To start, there is the HANSEN RAGNAR knitted wool sweater. This piece is made from 100% pure wool out of G.O.T.S certified yarn. This yarn is produced in Austria organically. Organic yarn has many benefits. It is non-allergenic as chemicals are not used during the production process. This means that it is brilliant for people with chemical sensitivities. Also, a stipulation of organic yarn is that the animals used to produce it are kept in better conditions. This means they are probably given space to roam during their life times. It is better for both people and for animals. The organic yarn is used beautifully in the RAGNAR jumper, tightly spun so that it does not pill in use. The style of the sweater is simple. It has a crew neckline, is flat knitted, and has an ornamental rib knit on the cuffs and neckline. We produce this sweater in the colours hunter, black, blue, and fire. These pieces are made at one of the few knitting companies left in Denmark. It is a beautiful piece of our heritage. Also from HANSEN, we have the ESBEN heavy knit sweater. This piece is made from 100% extra fine merino wool so is completely soft. It’s also knitted with double yarns which makes this very fine wool heavier and warmer.
The merino wool is Italian in origin and the piece is made in Europe. Merino wool is known for being some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep. This means that it is completely comfortable to wear. We produce the ESBEN jumper in the colours black and pinetree. Next is the HANSEN NORMANN pattern knit sweater. This piece is a completely different style with a bold pattern adorning the front of it. The pattern takes inspiration from Nordic fisherman sweaters and is even traditionally knitted by hand.To create the pattern, the intarsia knitting method is used. This enables pieces to be knit together with multiple colours on one flat layer. This means that once a colour is not used anymore, it is left hanging at the back. The different colours are not layered one on top of the other. With a thick, ribbed neckline and wool blend of 70% extra fine merino and 30% baby alpaca, this is a warm piece of clothing. We produce it in two different colour ways - coal and stone and the same colours but inverted.
We also stock a range of heavy wool sweaters from the heritage knitwear brand Inis Meáin. This Irish company create sweaters which are drenched in generations of history, knitting jumpers for fishermen on the Aran island of the same name. Each of their Irish wool sweaters are still knitted on the island by state of the art machinery. However, every piece is finished by hand. The hand knit on Irish fisherman sweaters is what makes them so special. First up of Inis Meáin stock, we have a beautiful deconstructed aran fisherman sweater. This is a 100% wool sweater men’s, made out of the merino variety. It is made with a deconstructed version of the traditional aran pattern, making it a modern twist on an old classic.It wears very well as an oversized aran sweater. Thanks to the fact they are pure merino wool sweaters, they are beautifully warm. This piece comes in the colours beige and electric blue. For another mens Irish wool sweater, we have the Boatbuilder wool turtle neck sweater mens. This piece is produced in a navy colour with 70% merino wool and 30% cashmere. It is luxuriously soft. The Donegal yarn also has a beautiful fleck weaved into it.This Inis Meain fisherman sweater was designed with practicality in mind. It has the flexibility for a craftsman and the warmth for someone who spends their life out at sea. There are numerous other styles including some from Japanese brand Kapital. This makes up a full range of mens heavy wool sweaters, whatever your preferences are.
FAQs about wool sweaters
How do you care for wool sweaters?
As wool sweaters can stretch out of shape, it’s important that you follow the care instructions carefully. You can find these on one of the inner labels of each garment. However, if you wish to be safe, it’s better to wash each of your woolen jumpers by hand. This stops them from being pulled around by the movement in the washing machine and you can control the amount of detergent you use more carefully. Different sorts of wool react to water in different ways so make sure you check the inner label. In general, wash wool in lukewarm water. FIrst, fill a tub or sink with clean, lukewarm water. Then add wool detergent as per the instructions on the bottle. It’s important not to use too much as this can mean that you have to wash the jumper too much afterwards, stretching it out of shape. Next, let your sweater soak for 10 minutes. If you have any heavy duty wool sweaters, make sure they are full submerged before you leave them. Onto the next step, rinse your sweater through with lukewarm water, making sure to get rid of all of the suds. Then, rinse it again with cold water. You jumper is now clean. The drying conditions of wool sweaters are also very important. Knitwear should always be flat-dried so that the weight of the water within the wool doesn’t stretch it out of shape. The best thing to use to do this is a mesh drying rack. That way, the sweater is supported but still has plenty of air circulation around it. Also, if you dry your garments outside, make sure they are put in the shade. Direct sunlight may damage the natural fibres in the wool. Don’t tumble dry woolen jumpers as there is a large risk that the item could shrink when it’s in there. In terms of storage, never hang your woolen jumpers. This can stretch wool, leaving dimples in the shoulders. Instead, fold them and keep them on a shelf so that they don’t have any tension in them.
What other wool sweater items are popular?
Knit designs from other islands around the British Isles are also very popular. For example, the Guernsey sweater has a different sort of knitting pattern which was developed more than 400 years ago. This style too looks like a fisherman cable knit sweater, though has some distinctive characteristics. They too are 100% pure wool sweaters. The wool is knitted tightly so that it’s both warm plus wind and water resistant. These sweaters are also knitted in the round. Another characteristic of these mens cable knit sweaters was that they were identical on the front and back. This meant that if one side saw excess wear, such as in the elbows, it could just be turned around and continue to serve its purpose. An oiled wool fisherman sweater is another popular type of knitted piece. When wool is oiled, this means that it isn’t highly processed or dyed. This means that some of the natural lanolin oils from the sheep’s fleece are maintained.
