Cosy jumpers for a menopausal woman

[Hotandbothered222]

I’ve spent the day feeling hot an bothered in an M&S polyester jumper and I’m fed up. It was like being encased in plastic - I could literally feel the ‘fabric’ squeaking.

What materials am I looking for that will be cosy, wash well, and not cost the earth? I just can’t do polyester any more! Any good suggestions for something I can buy on the high street (I’m not keen on online shopping).

Cashmere or merino, and yes men's jumpers are good as they can be worn looser.
Bonus is that if they are well aired they don't need to be washed very often.

Cotton t-shirt or shirt underneath.

Polyester is a complete no-no unless a small component of a blend eg with linen.

Another fan of Uniqlo's knitwear, especially the merino. M&S merino knitwear is also good and for milder in-between days, I like John Smedley sea island cotton knits (can't afford full price but I have picked up several bargains from their outlet site). I buy cashmere secondhand from eBay for colder winter days but it is a bit of a faff to hand wash.

Definitely go for merino. I don't have experience of Uniqlo, but have bought a lot of Marks and Spencer over the years. Woolovers used to be good, but they mix with a bit of cashmere now which makes the hotter, more expensive and less hard wearing.

I got a nice merino wool one in John Lewis. I run cold at 48 but would never wear plastic based jumpers as they are like a greenhouse.

Link https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-merino-wool-crew-neck-jumper/p111284542?epik=dj0yJnU9bm9faXJZTlRvMkROb1hHNTYwUWtMYTFXOVpuMmhMYkUmcD0wJm49dVQ4UG1LUXRXS1VZQmVMZmJ5Z3JiQSZ0PUFBQUFBR2NSUndv

I never used to wear cardigans but now I actively search for them so I can shed them when needed. Mostly merino wool.

There's some staggering bargains on here

https://www.nearlynewcashmere.co.uk/

And their postage is fast and well packaged.

Forgot to add- the alpaca stuff from here is divine (there's plenty of adults clothing on there too). I also like Dilling for base layers

https://www.cambridgebaby.co.uk/catalog/0-2-yrs?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw68K4BhAuEiwAylp3kkPpHs3w3nWulq3eOGYTHiVXYHdq6FBCLH1pzdq_N_rfRuA8mPKt5hoCIswQAvD_BwE

Thank you for that nearly new cashmere link @LyingPaintSample.I like the idea of buying used but am terrified of Vinted.

I love those jumpers too. I have a few different jumpers from Celtic and they’ve all been great buys - soft, great fit and lasted well.

Cashmere is wonderfully light, cosy and snuggly. It doesn't have to be hugely expensive either. There are a couple of companies who do good pre loved jumpers and cardies. Uniqlo also do some well priced jumpers

How best to wash these jumpers? I had a Uniqlo one that went out of shape pretty quickly, and with the best will in the world I’m unlikely to be handwashing jumpers (apart from the time and effort, it’s hard to dry them and I don’t like the lingering smell of hand wash liquid.)

last week I shrank an expensive Cos jumper that I really liked - it’s so hard to take care of these things!

Hand wash programme with woolite in the washing machine.

Lay flat on a big towel and roll it up gently to absorb more moisture.

Drape flat over the airer and leave to dry.

But as I mentioned earlier, pure wool doesn't need to be washed very often.

As a hot flush sufferer for years, I tend to dress in layers. T-shirt with light cardigan or gillet, then either a light or warmer scarf for drafty offices. Decent quality cotton t-shirts make a good first layer.

Wearing a t-shirt under a cardi or jumper makes for less washing of the second layer. I have lots of quality lightweight cotton, linen and wool cardigans. Delicate cycle in the washing machine, then usually lay flat to dry on a sunny day.

Agree with both of these. Look at the wool/silk base layers in both of those too.