The knitwear thread

Fun fact. Unless it's too severe, caused by heat, you can, often, mostly, not always, stretch wool back.
 
Warm water, tepid, not hot, not cold . Gentle wool detergent or hair shampoo. Stretch a bit in water (bath) then lay out flat wet. Do not wring. On towel.
Pull to stretch. Dry slowly over a day or more. Flat on towel. No hot heat
 
yup. temperature, agitation, alkalinity of detergent can all result in the shrinkage. Even agitating by hand too vigorously ion cold water can result in some shrinkage. When you knit wool fabric it undergoes fulling to close up the fabric and make it more dense but softer. It is done by agitating the wool. That's what the shrinking really is. There is always more shrinkage left in it depending on what caused the original shrinkage and how much. looser knits more.

that makes sense, I have had a couple of jumpers shrink very slightly by washing them in cold water by hand. Too much agitation.

Some cashmere jumpers are impossible to shrink. I used hot water on a 6 ply Ballantyne and left it out in the summer sun and repeated this process 4 times and it got bigger. No problems, l send it to perhaps the world's top knitting expert and she is unraveling it and reknitting it in the exact pattern/6ply style. She has shortened it, took it in slightly at the sides and shortened the sleeves and added a loop at the top. It will be worth the wait and all the work done on it imo. She works with the top knitwear and has done this type of work successfully before.

btw, those Berk/Ballantyne 3 ply turtlenecks I bought recently are utterly fabulous!!! Beefy and great quality. The Ballantyne 4 ply's l also bought are amazing....one is an 80's 4 ply intarsia, so rare.
 
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It worked, at least now it's wearable. Still a little too tight all over but the length is now ok.

Thanks a lot for the advice.
 
Ballantyne for Berk 3 ply cashmere turtleneck. These are really great.
Ballantyne for Berk 3 ply - royal blue turtleneck.jpg

This ugly Versace shirt has been floating around in ebay for years. The bloke wants almost $3,000 USD for the crazy thing.
Versace 1990 velvet turtleneck.jpg
 

Pthh.

Here is something different, a real beauty.

Abercrombie & Fitch 1940's - 1950's made-in-Scotland

This is a fat boy that weighs 3 pounds. HEAVY! Supposed to be 40's or 50's. Wool.


ABERCROMBIE and finch heavy 3.jpg
 

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In praise of the heavyweights, my special focus

I am a collector of heavyweights these days, and they are hard to come by too. Trying to find 3 pound fat boys is a tough ask.

I am now lucky enough to own three 3 pound jumpers:
1). William Lockie cashmere 8 gauge 6 ply button neck (thick and heavy)
2). Ballantyne 6 ply shawl cardigan (meaty and heavy)
3). Abercrombie & Fitch turtleneck

I also have heavy arans, but they are not as heavy as those those 3 pound fat boys. Very hard to find 3 pound cashmere jumpers, almost impossible. Any time l see the superheavy weights l pounce on them.

My other thick Ballantyne 4 plys and 6 ply Lockies are also great, but not as heavy as the super heavy weights.

Nothing like a f-a-t boy to brighten up your day during the winter. Got a fat mtm custom aran on today, it's a true rip snorta.
 
Pthh.

Here is something different, a real beauty.

Abercrombie & Fitch 1940's - 1950's made-in-Scotland

This is a fat boy that weighs 3 pounds. HEAVY! Supposed to be 40's or 50's. Wool.


View attachment 32163

I got the heavyweight Abercrombie & Fitch, and l must say it is an absolute monster. Never been worn, excellent condition and bulletproof. It is easily twice the weight of my heavy John Molloy aran. It is the most dense jumper l have ever seen (can't even see any light through it), and thick as they come. All l can say is WOW!
 
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Got a beauty today! Something quite rare:

Tom Ford - made in U.K cashmere turtleneck (plum colour).


Look at the same jumper except in a different colour, made-in-U.K


Other Tom Ford jumpers exactly the same as the one l bought: I was eying this one off for weeks.



I've never owned Tom Ford before, so it will be interesting to see how their knitwear is. Seems too cool and modern for England or Scotland, so maybe Wales?? I know Anderson & Sheppard has had some amazing knitwear made from Wales that is really classy.
 
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Got a beauty today! Something quite rare:

Tom Ford - made in U.K cashmere turtleneck (plum colour).


Look at the same jumper except in a different colour, made-in-U.K


Other Tom Ford jumpers exactly the same as the one l bought: I was eying this one off for weeks.



I've never owned Tom Ford before, so it will be interesting to see how their knitwear is. Seems too cool and modern for England or Scotland, so maybe Wales?? I know Anderson & Sheppard has had some amazing knitwear made from Wales that is really classy.

Which factory/brand in Wales?

Next Autumn/Winter I will acquire some Lockies. Now that I own several Ballantynes I'd like to compare them both.
 
