Question regarding material and construction options

[Stitchwiz]

Thanks Everyone!

I expect that the way it is woven has a lot to do with it, and less "V" and more "P" in the mix may be significant as well. There is no way that I would want a kilt made of the same stuff my jacket is lined with; it's nice and smooth and easy to pull my arms out of, but I cringe to imagine what that stuff would feel like against bare skin for any length of time. It may be useful to note here that I detest the feel of silk against my skin, too (it seems to "catch" against the skin as opposed to glide over the skin), so it may well just be me who is an odd duck.

There are many ways to finish silk, Mathew. There are some silks that are so smooth that you would think that a whisper of a breeze just blew over you skin when it glides across. No catching at all.

Silk also breathes beautifully. It is amazingly cool in summer and even more amazingly, warm without weight or bulk in winter. We have 2 summer weight silk filled comforters and we have only used both of them together when we were camping during the winter at -0F - with no sleeping bags!

You aren't an odd duck, you just haven't had the joy of discovering others types of silk finishes. Silk is almost an 'endangered' fabric - I hope you get the chance to explore the world of silk.

[Andrew Breecher]

Once again, silk is a fiber, not a finish. There are many ways to finish silk, from whisper light to hard-wearing, from velvet to satin to grosgrain. For example, most ties are made of silk twill. Until cotton came along as a cheaper alternative, most velvet was made of silk. Parachutes are made of silk. Bridal dresses are made of silk satin. Jackets are made of heavy silk dupioni. Long underwear can be made of silk knit.

[Mathew MacKillop]

The beginning of Wisdom is when you realize how little you know, and this is certainly the case with me in regards to fabrics!
From my limited experience, I have somehow (despite the cost) yet to come across a tolerable silk. I have had ties in silk (which are fine since they are not touching my skin) that I do not appreciate the feel of. I have had very, very expensive silk sheets that were used exactly once, and ended up being stripped off the bed in the middle of the night to be replaced by standard cotton. Same thing for a very expensive silk blanket purchased by my father on a trip to Hong Kong several decades ago. I have had silk dress shirts (both very expensive and moderately expensive), which, again, were worn once before being relegated to the closet and then finally donated to thrift shops since I could not tolerate the feel of them. I have seen and felt a few ladies' silk scarves, and I would not want to wear that material, either.
Are there different names for the different types of finishes and some way of knowing which ones are actually soft? I would imagine that the satin-finish ones are rather soft, but I could easily be completely off base with that assumption...

[Tarheel]

Odd duck or not Matt, silk is not your fabric (as I gather from your posts) My grandfather was a "barn storming" pilot with a vintage "Jenny" bi-plane and wore a silk scarf (to fit the mood) He used a lot of baby powder around his neck because he couldn't tolerate silk either. Some skin types are more sensitive to textures. Possibly follicle or body hair size are the culprit.

[kiltedtom]

Matt,

As Tarheel said, some people are sensitive to different fabrics. I wonder if, perhaps, you just might be allergic to silk. I discovered from my doctor, dang him, that as we get older, our bodies change. You can grow out of childhood allergies and develop new adulthood allergies.

Hope you find a good solution for yourself.

Tom

[Mathew MacKillop]

You are correct, Tom!

I've never been allergic to anything in my like, but, all of a sudden, certain house cats have brought about a reaction in the last year. Not every cat, mind you, but some of them. It's too bad, too, because I never know until I've pet the darned thing and I break out in hives and have trouble breathing.
I'm not sure if it is the same for silk in my case (since I've been intolerant of it since forever), but it does go to show that certain people react differently to different things!

Best,

Mathew

[Angstrom]

USA kilts offers swatches of their wool materials at a reasonable price. I suspect that Rocky would send PV swatches if requested.

http://www.usakilts.com/13-16oz-tartan-cloth-1296.html