Shetland Sweaters

I have recently become interested in Shetland Crewneck Sweaters. Shetland sweaters appeal to me for a few reasons. First, I think their casual and preppy style make them easier to wear than dressier knits like v-neck merinos and cashmere sweaters. Those styles look better layered under tailored clothing, in my opinion. Second, I feel that Shetland offers much more visual depth than other sweater options, at least at a reasonable price point. Personally, I dislike the very flat look of most inexpensive merino wool sweaters that are sold today. There is just very little interest and are bland.

I found a few reviews that tout O'Connell's in Buffalo being the best Shetland sweaters around (see below):

http://oxfordclothbuttondown.com/2014/11/oconnells-shetland-review/

http://dieworkwear.com/post/64785160730/taking-a-lot-of-shet

http://threads.dappered.com/showthread.php/16020-REVIEW-O-Connell-s-Shetland-Wool-Sweater


Does anyone have experience with Shetlands from O'Connell's? I found what appears to be a great deal on ebay for a lot of their sweaters.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OConnells-S...481864?hash=item2a755a5988:g:9LwAAOSwal5YLgZW

Thanks!

^
you can do a
lot better than
lol'connells
by getting one
from the shetlands
made by a handknitter
cheaper than those
ebay;d stuff

moar and better
colour selections too

dumbass comment from
one of your reviews...
a 'real shetland' has
saddle shoulders... lolwut?
(must be an american thing)

teh handframed ones
have no shoulder seams
no side seams
no sleeve seams

Woodbury said:

I have recently become interested in Shetland Crewneck Sweaters. Shetland sweaters appeal to me for a few reasons. First, I think their casual and preppy style make them easier to wear than dressier knits like v-neck merinos and cashmere sweaters. Those styles look better layered under tailored clothing, in my opinion. Second, I feel that Shetland offers much more visual depth than other sweater options, at least at a reasonable price point. Personally, I dislike the very flat look of most inexpensive merino wool sweaters that are sold today. There is just very little interest and are bland.

I found a few reviews that tout O'Connell's in Buffalo being the best Shetland sweaters around (see below):

http://oxfordclothbuttondown.com/2014/11/oconnells-shetland-review/

http://dieworkwear.com/post/64785160730/taking-a-lot-of-shet

http://threads.dappered.com/showthread.php/16020-REVIEW-O-Connell-s-Shetland-Wool-Sweater


Does anyone have experience with Shetlands from O'Connell's? I found what appears to be a great deal on ebay for a lot of their sweaters.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OConnells-S...481864?hash=item2a755a5988:g:9LwAAOSwal5YLgZW

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Check these out...http://www.nomanwalksalone.com/index.php/makers/makersinfo/view/id/162/

T4phage -

Any specifics on a source for shetland sweaters? A website or specific store?

I have a few from Harley of Scotland, which can be purchased at Unionmade and Bahle's (no experience buying from the latter store). And I have one from Jamieson's, which are available at End Clothing and No Man Walks Alone. Both are nice. I prefer Harley because the fit works better for me but YMMV.

I've heard people mention Spirit of Shetland as well but couldn't access their website a few minutes ago, so I'm not positive if they are still around.

Barbara from Spirit of Shetland retired not long ago unfortunately. Anyone who knows a good source of made to measure hand knit shetlands?

burghler said:

I have a few from Harley of Scotland, which can be purchased at Unionmade and Bahle's (no experience buying from the latter store).  And I have one from Jamieson's, which are available at End Clothing and No Man Walks Alone.  Both are nice.  I prefer Harley because the fit works better for me but YMMV.

I've heard people mention Spirit of Shetland as well but couldn't access their website a few minutes ago, so I'm not positive if they are still around.  

Click to expand...

I bought a sweater from Spirit of Shetland and was disappointed with it. Don't really care about side seams or whatever, and prefer saddle shoulders. O'Connell's are great. Available in more colors than you need and doesn't make the process harder than it needs to be. Going custom, mtm for something as basic as a Shetland sweater seems silly to me.



Woodbury said:

T4phage -

Any specifics on a source for shetland sweaters? A website or specific store?

Click to expand...

lots
google is your
friend always
or you can
send jamieson's
an email requesting
where to order
bespoke

justsayno said:

Barbara from Spirit of Shetland retired not long ago unfortunately...

