Realistically, how much should good knitwear cost?

[WeirdArchitecture]

See a lot of threads on the pros and cons of buying expensive knits. One had links to several stores (small designer??) where a merino crew neck was over £300.

I hate cheap knits and am lucky enough to spend a little on natural fibres, but how far is too far? Brora? Uniqlo?
Personally i don't rate Uniqlo at all, and wonder 'who or what' suffers for the production of a dirt cheap cashmere cardi.

Im not looking for recommendations at all, i am interested how much you would be prepared to go, whether you think it is worthwhile to invest in a few higher priced knits, or if, alternatively, you think it is all a racket.

We are used to the quality of clothes becoming much worse as the years go by, so i would love to know other's thoughts on this subject. Many people have little choice wrt clothes spending, so that is obviously appreciated and understood (before anyone decides to land me a punch )

I have a couple of sweaters from navygrey.co/ and I have been really happy with them. They have been washing and wearing really well (well, they were until I made a complete ballsup and managed to turn one into felt when I accidentally washed it on a normal cycle).

I'm certainly prepared to spend c. £150 - £200 on a classic style .

I'm a knitter and looking forward to visiting Northern Yarns in Lancaster when I can organise a free day.

I believe they sell locally sourced wool from the Lake District so looking forward to exploring this

And just to add knitting a lovely jumper is not cheap!

Which makes you appreciate how underpriced some mass-produced knitwear is these days

I am a big fan of knitwear and only wear natural fibres, and I haven't ever needed to spend over £200.

Stores/brands like Celtic & co or Eribe sell lovely knitwear at that price range.

I got two Brora jumpers as a Christmas present nearly 30 years ago. It’s only this year I’ve thought about replacing them and I’m hard on my clothes.

Apart from that, I wear handknits. Because I love knitting and because for some reason they also last forever - perhaps I’m more careful with things I’ve made myself. You can get some lovely yarns and fair isle patterns.

The difference between cheap cashmere and the expensive stuff is the length of the fibres. That’s why the cheap stuff is superficially softer (more fuzzy), but also why it bobbles faster - the short ends of the fibres poke out. This means it doesn’t last as long.

@NotMeNoNo

I feel there's a middle ground though between a tidal wave of dubious cheap £15 synthetics and the £250 "this was bespoke hand-knitted by vegan artisans" privileged few. In the 90s I lived near a factory that made wool jumpers for M&S. It was decent work for local people and they sold for £30-40 even then, that's probably £75-100 today. Getting a new jumper was a considered buy or a special present. Now they are just throwaway. And theres a housing estate where the factory used to be.

I feel if people were paid decent wages they'd be able to afford things made by people also paid decent wages.

Well said.

I bought a jumper up in the Shetlands, small cooperative and it was £120

What about something like this
www.ewm.co.uk/2096286
I’ve got a couple of cardigans and it’s not the softest wool but it lasts well and is all British made.

I'm a knitter and looking forward to visiting Northern Yarns in Lancaster when I can organise a free day.

I believe they sell locally sourced wool from the Lake District so looking forward to exploring this

They certainly do! They are local to me and I'm currently knitting a lovely fairisle hat with some of their Methera yarn, made locally from fleeces from local sheep. The woman who owns Northern Yarn is lovely and she runs online knitting groups and does knit-alongs etc.

That's so nice to hear lazylinguist. I'm knitting a slouchy Aran hat at the moment with their Lettlopi wool which I ordered online but I'm dying to have a proper mooch round the shop IRL.

I really like the names they choose for their yarn: I believe Methera comes from the traditional way of counting sheep. I think Methera meant four?

Do you mind me asking about your fairisle hat pattern? Just by an unhappy coincidence I think I lost my fairisle hat at the gym today . My own stupid fault however I don't understand people who don't hand things in to lost property but help themselves to them instead .

Yes, you're right about the word 'methera' - I love that dialect sheep counting! The hat I'm making is available in Ravelry. It's called 'Seasons Hat' and it's a pattern by Jared Flood. I'm really enjoying making it actually! Picture attached of progress so far.

Btw, if you fancy further knitting chat and yarn/pattern purchase enabling, feel free to pop over to the knit and natter threads on the arts and crafts board.

