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Original poster

Acrylic sweaters

51 replies

dangerdestroy · 05/10/2018 15:31

I see acrylic 'knitwear' everywhere.
I see all this lovely looking 'knitwear' that I can't buy because I hate it and it doesn't heat me up..

Is there any heat value in acrylic (and other MMF) or do I need to change my attitude towards it?

OP posts:
hammeringinmyhead · 05/10/2018 15:32

Not for me. I hate it too! I've ended up with either cotton or wool and paid a bit more for it. Acrylic bobbles like hell too.

Didiusfalco · 05/10/2018 15:35

I don’t like acrylic and have noticed this too. In M&S of all places. I filtered by material on their website and they had more acrylic knitwear than anything else. This definitely wasn’t true a few years ago. I’m not making any adjustments - I’m just not buying it.

BananaBonanza · 05/10/2018 15:37

I love my acrylic jumpers. They wash and wear and last for years.

If I'm doing something really cold and really smart I go for the cashmere, but otherwise no cos they're a right fiddle to wash and care for compared to acrylic

BananaBonanza · 05/10/2018 15:39

The M&S ones are literally what I'm wearing today. They are indestructible

Original poster
dangerdestroy · 05/10/2018 15:59

I know re M&S! They have this 'cashmere feel' stuff , a simple crew that comes in many colours that looks so handy for work and home, but it feels horrible and it's just not warm!

Does anyone find it keeps them warm?

OP posts:
Barbayagar · 05/10/2018 16:12

I can't bear acrylic either, the feel of it sets my teeth on edge and it doesn't keep me anywhere near as warm as a thinner Uniqlo merino jumper. It's not so bad if it is a mix but it's so rare to find a jumper without it these days.

onalongsabbatical · 05/10/2018 16:17

Given that acrylic is plastic, and plastic fibres are one of the worst forms of plastic because they are so small and come out of your clothes and into the environment when you wash them, I'm glad that you're not buying it, OP.
I hate wearing it too, and it certainly doesn't keep you warm. No more than a plastic bag would really!

Didiusfalco · 05/10/2018 16:37

Interesting that you love it banana. Does it actually keep you warm though?

DonDrapersOldFashioned · 05/10/2018 16:41

I hate the feel of acrylic, especially when it’s wet [shudder]. It’s weird as a fabric, it does necessarily keep me warm but it does make my underarms sweat. Worst of both worlds.

DonDrapersOldFashioned · 05/10/2018 16:41

doesn’t keep me warm

PickAChew · 05/10/2018 16:44

It gives me dreadful dermatitis.

And smells weird.

TheVonTrappFamilySwingers · 05/10/2018 17:04

You are not alone. I refuse to buy anything acrylic - and what pisses me off is the places like Boden who are charging £££ for acrylic knitwear.

Mercurial123 · 05/10/2018 17:05

Acrylic is awful. Once again quality goes down and prices remain the same or increase.

BananaBonanza · 05/10/2018 17:09

@Didiusfalco I'm not sure there's a straight answer to that... I find layering more important for keeping me warm than the fabric. Whether that's with Acrylic or cashmere.

If I was cold I'd wear a thermal vest, a tshirt and some form of over sweater, fleece or hoodie. The number of layers wouldn't depend on whether the layers were acrylic or cashmere. It's way warmer than cotton mix

The cashmere is quite nice for layering because it is so thin and slimline. And it looks cute. So for special occasions I'll use the cashmere.

But TBH the M&S jumpers do a close enough job day to day and and i dont worry about wrecking them. If I couldn't get want I wanted cashmere wise second hand of ebay for less than a tenner I would get the marks new happily. I'd never bother getting it new its just not worth the cost

One exception is a Laura Ashley coatigan that's warmer than everything. But that's 100% lambswool not cashmere. (Still got it off eBay for about a tenner)

@onalongsabbatical disposal fashion is bad for the environment too especially if you take into account transport costs etc. My marks sweaters are certainly 10 years old, if not older, and look as good as the day i bought them. There's no way the cashmere will last that long especially if you wore it everyday. Nothing is perfect. There's also concern about animal welfare with cashmere.

BananaBonanza · 05/10/2018 17:20

So in short if you want warmest go for lambswool as opposed to cashmere!!

Sitranced · 05/10/2018 17:24

Hate it. They feel squeaky and makes me sweat too much. I'd rather wear a thinner merino jumper with a cotton layer underneath.

Stanmorevisit · 05/10/2018 17:34

Actually that's a lie too. The warmest stuff is the technical fleece from tog 24 especially the 300 weight stuff. But that's man-made and looks... well... like a fleece so definitely shouldn't be allowed in style and beauty!!! Grin

Undercoverbanana · 05/10/2018 17:38

Jumpers, whatever they are made of, make me itch and sweat.

Hoodies are the answer. Not the groovy ones with zips, obviously. The over the head ones.

Harleypuppy · 05/10/2018 17:39

I wear acrylic because I'm allergic to wool. I also hate the feeling of really soft wool. Even writing about it is making my teeth feel itchy. Shudder.

BananaBonanza · 05/10/2018 17:49

Thing is if you love cashmere and you can afford it great.

But I don't think you're missing out if you can't and if you really like an acrylic jumper you should give it a try. (Especially the m&S ones because there bulk standard vneck/crew neck jumpers are fab)

allthatmalarkey · 05/10/2018 17:53

I'm with @Harleypuppy. Acrylic is the only knit I can wear.

Didiusfalco · 05/10/2018 17:55

You make a good point banana but i must say I looked at some of the M&S ones and thought - £35 for acrylic! Daylight robbery.

PinguDance · 05/10/2018 18:02

As someone who knits it annoys me in principle that high street shops benefit from knitwear trends started by actual knitwear designers but don’t actually do anything to support the British wool industry. I can appreciate that’s a niche complaint though. I agree the price is often a piss take with acrylic though i don’t object to acrylic entirely as it can be blended with wool to make a yarn stronger

Narya · 05/10/2018 18:03

Like pp I'm allergic to wool, so I prefer acrylic. Not had a problem with the warmth, but it's so long since I've worn a wool jumper maybe I just don't know what I'm missing! I'd wear cotton jumpers but they arent that widely available and tend to be frumpy styles.

Mercurial123 · 05/10/2018 18:05

Marya have you looked at COS they do great cotton jumpers.