Which factory/brand in Wales?

Next Autumn/Winter I will acquire some Lockies. Now that I own several Ballantynes I'd like to compare them both.


I am not sure, but what l have just found out right now is that my Tom Ford turtleneck was made in Great Britain.
https://www.tribecafashionhouse.com/products/tom-ford-mens-cashmere-blue-rib-knit-turtleneck-sweater

so then went the search to see who made it. After googling British knitwear brands and searching for a while l came up with this make called Paul James. I'd be willing to bet they are the maker. Look at that collar and rounded shape of the Paul James jumper, and quite chunky - very similar to my Tom Ford. John Smedley and other top British makers don't do knitwear like that. Lets hope my new one is top quality, and l really think it will be....the factory was probably told to make the best stuff. Lets me also say that Kiton cashmere is amazing,as good as anything you could buy these days, and certainly the best ltalian knitwear i've ever seen...why?...because it's chunky and luxurious and tightly knit and hardly pills at all and is solid.

Paul James.......................................................................................................................... Tom Ford

Paul James knitwear.jpg Tom Ford turtleneck blue.jpg
 
Is the Scotch House any good? The tag and sweater look pretty old
 
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A belated thank you!

Bought it used, online. Nice color, nice thick material, good price. There is a small food stain on the front that I'll need to try to remove, but even if I don't, it's a good deal.
 
that makes sense, I have had a couple of jumpers shrink very slightly by washing them in cold water by hand. Too much agitation.

Some cashmere jumpers are impossible to shrink. I used hot water on a 6 ply Ballantyne and left it out in the summer sun and repeated this process 4 times and it got bigger. No problems, l send it to perhaps the world's top knitting expert and she is unraveling it and reknitting it in the exact pattern/6ply style. She has shortened it, took it in slightly at the sides and shortened the sleeves and added a loop at the top. It will be worth the wait and all the work done on it imo. She works with the top knitwear and has done this type of work successfully before.

btw, those Berk/Ballantyne 3 ply turtlenecks I bought recently are utterly fabulous!!! Beefy and great quality. The Ballantyne 4 ply's l also bought are amazing....one is an 80's 4 ply intarsia, so rare.

I made an account just to talk to Shooey! :)

Anything decent in London nowdays with regards to cashmere? N.Peal, Brora, JoE? Or is the vintage stuff still supreme?
 
Not in Shooey’s high end knitwear field, but I’ve been low-Kew wanting one of those repro RAN Submariner jumpers for a while. Would look great under a jacket with jeans, but I’m afraid it would be too hot to wear inside most (over)heated buildings here in Winter.
0E2D450F-85E9-40F6-8AEB-793748469F71.jpeg
 
 
I made an account just to talk to Shooey! :)

Anything decent in London nowdays with regards to cashmere? N.Peal, Brora, JoE? Or is the vintage stuff still supreme?

LaymanX

Hi,

Decent 1 = built like the old stuff (strong good construction)
Decent 2 = little pilling
Decent 3 = non plastic buttons, so higher end features.

Only one brand fits the bill these days and gets 1, 2 and 3 Decent points, and that is Hermes. Half of the higher brand cashmere made these days Gets Decent 2 point, but that's it because they still lack the construction and have plastic buttons.

apparently some of the best stuff could be the new Berk cashmere made by the old Ballantyne workers. Always decent bucks though, and look out for their marketing...even the cashmere made by Ballantyne 10 -15 years ago pilled, but they were still good.

No, Brora and J Of E isn't in the same league as the great cashmere pieces. As far as l am concerned, nothing is built like the `old stuff' except Hermes. Recently l bought two brand new Ballantyne for Berk pieces from about 2007, two 3 ply cashmere turtlenecks, but still moderate pilling on then already, but still very nice solid pieces.

Then again, l also have some Loro Piana pieces that have never pilled, yet l have one Hermes piece that has some moderate pilling on the arms. The most beefy luxurious feeling cashmere is Hermes', but it is big bucks. Half of my modern higher end pieces have little pilling.

In summery: much of the old stuff by the big names was tough and hardly had any pilling, and a sizable number of pieces never had any pilling on them no matter how they have been treated, yet half of recently made cashmere by the best brands does get noticeable pilling. So yes, buying pilling free jumpers is not guaranteed these days, it is a raffle, and getting cashmere build like the old stuff is almost impossible unless one buys Hermes'. Even Brunello Cucinelli and Loro Piano are not build like the old Scottish stuff. Even William Lockie is not built like the old Scottish stuff. Malo is a nice surprise.

Here is my prized orange Hermes' cashmere turtleneck. So thick and luxurious, and hardly any pilling. I like to wear it weekly during the winter.
 

