#texture issues

[dreamingdormouse]

Wool and other animal fibers can be pretty itchy. But it's probably not an allergy - which is both good and bad. Good, because it won't get worse into an anaphylactic life-threatening kind of allergy. Bad, because an antihistamine won't help.

Wool is composed of keratin, the same protein that makes up human hair. As far as we know, people generally aren't allergic to their own hair. So, yeah, it's pretty hypoallergenic. But your hair can make you itch! You know when you get a haircut, and the little tiny trimmings get stuck on your neck and it itches like crazy? That's a mechanical, rather than chemical, irritant. The little bits are just scraping your skin in a tiny way. The same is true for wool, and most protein (animal) fibers. The ends of each fiber scrape at you, and also the keratin scales along the surface of each fiber.

(image ID: detailed, labeled drawings of human hair, rough wool, merino wool, and cotton at a microscopic level. The first three have a scaly texture and a round cross-section, while cotton has a smooth texture and a flattish oval cross-section that spirals along its length. They are arranged by size, with human hair the thickest.)

The skinnier a protein fiber is, by the way, the less irritating it generally is.

Cotton isn't in this category, btw, it's just on that image for comparison; it's a whole different thing, made of cellulose instead of keratin.

Mammal hair/fur/wool in general is keratin, so that includes sheep wool, alpaca fiber, cashmere and mohair from goats, angora from bunnies, and so on.

The only other protein fiber is silk, made of fibroin instead by little caterpillars; it's smooth, with a triangular cross-section.

If you want less itchy wool, try superwash wool or merino. Merino has skinnier fibers (micron count is how they measure that), and superwash wool has been chemically treated to smooth down the scales so it doesn't felt if you wash it, since felting happens when all those tiny scales hook onto each other and stay trapped that way.

A “family tree” of yarn from The Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Peakes.

I’m making this blog as my passion project to finding the perfect yarn. I’ve been knitting for more than 20 years, and I realized how little I truly know about this. I’ve discovered the hard way that I am allergic to alpaca and mohair, and my reaction to regular wool is getting worse.

In my attempts to find alternatives, I discovered that it is wildly confusing territory. The National Institutes for Health declared wool to be a hypoallergenic fabric. Then why am I so itchy?? Is it lanolin? Am I allergic to dye? Fabric chemicals? Maybe my sweaters are haunted?

I’m making this into my dumping ground of yarn research, where I will collect which yarns work for me, but also resist pilling, stretching, fading, and look nice (an impossible task).

This is by no means a sponsorship blog, I just want to be able to find good options. It would also be great to find resources for those with asthma, allergies, sensitive skin, and/or those with texture issues (i.e., me) so that I can share them with others.

[teaboot]

Kind of a random hill to die on rn but "You'd eat this thing you hate if you got hungry enough" does not set a reasonable expectation of what "hungry enough" means for people with food problems.

Like, are we talking "stomach grumbling" hungry enough, or "can't stand up" hungry enough? Cause personally, I can make myself eat a bit of a pork chop if I'm barfy and shaking and can't see straight anymore, but if it's down to "black out for three days and wake up angry and confused" or "willingly swallow prosciutto", I'm having sleep for dinner. And I know this from experience.

People without food problems don't seem to understand this and it drives me insane. "Hungry enough" is for shit like chewing drywall because the alternative is death or cannibalism.

If I say I can't eat something, It means I can't eat it. It Is Not Edible To Me. It's not even appetizing. It literally does not register as food. You might as well hand me a rubber duck.

And it's frustrating!! Trust me, I wish I wasn't like this, too!! This isn't a choice!! I know it can be rude!! It's embarassing!! It's complicated and annoying and irrational!! That doesn't fix the problem!!

I just wish people didn't treat this sort of thing as "being picky" or lacking willpower or basic manners or something. I can't make myself eat certain foods the way you probably couldn't cut your own fingers off. Does that make sense? It's not just food. Fuck

[marzipanandminutiae]

wanting to try 19th-early 20th century desserts when you hate the texture of 99% of preserved fruit or fruit spreads

[acti-veg]

I have seen this lore than once were an autistic person will claim that they can’t go vegan bc of texture issues and I wanted to ask if this is a legit reason or juts an excuse to not be vegan?

