We may live in an age of technical fabrics, virtual reality and underfloor heating – but the humble wool jumper is still one of the finest ways to stay warm over winter.
With November here in seemingly record time, now seemed like a decent time to shine a lantern on some of our favourite bits of knitwear – from trusty cardigans to chunky fisherman’s knits.
Put another log on the fire and pull up a chair…
The Andersen - Andersen Half Zip Sweat
Andersen – Andersen is a company from Denmark who make really, really thick jumpers out of super-heavyweight merino wool. These things are serious business – and not only are they dead warm, but they’re also particularly tough.
If you spend your winters grappling with narwhals amongst the Arctic tundra, then this is the jumper for you.
The Maison Kitsune Lambswool Classic Cardigan
The lambswool cardigan is a bit of an overlooked classic. Favoured by both Alan Bennett and Kurt Cobain (two wordsmiths who rarely share the same sentence), these things balance majestically on the imaginary line between smart and casual – meaning they look just as good with a button-down shirt as they do with a white tee.
This one here is made by Maison Kitsuné – and is a delectable shade of burgundy that reminds us of the crackle of old jazz records, the smell of old mahogany furniture and… er… smashed bottles of Buckfast in the park.
This turtle neck from A.P.C. is pretty smart isn’t it? A bit less chunky than some roll-necks, it’s what we’d imagine Simon and Garfunkel would wear if they set their differences aside and played one last show in a nuclear submarine off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness.
On a similar tortoise-throated tip, MHL and Alan Paine know the score.
The Norse Projects Birnir Fairisle Knit
Fair Isle knits are traditional patterned jumpers that take their name from the remote Scottish island where they were apparently first made. Here’s a particularly outstanding example courtesy of Norse Projects.
The pattern is just right, it’s made of dead soft brushed wool, and it was made in Scotland. If the Famous Grouse wore clothes, he’d probably wear one of these…
The Shetland Woollen Co. Crew Neck Shaggy Knit
And finally, a true Oi Polloi favourite – the brushed Shetland crew neck. Made in Scotland… popular with sharp-dressed Ivy League students… dead warm… these are what we think of when we think of ‘woolly jumpers’.
They come in pretty much every colour you can think of too. Brave and courageous knitters of Scotland, we salute you.
Still after a bit of knitwear? See more jumpers, cardigans and 'knits' here.