Relationship between Comfort Meter values and the prickle rating of garments in wearer trials

The latest prototype version of the CSIRO-developed Comfort Meter was used to measure representative samples of all the garments used in the Sheep Cooperative Research Centre wearer trials. The average wearer prickle ratings of the garment sets were compared to the average Comfort Meter values for the garments. Comfort Meter values were strongly correlated with average prickle ratings assigned by wearers of the garments. As average wool fibre diameter and fabric knit structure were changed in the fabrics used in the wearer trials, the relationship between the Comfort Meter value and the wearer prickle rating remained highly correlated. The correlation between the Comfort Meter value and the wearer prickle rating changed for a set of fabrics in which the yarn structures were changed. A possible mechanism to explain the various relationships is proposed.