Anyone can be vegan in that it just means doing your best, but if you mean that they can’t eat plant-based then I don't really think that it is our place to be the judge of whether or not someone's autism or any other textural issue is a legitimate reason not to give up animal products. When someone tells you that they aren't able to avoid or tolerate a certain food, you should take that on good faith and work with them on what they are able to do.

Animal products are not a texture, nor are plants. Both food groups involve massive variations in texture, taste, allergens and nutritional content. For example, if someone struggles for food options because they only really eat very processed meats, faux meats might work for them just as well, but then they may not. They will know their own limits better than either of us do.

It may be that their diet is so limited right now that limiting it further would have an adverse impact on their health, if that is the case then you'd look to help them try new plant options over time rather than asking them to stop eating what little they do now. Autistic people are experts on their own autism, so treat them like they have that expertise and work with what they tell you rather than trying to second guess any of it.

Remember that veganism is about doing whatever is possible and practicable to avoid animal exploitation, and that what that looks like may be different for some people. That's okay. Anyone who is truly convinced of the ethics of veganism will do their best to avoid consuming or wearing animal products, but only they will really know what their best looks like. It isn't up to us to decide that for them.

[whoareyoueventhough]

rocks off? No, you have misheard me. I am an asexual. I'm getting my socks off. I have texture issues.

[ediblegoldstars]

Just curious. If you are too, reblog for a bigger sample size.

[lissy-strata]

...why did it take me 34 years of my life to realize that if a frozen pizza has unpleasant toppings it's way easier to pick them off BEFORE I put the pizza in the oven???

[unoriginalbun]

The texture of microfiber cloth is some psychological horror shit. It’s incredibly soft and should be warm and cozy but something about it is very very wrong.

[theangelblood]

I saw your post about struggling with protein, and as a fellow autistic with texture issues, how do you feel about peanut butter? Or almond butter, etc., because it's one of my comfort foods with a decent ammount of protein.

Yeah, nut and seed butter is pretty high in protein. I have mixed feelings about them. I like peanut butter in stuff like smoothies and salad dressings but on its own, it's usually too much to handle for me. I think I have to look for more recipes that have a lot of peanut butter in them.

[sparks-chaotic-cove]

Does anyone know any good soups that don't have a bunch of bits in them? more broth based? with not a lot of stuff in them?

I've got texture issues which make most soups a nightmare. Even the broth of like- chicken and rice soup is at least mildly unpleasant. I have found one soup I like, and that soup was a broth of some kind with mushroom and what looked to be green onions? I didn't eat the onions or mushrooms, just the broth. Its such a good soup but I can't find a recipe anywhere for the same type of soup, and it's only served at a restaurant that is 45 minutes away ;-;

so like- not tomato based soups, or potato soup- idk

I want to eat more soups ;-;

[scenicphoenix]

I've been thinking about the possibility of switching to non dairy milk just because it would probably last longer in the fridge when I forget things exist. I wanted coffee this morning so got out the 2 percent I have currently and the milk fat had separated a little bit and my brain has decided that it is very texture (BAD) so i may be switching to non dairy milk for autism (texture hell scape) reasons instead of the executive disfunction (object permanence is trash) reasons

[secretagentsagainstwhatever]

Taking a bite of food that’s the wrong texture really sets off all my mental issues

[happinessinmayhem]

so weak stomached at the moment my friend playing with a stress ball; that I don't like the texture of made me wretch ... I didn't even fucking touch it

[adhd-culture--is]

adhd culture is having weird texture things for your entire life and not really realizing until much later that it’s not normal (not liking particular food textures, hating/needing socks, hating tight pants, etc)

[sluttyquarantinetheory]

when i was a kid i hated pb&j's. I just thought there were disgustingly sweet and the most disgusting texture possible. Then for like 6 months in college i got really obsessed with eating nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Literally ate nothing else for months. Then I suddenly stopped and haven't eaten another since. It's been a decade and i live in fear that in another decade i will suddenly want to eat nothing but pb&j's for a months long span.

[tumble-tv]

I LOVE ORANGES SO MUCH BUT THE TEXTURE IS JUST SO AWFUL 99% OF THE TIME