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Actually thinking these days, about a 4 ply William Lockie for fall/winter. Could also put a Gansey from Flamborough Marine or a Aran from O'maille to good use - but a little late to order those.

A orange sweater is great fun. I got a Aran merino with 10% cashmere mixed in, from Inis Main a few years ago in a sale. Not anything close to Hermes, but keeps me warm and isn't piling. Makes a statement, works with jeans when going out for a beer.
 
Actually thinking these days, about a 4 ply William Lockie for fall/winter. Could also put a Gansey from Flamborough Marine or a Aran from O'maille to good use - but a little late to order those.

A orange sweater is great fun. I got a Aran merino with 10% cashmere mixed in, from Inis Main a few years ago in a sale. Not anything close to Hermes, but keeps me warm and isn't piling. Makes a statement, works with jeans when going out for a beer.
O'maille is a work of art, but there is less wool in them than the more expensive arans like John Molloy. O'maille is light wool and can pill a moderately where-as John Molloy is heavy and doesn't pill.

William Lockie is solid mid end quality and great if you want higher ply jumpers. Inis Maein is o.k mid end quality, but pills a lot and doesn't have the strong construction, but it can be very modern looking and stylish.

Late edit: I am currently wearing a ballantyne cashmere turtleneck jumper from the 1970's that l bought unworn and new. I have worn it for a couple of years under tweed coats and v neck jumpers etc and it hardly has a pill on it.
 
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I'm about to order a couple of 1-ply cardigans from Lockie. Is there a better option at its price range out there? (400€)

I imagine Loro Piana and Hermès would be better but not 3 times better as their price.
 
Since you plan to order a couple, could you maybe try one from Berk and see how it holds up? It should be better if it is true what they say (=old Ballantyne).
 
I found this rare gem today, this vintage N Peal 6 ply made in luxurious cashmere. It is so difficult to find a 6 ply.



That being said, l really need to start getting a couple of big daddies, ie, the 12 ply shawl cardigans. I nearly bought one recently but decided on some shirts and trousers instead, but l will get one.
 
^^^ That is rather lovely. Though, 12 ply, nay, 6 ply even, sounds like overkill. Literally and figuratively.
 
^^^ That is rather lovely. Though, 12 ply, nay, 6 ply even, sounds like overkill. Literally and figuratively.
I find 6 ply often isn't enough for me, and even when l wear a 3 ply cashmere turtleneck under it with thermal underlay I feel l could still get warmer. I do feel the 12 ply would be ideal for me, and on many days l would also layer under it.
 
The Shooman The Shooman - These cashmere jumpers are horrendously expensive but come in 14-ply:

 
The Shooman The Shooman - These cashmere jumpers are horrendously expensive but come in 14-ply:


Pthh, that site raises alarm bells. Even if jumpers are called a 14 ply these days, the odds are that it is not going to be a thick warm jumper. Then we also seem to have the situation where many companies exaggerate the ply numbers these days. A real 12 ply is beefy, not puny like the one in the link above. Same goes with the Brunello Cucinelli 12 plys, they look more like a 6 ply.

a true Scottish 6 ply is as rare as hen's teeth, and a true 12 ply even rarer than hen's teeth. It very difficult to get really great knitwear. I purchased a 1940's abercrombie and fitch turtleneck a few months ago, now that would be like a 12 ply, and truly great knitwear made in a time when houses didn't have the heating like today. Made in Scotland. And on a freezing cold day outside i'd slip a 6 ply under the A&F and be as warm as toast where everyone else on the street would be freezing cold.

I am going to Canberra this week. ZERO degrees in the evening and early morning. I might bring the A&F to wear after my meetings.
 
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Pthh, that site raises alarm bells. Even if jumpers are called a 14 ply these days, the odds are that it is not going to be a thick warm jumper. Then we also seem to have the situation where many companies exaggerate the ply numbers these days. A real 12 ply is beefy, not puny like the one in the link above. Same goes with the Brunello Cucinelli 12 plys, they look more like a 6 ply.
It seems there is lots of marketing involved, just like they do with S# for suits. Many people are conviced that more ply = thicker/beefier, disregarding thread size/diameter.

where to buy?
I am only aware of their website:
 
Shoo, any experience with ESK?

And how are Johnstons knits these days? Where do they rank among contemporary Scottish knitwear brands (Lockie, ESK, Hawick, Barrie... any others really?)
 
Shoo, any experience with ESK?

No experience with ESK, but it looks really nice stuff.

mattc123 said:
And how are Johnstons knits these days? Where do they rank among contemporary Scottish knitwear brands (Lockie, ESK, Hawick, Barrie... any others really?)

They are middle of the road. Decent quality for the price. Thicker than the usual ltalian knits priced similarly.

Lockie is a good buy too. Lots of cashmere for not too much. Good midend. I'd doubt there is any highend cashmere anymore from Scotland.
 

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