probably write about it!

Check out the rest of SlowYarn.com. There are lots of informative articles, with lots of sources for cool natural products for do-it-your-selfers, crafters, artists, and appreciators of art.  Any of the ads you see on this site are for companies I’ve worked with and love. If you think they’re great, too, and make a purchase then it provides a small commission to help me keep this site up and running. Thanks!

Follow the menu above, or click here to start with About Slow Yarn.

Follow the links below to read a wide variety of articles about Fiber Arts.

How to Shibori With Natural Dyes

natural dyed shibori silk scarves

Dog Hair Yarn Part 1

cute alook

Summer Dyeing

leaf prints on paper

   Art vs. Craftart basket made with cholla reed wool and seagrass at slowyarn.com

Drum Carder Trick

 

rose pink wool on drum carder

Handpainted Warps

handwoven handpainted warps how to at slowyarn.com

Blue Dye in History

indigo dyed handspun yarn

Ten Things You Really Need to Start Keeping Sheep

sheep nose over fence slowyarn.com blog

Recycled v. Reused Wool

Are You Allergic to Wool?

See the shine? This is gently washed fleece from a family flock, lanolin still intact.
See the shine? This is gently washed fleece from a family flock, lanolin still intact.

 

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Blog

  1. Hi I have inherited a large amount of wood from a friend who passed away
    I have checked the wool and the one that I thought had wool bugs I THREW OUT
    but everytime I open my cedar chest to pick up some wool I feel itchy instantly I cannot see any bugs I have cedar wood balls in there as well.
    why would that be ?
    I have crocheted with some of the wool and perservered with the itch and the garment washed up and finished up nicely. I have used a magnifer to check wool , could the bugs be that minute that I cannot see them?
    I really don’t want to throw the wool out , what else can I put in the chest , I have mohair, wool and mixutre of acrylic and wool. For how many years can you keep balls of wool, I would appreciated any help or advice many thanks Melissa

    1. Melissa, there are a few reasons I can think of for your itchy reaction to the wool. A lot of people say they are “allergic” to wool, but doctors will tell you that is unlikely, since wool is made from keratin, the same stuff as human hair. But, if you’re itchy from touching wool, it doesn’t really matter if the technical term is “allergy” or “sensitivity!” Itchy is itchy! Because you describe feeling the itch instantly upon opening your cedar chest, before you’ve touched the wool, though, I would guess you have an allergy to something else that is volatile (gets out into the air.) Cedar oil, which you can probably smell, can cause allergic reactions in people that are similar to hay fever. (You may be interested in this article.) Another possibility would be the soap your wool has been washed in, or any scents added to deter moths. Fragrances can be very irritating to some people! The good news is that your itch is probably not caused by bugs. The types of bugs that hang out in wool aren’t interested in chewing on people– just wool. They are certainly large enough to see, as well. I would recommend washing your wool — very gently and with no agitation– in a soap or detergent with no fragrance. Try keeping the cleaned wool in a non-cedar container for awhile, and see if the itchy reaction doesn’t go away.

      I hope this helps!
      –Kelley

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.