The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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I recently was able to purchase the sweater of my dreams, a Heavy Knit 8-12 ply McGeorge vintage cardigan in a nice camel/tan color. The best part is that it is pretty much a perfect fit and that it weighs nearly 3 pounds (2 pounds 14 ounces). I definitely plan to keep this forever, and I'll just need to make sure I stay fit so I can always fit into it. I also recently acquired a Heavyweight Malo as well but the quality isn't quite as good as the McGeorge. But it still has a great cable knit design to it and is worth owning for sure.
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3 pounds, wow! So lucky. I have a 3 pound knit and it is so warm, but it is really hard wool and not near as comfortable as my cashmere cables, however it is the most dense knitted jumper I own. I can hold it up to the light and barely any light shines through it. It is basically windproof and bullet proof....i've never seen anything like it. It is about 80 years old and tough as old boots....puts the heaviest top market aran jumpers to shame, it is twice as heavy and far superior in quality.
Tell me about your Malo.
My 8 - 10 ply Malo is quite heavy and is one of my warmest jumpers, however the knit density is not as high as my old Scottish knitwear, but it is still a great jumper.
My old made-in-England N Peal cashmere 6 ply cardigan is a show stopper, and it has not pilled one bit despite being roughed around. This cardigan sadly has low armholes and the shawl collar is not double thickness like my Ballantyne, but it is a great piece to wear none-the-less.
My Ballantyne 6 ply is my most luxurious purchase. The cashmere is decadent and the collar is over an inch thick when worn. It has high armholes and is utter perfection. It was originally too big, but l sent it to one of the world's foremost knitting experts and she took half of it apart and reknitted it on a loom in exactly the original knit pattern. I waited for many months and paid BIG $$$ to have it done, but it was worth it for a Ballantyne masterpiece that is no longer available and would be the finest cardigan ever made. It is a landmark piece as rare as hens teeth and the results of the alteration were perfection. She actually reknit parts of the cardigan.
My other rare masterpiece is my 4 ply Ballantyne cashmere intarsia. It bought it unworn and have never seen anything as luxurious as that. I feel very lucky to own it. This would have taken so many days to make and was BIG $$$$ in the 80's. You won't see such decadent masterpieces like this anymore. It is so beautiful to wear and reminds me of an old woolen jumper I used to wear in the 80's.
I like that I am wearing one of the most luxurious pieces of clothing ever made, yet 99.9999% of people would have no idea and think it is probably just a $20 jumper. I like the fact that only a few would really know what it is. It is the same when wearing Lattanzi shoes, most would think they are just ordinary shoes where-as the reality is vastly different. I like extremely high quality clothing without looking expensive.
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