I’m in love with a too expensive jumper

[Badgercity]

And I can’t get it out of my head.

www.celticandco.com/womens/clothing/jumpers/chunky-fishermans-rib-jumper

If I owned it my life would be better and winter would be full of wonderful crisp walks.

Sigh

www.bunti.co.uk/store/c5/Womens_Jumpers.html

@Badgercity just seen that m and s are selling some celtic and co stuff, same price but ability to pay in instalments. Considered buying some of their lovely boots but all sold out

@Badgercity that jumper on Liz from motherland was a curious wardrobing decision. I really believe I had that jumper from Hobbs many, many years ago. Must have been about 2000? Very odd that it cropped up on Motherland two decades later.

I’ll keep my eye on M&S, they don’t stock my jumper at the moment but they might add it. If they do it’s clearly a sign.

Motherland has the best clothes, lots of awesome jumpers tucked in jeans. I want to replicate that look this autumn.

In good news, the warm/hot September weather is making me pine less for my jumper. I haven’t quite retired the Birkenstock’s for the winter yet.

I can't tell you whether or not to buy it, op - it's a lot of money and only you know if you can afford it. But I will say this: one of my most repeated mistakes is when I like something but can't justify the cost, and I find and buy a cheaper version and tell myself, 'it'll do'. Only it never does. Not ever.

Don't be me.

That jumper will give you a monoboob. If you are large of boob, I wouldn’t recommend that style. I speak from person experience.

I've just read the whole thread.
Sorry to all who sent other examples (and thanks as I've saved some pics for winter!) but there is NOTHING like OP's original - OP, you have to do it, I'm afraid.
You know it has to be sent for, and MODELLED on here so we can see it. If it's still as gorgeous, it'll last for years. If it's horrible, you can return it & the itch will have been scratched (no sheepy wool puns intended.)

I bought a mad expensive jumper (pringle) but I got it cheap from tkmax £700 to £30 . Still not worn but its bloody gorgeous. Just saying!

I’ve just been reading through some reviews on Celtic & Co as I like the Donegal jumper…. The comments about washing and people shrinking their jumpers through spinning - does this count for wool wash setting on machines too??

@Badgercity I have a few jumpers from Celtic & Co and tbh no other jumpers compare! They are expensive but there is a good reason. They are soft and just so lovely. I try and wash mine as little as possible. I de-bobble when necessary and they all all still as good as new. They don't really have sales so don't bother waiting for it to be half price because that won't happen. Buy it, if you love it when you try it on then keep it and wear it often!

[quote Coniferhedge]I’ll see your expensive lovely jumper and raise you mine. Definitely too expensive for me!

www.toa.st/collections/womens-knitwear/products/remnant-yarn-hand-knitted-sweater-ecru-multi[/quote]
I want that so much but it’s too rich for my blood.

Itchy!!!!!!!!

No way would i pay that for a jumper, but then im not really a jumper person having always been too hot, i prefer layers usually ending up even in winter in a T shirt.

I have no particular opinion on that jumper, OP, as it wouldn't suit me, but I'd just confirm that the quality of Celtic & Co. jumpers is very good. I have a polo neck and a jumper dress from them that I look after carefully and I reckon they'll last a decade or more - unlike anything from H&M or made of synthetic fibres. No itching. No shrinking. No pilling other than where a bag rubbed and I combed carefully and removed the bobbles.

That suits me because I'm happy with v good quality basics that are not in fashion. I don't really follow trends, just wear quite classic things and tweak here and there as styles change.

So I suppose it depends whether you'd wear it for several years and make the cost per wear worthwhile. It's an unusual colour and might be hard to sell on if you get tired of it.

Re the drying flat instructions: I dry them on a microfibre towel laid over the flat bit of a clothes horse or over the pulley.

@AuldAlliance do you use their special wool wash or any old wool detergent and do you use a hand wash cycle on your machine or fully by hand? I put all my wool jumpers in my machine on a wool wash, but I would be more nervous if the jumper had cost nearly £200.

I had that one in early 80’s. My mum bought it for me and I hated it as an ugly jumper.
Too hot, too thick and makes you lumpy in the wrong places.
Honestly if you love it get someone from a local Facebook group to knit you one. £185 is stupid money for a very traditional jumper with no other redeeming features,

@Squiz81
I handwash them with wool shampoo, but that's because I have very hard water which I think (perhaps wrongly) is harsh on textiles. And I don't fully trust my machine either.
They don't need washing very often, which helps.
In summer, I store them in a fabric bag with a lavender sachet tucked inside and then shut them in a plastic bag (but I live in a place where warm clothes like that only get worn between about December and February and moths are a problem).

Thanks @AuldAlliance I’m in a hard water area too. I buy the wool wash - just supermarket own brand usually - I never know if it makes a difference or not. Think I got a bit thrown by their recommendation for Celtic Wool Wash which is £8 a bottle…I’m guessing it’s the equivalent of getting your hair done and the stylist insisting their fancy expensive shampoos will make a big difference to your hair.

Yeah, I'd skip that nonsense and just use a quality wool wash.

But, honestly, if you're not wearing it next to your skin all the time and make sure to air it properly between wears, a pure wool jumper doesn't need washing very often.

@Badgercity in your latest post you call it "my jumper", so if you feel that it is yours already, then maybe it should be?
Forget it for a week and then see if you still really want it?

If you don't want a high neck?
www.thecrofthouse.com/womens-chunky-cuffed-jumper-light-teal.html

@PearlyRising I think this is the Motherland jumper www.johnlewis.com/jigsaw-cropped-block-jumper/p3945331

I also suggest looking at
www.thecrofthouse.com/

Their knitwear is beautiful

For what to wash it with, I bought some wool wash off Amazon for about 5 quid. It will by my reckoning do 15 washes. It makes the wool very soft and not itchy.
I've only washed my coatigan twice and I've had it over a year.
I do tend to not wear it as much,I always think of the effort of washing it by hand and worse drying it. It's meant for winter but drying it in winter would be really difficult. Still I bloody love it.
I've also got boots from them, wilderness boots, adore them, so tough but so lightweight too.
They have a clearance section always and if you sign up to emails the odd sale of stuff worn in photo shoots and ends of line comes up.
I tend to just buy it and worry later. I saw a beautiful bag that I missed in the sale because I was trying to justify £60. They dont do that style any more and probably wont again.

And after that wall of text, can you all stop posting wonderful sites that I keep looking at and thinking ooooh like that. It's not doing my bank balance any good.

We have lots of handknits. I hand wash them in a wool wash like Woolite and either short spin in a net bag or fold/roll in a bath towel and give a good squeeze. Then dry the just-damp jumper over an airer, so that the weight is supported (not necessarily totally flat). It's not a case of having a dripping sweater hanging around for days.

Update! I couldn’t justify the too expensive jumper, but I did find this one in a charity shop yesterday. £2.99! It’s M&S wool blend, slightly itchy but only when I get too warm. It’s beautifully warm and cosy and just right for wearing outside right now with no coat. It’s not my perfect jumper obviously, but at £2.99 it helps me save for next year!

Buy it. Life's too short not to.