I don’t think it’s all a racket but I do think there are some brands that are expensive because they’re fashionable and not because they’re quality. Like some pps I now avoid cheap knitwear and spend more for better quality, and for me that means around £80-150, but only for actual good quality, so the brand does matter. My favourite nice jumpers are from cos and Celtic & co, but also from eBay where you can get various quality brands for much less.

I knit and I buy jumpers. I recently finished a jumper made from wool that cost me £97 for the yarn. I'm currently knitting another where the yarn cost £118. If you factor in the hours it takes for me to knit them then you can see why a hand knitted sweater is expensive. Having said that I buy machine knitted / hand finished from decent suppliers like navy grey or eribe. This stuff shouldn't be cheap or farmers and producers as well as manufacturers will be paid a pittance. But oh not everyone can afford to do this. At the moment I can

I buy one or two jumpers each winter, and expect to spend between £120-200 most of the time, for classic shapes and colours, but I also expect them to last: at least 10 years, unless they were thin Uniqlo cashmere... which has gone downhill the last few winters.

The hand-knitters are right: I've bought Blacker Yarns wools which are made about 15 miles away from traceable fleeces and native breeds, and you won't buy enough for an adult size and receive a lot of change from £100. Plus the pattern, and the time.

I would expect to pay £150-£250.

My favourite place to buy knitwear is Izzy Lane. Wool is from rescue sheep saved from slaughter and made in the UK.

Just got this in the sale. I've been shopping with them for years and the quality is excellent.

izzylane.bigcartel.com/product/grimsby-crew-neck-sweater-ochre

This may not exactly answer your question (I usually buy knitwear from Seasalt, Poetry or Wrap) but has anyone noticed that so much knitwear is dry clean these days? I can't imagine buying something in a pale colour and not being able to wash it.

I suspect either the yarn is a sensitive blend made for appearance not washing (maybe to fake a more expensive material) or they are covering themselves as some people won't bother to hand wash/re shape a knit properly.

I know it doesn’t solve the problem of unethically sourced wool but I only buy second hand merino or merino blended with cashmere etc. I’m not a huge fan of pure cashmere, for a sweater & I am not in the income bracket for a £200 sweater but I do love wool. Rather than buy cheap knitwear in the shops I try to buy good knitwear second hand.

[quote Mercurial123]I would expect to pay £150-£250.

My favourite place to buy knitwear is Izzy Lane. Wool is from rescue sheep saved from slaughter and made in the UK.

Just got this in the sale. I've been shopping with them for years and the quality is excellent.

izzylane.bigcartel.com/product/grimsby-crew-neck-sweater-ochre[/quote]
Thanks for posting the link, my Dd is vegan but may like this. What is the sizing like. I think we would need medium but not much in stock at the moment. Will keep an eye out though.

I don’t understand the rush for cheap cashmere, either.

But I’m afraid I’m in the £250 "this was bespoke hand-knitted by vegan artisans" camp.

I know I don’t have to pay that to get decent merino or shetland wool, but I can’t resist the extra design effort when a brand does get vegan artisans to make something non-standard.

I have things from Studio Nicholson that age beautifully (though I’m less keen on the current season’s offerings) and invariably draw breathless enquiries.

And I’m hopelessly (well, not quite) in love with the knitwear from La Fetiche. Once bitten it’s hard to care about looking anywhere else.

I paid £108 for a Celtic Donegal sweater which kept me fabulously warm last week.

I have a Woolovers Shetland sweater which cost £39 in a sale and is slightly less warm, and a Wrap British lambs wool polo neck, at least 20 years old and seemingly indestructible.

Wool sweater plus hiking base layer and a strappy top, is my wfh kit and mean I don't need the heating on.

I generally go mid range for jigsaw or whistles for cashmere in winter and silk/linen for milder seasons. I don’t like paying more than £180 for a sweater.

MsDastardley it's true to size. I'm an 8 or 10 depending on the brand and I buy small.

I’ve a cashmere hoodie from a new small brand and it’s gorgeous… washes lovely and really well made. It’s made in Scotland, traceable etc.

teacupandtova.co.uk/

They don’t have many styles but I’m hoping for a cardigan for Christmas… 🎄