Good winter jumpers that last and don't bobble

[workingtowards]

Hoping that the mumsnet crew can point me in the right direction. I am 57, 5ft 2 and am trying and failing to find good winter jumpers that last and don't bobble. I have been really disappointed recently with jumpers I've bought from the White Company and Hobbs, which barely lasted 2 months before starting to look really tired. Any suggestions for where to get great jumpers that last? Very grateful for any pointers.

Have you tried using a cashmere comb to debobble? Having said that some fabrics are a lot worse for this than others. Bobbles are caused by the way that wool/fibres are milled - generally the softer something is, the more it's been processed. This puts more stress on the fibres and means they're more likely to break.

The jumpers I have that don't bobble at all are made of Scottish milled cashmere (the non-fluffy kind, as opposed to the super-soft Italian style) which I mostly buy vintage, or pure wool. The wool ones do still need a comb every now and then but not that often. Can't really help with shop recommendations though - I find the quality so bad in most places that I only buy vintage for knitwear. Having said that I did buy a lambswool jumper from Toast a few years ago which seems to be wearing well, not cheap though!

Have you tried Woolovers? They’re good for basics/classic styles.

I wash knitwear with Woolite and use a bobble off machine regularly. They come up great after a quick de-bobble.

All my jumpers have at one time or other required a shave but the M&S and Jaeger cashmere has fared the best. Worst has been H&M and & Other Stories which were synthetic and I won’t get lured in again. I’ve got some merino wool sweaters from men’s sections at charity shops but I haven’t worn them enough to know about them yet. If I were buying sweaters now I’d look at “community clothing “ which are manufactured in the U.K. and seem to be quite classically styled in a good way at a fair price point.

https://communityclothing.co.uk/collections/womens-jumpers-knitwear

Another vote for Woolovers - i have a couple of very warm and very lovely jumpers which last winter after winter. There is often some good bargains on Vinted

Thank you all, that is all really useful. I am going to have a good look at community clothing (what a good ethos), woolovers and vinted today. Heading down the Kings Road by chance tomorrow too, so will try the other stores mentioned.