Well, I put it on the other day and noticed myself having an allergic reaction - sneezing, itchy, red eyes. When I took the sweater off, I wasn't sneezing and felt a lot better. So I decided today that it probably needed to be washed because it had been sitting for a while with no one using it. I'm still not sure if that will fix the allergy issue, but I did learn something about nice quality wool - it STINKS when you wash it! It smells like a wet sheep is hanging out in the laundry room and that's AFTER washing it in Woolite. I did some research on it, and it seems to have something to do with the natural lanolin that's on wool. Lanolin is great for repelling water and dirt, but it really does stink.
Let's hope it smells better when it dries out. It's a really pretty and warm sweater and I want to be able to wear it without having to take an allergy pill first!
