Battle of the jumpers opinions please?

[pollypocket952]

I'm wanting to buy a new jumper.

Need opinions from any jumper experts on which one you would buy & why ..... I have included a snapshot of the composition of the jumpers.

Can the top one be hand washed in cold water? Are any of them at risk of bobbling more? Will one feel softer against skin than the other?

The top one is from other stories & is double the price of the bottom one which is high street.

TIA

I wouldn’t ever buy a polyester and acrylic jumper, don’t know if that helps you op! It’s cheap fabric that won’t last and won’t feel nice and is bad for the environment

There’s only one description!

No there isn’t, the red line separates the two

They will both bobble to buggery with the synthetic mix, if you're looking for something with minimal pilling I've always found merino is best if you're on a budget.

I wouldnt buy the bottom one.
I'd need to feel the top one - and see how expensive it is!

The knitwear I've bought from Stories have not been good quality.

Depends on the jumper.

I have some cashmere stuff and yes its warm and cosy but one wrong move, wash or moth and its destroyed. I literally have a drawer of dead or nearly dead natural fibre jumpers. Even the machine washable cashmere i accidentally slung in the tumble dryer and shrunk.

On the other hand I have 3 M&S acrylic jumpers that probably 15 years old. They look as good as the day i bought them and they were less than £10 a pop. I wear them day day out in winter and i can sling them in the washing machine and tumble dryer with the rest of the washing without a seconds thought.

Having tried the natural fibre route, I'd go for the easiest to wash one.

Top one, without question. No brainer. I hate synthetic jumpers.

I’ve just bought a polyester/acrylic jumper from Tesco (not my usual go to but I loved the colour), and it’s made out of recycled bottles... so not always a bad thing not buying natural fibres!

I wouldn’t ever buy a polyester and acrylic jumper,

Neither are polyester. Polyamide is nylon

I wouldn't buy a polyester or nylon and acrylic jumper though.

Thank you for your input so far

This is the high street one ....

https://shop.mango.com/gb/women/cardigans-and-sweaters-sweaters/leopard-print-sweater57007702.html?c=08&utmm_source=google&utmmedium=cpc&utmmcampaign=Shopping+-+1WOMAN+-+GB&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2u2I8til5QIVh6ztCh2B4QXcEAQYASABEgJMhPDBwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&&ptaid=aud-299873380286%253Apla-734822485146&pgrid=62385541624&talla=21

Thank you for your input so far

This is the other stories one .....

https://www.stories.com/engbp/clothing/knitwear/patterned-sweaters/product.oversized-leopard-sweater-black.0681036001.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1-aIndml5QIViLbtCh3pmAVVEAQYAiABEgIUtPDD_BwE

I have banned myself from buying natural fabrics knitwear as have ruined every past decent item in the wash!

I have some cashmere stuff and yes its warm and cosy but one wrong move, wash or moth and its destroyed.

I get the moths problem but what have you been doing to your jumpers? IME cashmere is pretty hardy and looks good as new year on year. It’s a great investment. Wool and cashmere is better washed in the machine on a cool wash, never tumble dried obviously. Dry cleaning it is like giving it a perm, also a no no. The key is to not wash it that often as it strips it of natural oils (which help keep it clean anyway). I hand wash my cashmere jumpers about once per year and air dry, they are good as new.

The other stories one looks better quality I think.

I just don't want to end up with a jumper that's dry cleaning only as I'm prone to being a sweaty Betty & taking to dry cleaners all the time will be a pain in the arse.

I don't mind hand washing, I have hand washed items that have stated dry clean inly in the past & they've turned out lovely after a gentle handwash.

I just haven't owned anything that is alpaca wool before so I have no idea re the hand washing & whether it would survive it,

Solihooley
Good question. One went through the tumble dryer by mistake (i was devastated). One inexplicably developed moth holes despite cedar balls etc (the rest stored in the same place didnt!). One just bobbled . One sheds hair on your armpits giving you hairy pits!!(angora). Two came to me second hand seemingly in good condition but within six months came unstitched at seams. One i wore for smart nearly a year before it bobbled horrendously. I have a couple im still totally love with but am slightly terrified of wearing and one long woolovers cardi i wear daily at home because its solid and washine washable but little old fashioned in style. Some represented a significant investment for me even though most were second hand.

Perhaps ive just been unlucky. I'm the first to admit Im not the most dainty individual!!. But for me the expense of natural generally just isnt worth it for day to day wear if i have a sturdy acrylic. I dont know how the environmental impact works if you get years out of a "bad" thing and months out of a "good" thing. Ill admit Natural does feel and sometime look more luxurious though .

Op. that said both jumpers look equally delicate so im not sure my argument about acrylic holds in this case!!

Thank you for all your replies.

I'm still holding out for maybe a suggestion on hand washing the other stories one.

I buy acrylic because wool makes me itch. It can bobble but I take care of it. Any kind of wool is a problem.

Also storing items in sealed plastic bags to keep carpet beetles and clothes moths out is more important with animal products.

I do wear cashmere but it has to have soft stitching where the neck ribbing is sewn on, the cheaper ones seem to use some kind of brillo strands. It also needs more care which is a pain.

I’ve knitted many pure wool and alpaca items and they’re all handwash only - I can’t see why you couldn’t hand wash the first one. That’s what you’re supposed to do with natural fibres, have never dry cleaned any 🤷‍♀️

I wouldn’t buy either
I can only wear wool cotton silk or linen or mixes of them

I would buy the Mango one and machine wash it inside out in a laundry bag and on a delicate cycle. I’ve made mistakes with dry clean only clothes as I end up being worried about wearing them as I don’t want to pay for dry cleaning all the time. I’ve ended up wearing dry clean only clothes very rarely, and the they go out of style. But I’ve got machine washable jumpers that still look great after dozens of washes.

I prefer the look of the Stories one, however I probably wouldn't be able to wear it against my skin, would need a layer in between. I would just hand wash it at a cool temperature for the first couple of times and if it survived that then I'd chuck it in the machine.

The Mango one will be easier to look after and softer on the skin, I think. Personally, I'm not too keen on the look of the fabric - don't like the wee hairy/thread type bits on the jumper, but that's just me.

Not sure about bobbling - think the wool one would be more prone to this, although I've had some woollies that haven't really bobbled at all.

Hand washing knitwear, or even delicates/cool or “handwash” setting on machine, is a PITA, hard to wring out without stretching, then drips everywhere when hang on drying rack! A number of my shrinking mishaps have been on the “cool” “gentle” wash in the machine.

I am not fussy about fabrics, happy to wear polyester chiffon dresses and polyester skirts etc, (in fact they wear and wash well) but acrylic for jumpers is the one thing I won't do no matter how pretty or attractive the jumper. Never ever.

Acrylic jumpers have a peculiar sweaty hotness, a bit like wearing a plastic bag. Hot and humid but not nicely warm because of the faint dampness it traps.

Cotton and viscose are good for jumpers, or merino wool. Other wools are itchy scratchy and bobble badly.