Virgin Wool: Scratchy or Not?

Hi, ladies
Could it be that virgin wool feels scratchy when it’s worked with multiple strands?
Would virgin wool worked single-stranded be preferable in that case?

The virgin wool I’ve seen so far has always been kind of scratchy. But I didn’t pay attention to how many strands there were.

I have to strongly disagree with that ;-) Virgin wool isn’t inherently itchy. Its quality depends on where and how its “suppliers” (=sheep!) live. Local wool is certainly more robust than wool that is exposed to a wide range of temperatures while growing. But itchy? No.

Open wool roving yarns made from virgin wool, when knitted loosely, can be very fluffy and soft. And then there are also various blended yarns that combine virgin wool with alpaca or silk.
I’m staying entirely within the realm of natural yarns here (since we don’t carry anything else in our shop).

In addition, virgin wool has the huge advantage (which has almost been forgotten) that it very rarely needs to be washed. It hardly absorbs dirt, and airing it well is the best wash of all!

Okay, I can accept that not all virgin wool is itchy. Thanks for the info.
But why is it that some of it is still itchy?

I’ve never heard that you don’t have to wash it very often.
Does virgin wool actually regulate temperature, or do you end up sweating a lot in it?

 

If you buy virgin wool from northern regions, the wool is a bit rougher because their coats simply need to be more durable to withstand cold winters, rain, and so on. Merino sheep have softer coats because the more durable outer hairs have been almost—or completely—bred out of them. If you want to be absolutely sure the wool is soft, you can use alpaca, camel hair, or llama wool—these are always very soft and cozy, though not quite as durable.
Wool’s amazing ability to essentially clean itself comes partly from the natural lanolin it contains and partly from the structure of the fibers. The more natural the wool, the more pronounced this property is. Undyed wool can also handle a little rain just fine; you simply shake it out well, and most of the moisture is gone. And you hardly sweat in pure wool—unlike with wool that contains polyester or is made entirely of polyester. These yarns trap heat uncomfortably and still don’t keep you as warm outdoors as pure wool does.

As you can tell, I really appreciate it and knit exclusively with pure wool :-)