Why does all my knitwear bobble horribly - what am I doing wrong?!

[Lagirl20]

I love autumn and winter because I love wearing jumpers and cardigans. My knitwear had always bobbled horribly. In recents years I’ve made an effort to buy less and from what I thought were better brands - often in sales. I have a lot of knitwear from & other stories, Arket, Jigsaw, etc. it’s still all bobbling horribly! Some items bobble the very first time I wear them. Some of my jumpers which I haven’t had for more than a few months are one giant bobble. What am I doing wrong? Other people don’t seem to have the same problem. Items bobble through wear, before I’ve even washed them, so it’s not that. Am I doing something wrong? Or are other people spending time debobbling regularly? HELP ME!

It could be what they are made from. Acrylic jumpers bobble and look tatty very quickly. Wool, cashmere or cotton bobble less.

As above, fabric content makes a big difference. Even if you’re buying from higher end shops.

Cashmere and wool will bobble too. You just have to use a razor or a comb to gently remove the bobbles.

👋 to @JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon!

you need a de-bobbler

Merino wool bobbles less, I have a terrible time with cashmere, or cashmere blend so it can be a call between the fabric I prefer and bobbles and a debobbler, or a fabric that isn’t quite as nice (to me) and low to no bobbles. It must be 100 percent merino, not a blend.

Agree that merino bobbles a lot less. I never buy acrylic but have been disappointed that more expensive jumpers made from wool or cashmere have bobbled very easily. I have just had to accept that I need to use de-bobbler fairly often.

It’s the nature of wool. The fibres will do that with wear and washing. Merino is great in that respect.

You probably aren’t doing anything wrong. If the yarn has a high acrylic content it will bobble quickly snd relentlessly and there is nothing you can do about it really. Alpaca and cashmere both bobble a lot but they do just need proper regular care with a cashmere comb. Non-bobbly yarns are mainly cotton or merino. Sadly paying a lot of money doesn’t guarantee fibre content, you really need to look at what you are buying.

I have just spent an hour de bobbling my favourite top! One of my favourite autumn jobs

It's normal, and sometimes happens even more to expensive, soft fibres - cashmere being a prime example. De-bobbling combs and shavers are essential for keeping your knitwear looking tidy. I often find something will bobble more when new and then it settles after I've de-bobbled it a couple of times and worn more, I assume the softest, fluffy bits will have gone by then.