merino or cashmere?

[latrucha]

I'm tossing up between this and this.

Which is more likely to bobble? Which is more likely to be see through?

I've got a pure new wool jumper from M+S in black and it's great. If theyt had it in this colour I'd get it.

Never had cashmere or merino.

Ta!

Cashmere - you will feel as if you are being cuddled by a baby rabbit! Bobbles can be easily removed.

It does look cosy. How do you remove your bobbles?

merino doesn't bobble

cashmere can get too hot in warmer months

Merino is harder wearing and easier to care for. Cashmere is probably warmer. I would say cashmere bobbles more as it has a slight fluffiness about it that can matt.

Whether they are see through of not depends on the quality.

I actually bought that merino jumper last week but haven't worn it yet! Don't think it see through but it isn't very thick.

What's the quality like?

Quality is OK although for £25 I don't expect top quality. It is purple so dark anyway and isn't see through unless you hold it up to the light but then most things are, if you hold them up. I don't expect it to go baggy or anything like that.

It is soft but not as soft as cashmere.

£59 is fairly cheap for cashmere so I would guess that in terms of quality, the two jumpers you linked to are on a par unless the JL one is a bargain. You need to find somebody who has tried that one too really.

by the power of MN! (I hope)

Merino does not bobble, is cool in summer and is usually machine washable. Have had merino and cashmere/merino mix, but not 100% cashmere.

How did the mix compare to the straight merino?

I have meriono and cashmere items in my wardrobe. Personally I prefer merino because it is easier to care for, wears better and is still warm. I have pieces that are a couple of years old and still no bobbling.

I hate bobbling and I am afraid that this seems inevitable with cashmere and it is a bit of a faff removing them.

I have a few cashmere sweaters and love them. They are lovely and cosy especially this time of year, but you can get too hot in them.

To me, it looks like the JL one would be what is called 'second combing' so not the best grade of cashmere, but still decent none the less.

I would go for the M&S for everyday wear. Washes and wears well.

hth

I do have a baby and a three-year old. Maybe merino is wise.

I have a cashmere jumper from M&S (about 5 years old) loads of bobbles and sheds fibres everywhere. Cannot be washed in biological washing powder/ liquid.

The merino wool £25 v neck jumper I bought from M&S about eight weeks ago washes beautifully and has not bobbled yet after twice weekly wearing and washing. It's the purple one and is a gorgeous colour! Will be buying another in a different colour soon, shame the colour range is limited though

The reason I have only just bought a cashmere jumper (apart from them being too expensive until recently) is that I don't think they are very child friendly. I would want to wash it as little as possible and you can't do that with little ones wiping their faces on your clothes and worse!

I'm right now wearing an expensive cashmere cardigan ruined by snotty noses, projectile baby vomit and crusty oatmeal. Be wiser, go with merino for the moment. In a year or two you can go back to cashmere and will perhaps have time to care for it, too.

Consensus seems to be merino, then.

Thanks.

oh yes, if you have children or animals then stick with merino or a merino/cashmere mix.

I had my fave cashmere sweater ruined last year with my puppies little teeth, he liked it so much he sucked it and had a little gnaw until it had a fifty P sized hole in it.

Dont want to part with it though, keeping it in the hope that it can be fixed.

Oh yes, have the merino and then you can get two for the price of one cashmere.

Some merino does bobble!

I have lots of merino and cashmere (and so does DH) and it is really hard to tell which is going to and which isn't: some of the cheaper cashmere is brilliant and some expensive merino has bobbled!

I would say buy what you like... and buy a cashmere comb and do your debobbling if you need to.

Ah! I didn't know there was such a thing.

Googles....

I wish. I've got an ancient cashmere sweater and thought I would felt it, cut off the arms and make arm warmers.

I boiled it, on the stove in a preserving pan. I pummeled it with a wooden spoon. I abused the thing.

It came out beautifully soft and as clean as anything.

I might have to buy arm warmers.

Ah but yarn that you can buy to felt isn't 'fluffy', it is more woolly....if that is the right word! It certainly isn't like cashmere.

Felting is different from bobbling. It is very difficult to felt cashmere apparently.

I have had to ask myself why I bother with all that hand washing and special care products when, clearly I could be bunging all my cashmere in the washing machine on a boil cycle.

Jax - puppies clearly have a thing for cashmere. Our pup chewed the collar on my roll neck cashmere sweater when it was laid out to dry. I hand stitched it using embroidery silk. It is barely noticeable but I wouldn't be able to wear it for smarter occasions unfortunately.

You can get rid of bobbling by using a knitwear shaver from John Lewis. Cheap and does the job quickly.

oh and to answer OP, I would probably go for the cashmere in this instance.

missmartha - I bet if you put your favourite cashmere jumper in a boil wash by accident sod's law says it would felt beautifully!!