Itchy is in the skin (?) of the beholder. I prefer wearing woollens. As mentioned in another thread, I'm something of a fibre snob. I shy away from synthetics and synthetic blends. I like the feel of wool, although I always wear button-up shirts under my jumpers as a matter of course.

I seem to remember seeing photographs of Irish folk singers from "days of yore" wearing Aran jumpers. The Clancy Brothers spring to mind. I also remember an elderly woman in Co. Londonderry telling me about a relative of hers that wore such a garment ... apparently this male relation was offered obscene amounts of money by an American tourist that wanted the very jumper off his back! He didn't relent - he kept his jumper and his dignity.

Because I'm rather short, but ample in proportion width-wise, I find that jumpers that fit well across the chest and gut are always too long in the torso for kilted wear.

Mark O - Ohio