Click to expand...

i believe in july
someone else
took over
but they
don't do bespoke

i bought a
sweater from
lol'connells and
was disappointed
with it
fit and quality wise

i liek flat seams
with no bulk
and the colours
that can chosen
are much better
with teh rich
vargiations
in teh yarn so
typical of shetland

and to get
it bespoke
with a lower price
gives you an
overall better fit
than otc

what is silly
is to pay moar
for something
that is less



T4phage said:

i bought a
sweater from
lol'connells and
was disappointed
with it
fit and quality wise

i liek flat seams
with no bulk
and the colours
that can chosen
are much better
with teh rich
vargiations
in teh yarn so
typical of shetland

and to get
it bespoke
with a lower price
gives you an
overall better fit
than otc

what is silly
is to pay moar
for something
that is less

Click to expand...

Fully fashioned sweaters are nice, but seriously -- do seams actually bother you? How close do you wear your Shetlands to your body for them to even make a difference? I can't imagine them making an impact on the silhouette or even feel (who wears a Shetland against bare skin?).

I think they're a nice feature, but I don't take them for anything more than a nice little marketing line. And sometimes an indication of quality (assuming you know nothing else about the garment or label). Presumably if someone went through the effort to make a fully fashioned sweater, they wouldn't use cheap yarn.

Shetlands, however, have a low upper-limit in terms of quality. You're not getting some super lux garment, even with "the best" Shetland. It's a workhorse sweater.

With custom, you're getting into a whole mix of unnecessary things:

- Maybe you mis-measure and get a poorly fitting garment. Custom doesn't necessarily mean better fit than RTW
- Maybe your screen doesn't accurately convey colors, and you misread the photos of available yarns.
- Maybe you end up not liking the sweater and, since it's custom, you now can't return it.

With OC, you order, get it a few days later, and either can wear it into eternity or return it if you don't like it. There are a dozens of color options.

Anyway, I bought a Spirit of Shetland sweater. Also one of those Louise Irvine knits. Yes, they were handframed, and they didn't come with seams. But the fit wasn't as good as a standard pattern (common) and getting another would have been a hassle. I also found the yarns to be a bit itchier than my OCs.

For RTW, check out :

http://www.bensilver.com/Shetland-W...vjdTa8cMa9bsDxpZw-ZkihoCaCbw_wcB#.WC-AXuErKi4




These are very nice, classic and you get some pattern.

http://www.bensilver.com/Shetland-W...vjdTa8cMa9bsDxpZw-ZkihoCaCbw_wcB#.WC-AXuErKi4

Unionmade has a nice selection of slim cut Shetland wool sweaters made in Scotland for those who seek a more modern trim fit.

http://unionmadegoods.com/brands/harley-of-scotland-for-unionmade/

I also found a good link with Jamieson's on End Clothing - not bad prices and good color selection.

http://www.endclothing.com/us/catalogsearch/result/?q=Jamieson's+of+Shetland+Crew

Depending on whether you are after a straight Shetland Sweater, or the Shaggy Dog Style, there are a few options. I've been close to purchasing one from O'Connell's from a while now, but also like the brushed Shaggy Dog Style popularised by J Press. (People are divided on the brushed versions, as I've seen on other forums.)

The only ones I personally own are the brushed Shaggy Dog copies from Rugby a few years ago, and they were one of the higher quality items Rugby made. There's a guy selling a red one on Ebay at the moment, New with Tags, and MKI also makes them. The MKI ones looks super brushed. Neither of these have saddle shoulders though. The Andover store also has the brushed ones for sale, and afficionados of Shetlands rave about theirs. They don't have saddle shoulders either.

I agree with you about how they are a lot preppier than alternative types of knitwear. I have no idea why Merino is so popular, it's like wearing acrylic. I get that some people want knitwear without the texture of wool, but really, Merino kind of defeats the purpose since it's so close to how cotton feels. You put on a Merino sweater, and it has a "cold" plasticky feeling to it. You put on a good Shetland and you know you're going to be warm.

They also work much better under a sport coat, especially tweed - it's even worth having a tweed sport coat one size up from your normal one just to accommodate them.