@cwebber @baconandcoconut

Can confirm (since apparently my job on this thread is corroborating Christine's tea habits)

@amd @cwebber

I think Clotho likes to mess with me a bit. I literally gave a talk on this twist of fate at a textile history conference last year. Especially since the allergy developed *after* I'd already finished my dissertation.

Here's the podcast episode we made from that outline: https://fossandcrafts.org/episodes/061-textile-historians-survival-guide.html

@cwebber

So ... instead of explaining that actually "what makes it knit" is a matter of construction (knit vs. woven), or that I have a PhD focusing on textile production in a time before elastine existed (we've got knit stockings from Ancient Egypt folks!), or that I was wearing a shirt I made out of 100% cotton jersey knit fabric from the JoAnn Fabrics in the next town over ... I just nodded and said "Okay, well I am still allergic to it so I can't buy this fabric."

@cwebber

This woman looked me dead in the eye and told me:

"Nowhere in the world will you find 100% cotton knit fabric. It doesn't exist. That small percentage of elastine is what *makes* it a knit."

@cwebber

I excitedly filled up my cart and took them to the cutting counter and checked the tag as I pulled the first one out only to see 95% cotton, 3% elastine, 2% polyester.

I sadly told the lady that I couldn't use that fabric and started sorting my cart into the ones I could use and the ones I couldn't.

@cwebber

So apparently my allergies to synthetic fabrics have progressed to the point that I need to make all of my own clothes (see content warning post for context if you want it).

I went into a local fabric shop looking for 100% cotton fabrics and the lady showed me where the knits were and confirmed to me verbally three times that they were cotton

@cwebber suggested that I make a post asking you all to explain textiles to me but I don't think I can pull that gag off as well as she did.

Instead I'll tell a story

So, #introduction post since I've just created a new account!

I'm Morgan Lemmer-Webber, I'm interested in the social history of women and textile production in the Roman Empire.

I do most imaginable textile crafts. Right now I'm making a lot of clothes due to an allergy to synthetic fabrics. Expect lots of posts about making socks and other garments.

I am the co-host of the podcast FOSS and Crafts

I am the Executive Director of the @wha

Expect more pictures of cats and crafts than of me.