Differences Between Woolen, Worsted, and "in the grease" Wool? 

Im learning how to spin and its interesting how i had to go to my favorite kilt channel to find the answer i was looking for. Glad y'all exist!!!!

I have a couple of woolen kilts. Yes, they are not great at keeping pleats. And they are quite warm. They get put away in the summer months. But, as a serial kilter in Michigan, they get a lot of action in winter. I have been in a woolen kilt and wool hose and got caught in a rain storm when it was 40ish degrees and was completely comfortable from the waist down. The insulation was great.

as a spinner you can long draw with short staple wool. though to spin wollen as opposed to worsted has to do with, there is more to do, woollen you usually spin from rolags not roving, you can spin from a cloud, from the fold, off a distaff, and from batts. each produce a different yarn, and different wool.

When you hand spin in the grease, the yarn will still contain the lanolin, but when you wash the yarn after spinning, most of the lanolin gets washed out. That leaves a hollow yarn - actually with a hollow space in the middle of the yarn. It has incredible insulative properties, but generally, spinning in the grease is a pain because of the mess it makes of ALL your equipment.

Guys discussing the minutiae of textiles is not something I see often. Very intriguing!

I'm a knitter and beginning spinner so that's the angle I'm coming at this from: I'm surprised woolen spun would be less expensive in kilting fabric since woolen spun fiber for yarn is more expensive. Woolen spun is loftier/airier/squishier as well because it tends to have less plies. The more you ply the yarn (add more strands to the finished fiber), the tighter and denser it gets. A lot of woolen spun yarn will only have 1-3 plies. Most worsted spun yarn will have 4 or more plies (not always). Woolen spun garments are also going to be less durable (unless felted) so not ideal for garments of any type that get heavy, frictional wear. I would save woolen spun fabric or fibers for hats, shawls, dress coats, etc. And for anyone who makes their own kilt hose or has them made, definitely choose a worsted spun fiber (again, because its more durable) and I would argue for a split of between 70/30 and 90/10 of wool/nylon or silk & other fibers. Nylon and silk are both incredibly durable and add a lot of strength to fiber that will be put under a lot of wear and tear. Silk will also add more warmth as well as a bit of sheen. I would argue for at least 10% nylon and I imagine machine made kilt hose would benefit from lycra or spandex so it can fit a wider range of sizes. I'm not sure if kilt hose are generally made of a fingering weight or a worsted weight fiber (yep, that worsted term gets used a lot for different things) but if its fingering weight, look for yarn that specifically says "Sock Yarn" on it. Also, the lanolin is what most people who are allergic to wool (not just finding it itchy but developing a rash or hives) are reacting to so I would avoid "in the grease" if you've reacted to wool in the past. But for those who don't have an issue with lanolin, it can be found in a wide range of moisturizing products and is particularly exceptional at nourishing dry/cracked skin. You'll find it in lip balms, "bag balms", and creams specifically aimed at nursing mothers for that reason. I'd genuinely love to see the USA Kilts crew go on location to a fiber farm... maybe even get to witness a sheep being shorn and talk to those who raise the sheep and process the fiber. One certainly doesn't need to know all the backstory to how kilting fabric is made to appreciate its artistry and beauty, but I think knowing all the love and hard work that goes into getting the fiber from animal to kilt really adds to the experience, personally. PS. I had the chance to visit the shop this weekend to pick out some linen flat caps for the beloved chrome domes in my life. I'm so happy their heads will be protected this summer in a comfortable & fashionable way. It's a beautiful store and everyone was so friendly. Really looking forward to coming back. Definitely plan on doing some Christmas shopping there and quite conveniently, its only about 5mi up the road from my favorite yarn shop!

The cost issue was why I went with a woolen for my first kilt. PV options didn’t have my ancestral clan, and I had heard a lot of bad things about acrylic, so I figured woolen in my clan would be a good way to dip my toe in. I’ve worn it about weekly for a couple of months, and it will definitely need some pressing soon. The creases for the pleats have kept very well, but other wrinkles don’t fall out as well as worsted suits I’ve had (and I assume the same is true for kilts). So, yeah, the pressing will be to fix some wrinkles from sitting and whatnot. It is warm, especially in Texas, but not as warm as pants. Last weekend I wore it two of three days for a conference, and I was rather sad to put on pants when I got home!

I was unaware that woolen wool kilts were a thing! Good info as always! Thanks guys!

Celtic Croft is the company of which you were speaking. They offer a "homespun" wool kilt, one of which I have. My impression was that they called it thusly because it is spun in the USA rather than in Scotland.

I have 2 woolen wool kilts and they are okay if you don't mind having to iron after wearing a couple of times but at $99 for a wool kilt that is one of the trade offs.

should have my Argyll package in about two weeks...pretty excited :)

Thanks folks!!

Great info gents, helps a lot.

I know that it was traditional in northern Europe to have half the threads worsted and half woolen because they wanted the warmth of woolen, but needed the strength of worsted for the hand weaving process.

To my mind a woolen wool or Home Spun kilt would be best for winter wear outdoors.

There is also saxony wool kilts, that are very soft.

Worsted is named after the village of Worstead in East Anglia, famous for its smooth, long-staple wool and was the favourite of the medieval Flemish tapestry weavers.

if Woolen wool is great for insulation would it be good for a great kilt?

Rio de Janeiro. Brasil. 🙋📱👀

Hate Woolen wool. Just horrible for a kilt in my opinion. I bought two and gave away right after I received. I would not recommend a woolen. Go with a worsted wool.