Pre-Merino, wool was quite itchy. I wonder if you are thinking of "old" wool. Modern merino is some very soft stuff.

> Merino wool is able to ditch the itch thanks to its fiber's smaller diameter, or being “finer”. These fibers are more flexible and softly bend when pressed against the skin and, therefore, don't itch like other wool.

https://www.smartwool.com/discover/why-merino-wool/merino-wo...

Could be. Wool is too cruel for my taste anyway so I abstain from it.

No could be about it. Merino wool is not itchy.

There are other wools like possum wool with similar properties that are less ambiguous in terms of ethics. Merino can be ethically sourced.

If usage of animal products is a concern, that seems hardly relevent to a question of the feel of the material. I applaud the concern, just find the "could be" to be glib and/or ignorant

Merino is just as itchy to me as any other wool, I can't wear any of it touching my skin. Drives me nuts.