Question about bobbly jumpers

[midlifecrash]

My mum mentioned that her new cardigan was already getting bobbles on it, and this seems to happen very fast with knitwear these days - and I thought Yes, I've noticed that. Definitely any knitwear I've bought in the last 10-15 years ish gets bobbles, sometimes even on its second wear, even without having had a wash. This happens with fine or chunky knitwear and with pure wool and acrylic mix. So I wondered - does anyone know why? Are there any textile technicians on here?

Not a technician but I think bobbles occur through friction. As the garment rubs against a surface, teeny little fibres break off which form the bobbles. This happens with that viscose jersey material too. I use one of those debobbling shavers, they work quite well.

Thanks Vicious! This would imply that we are rubbing against surfaces more than we used to - hmm hadn't noticed that!

Wonder if central heating plays a role (we never had that when I was young, we had to sleep in a hole in the ground, etc)