Wool

Is it me?  Or is wool different nowaday compared to say the 70s and 80s?

I used to hate wearing wool socks in the winter.  Too scratchy.  Now, it's a highlight of the season.

My Navy issue watchcap of 1987 seemed scratchy, too.  Compared to a 2015 version of same acquired from the Navy Exchange. 

And sweaters?  Another sea change.

Is wool different now?  If woven wool pants could be machine washed it'd be all I'd own.  Is Vietnamese wool textiles from Chinese sheep just better, or is the good stuff out of reach to me in the 80s now cheap enough that they don't bother with the lesser wools?  Or is my old-man skin just less sensitive to itch?

At any rate, I like it.