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British Lambswool, Cordings, Alain Paine, etc.

Lol1000

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Hi everyone,

probably a weird season to ask this question, but does anybody have any insights and tips regarding British/Scotish lambswool knitwear?

Reason is, I bought a few lambswool pullovers at Cordings in January after being a pure cashmere person for probably 15 years. I am amazed by the quality and comfort, so I tried finding similar webshops.

Can anyone share comparisons of Cordings with the knitwear from Alain Paine and Oliver Brown or maybe even vouch for one of them or any other lambswool knitwear provider? Is there anything to know about the mills where they source their fabrics from?

Appreciate your thoughts on this.

Stay safe everyone!
 

aristoi bcn

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I like William Lockie. Sturdy, easily accesible, reliable fit and not expensive.
 

Lol1000

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I like William Lockie. Sturdy, easily accesible, reliable fit and not expensive.

I have followed-up on this a bit more.

In fact, Cordings was kind enough to tell me their suppliers, which is actually William Lockie. However, I still struggle with finding a shop that has a size S from them.

I ordered a couple of pullovers from Alan Paine, but no comparison. Not bad, but not as comfy and fluffy as the Cordings/WL ones.

I will reach out to WS directly and ask if they can make few in size S.
 

aristoi bcn

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I have followed-up on this a bit more.

In fact, Cordings was kind enough to tell me their suppliers, which is actually William Lockie. However, I still struggle with finding a shop that has a size S from them.

I ordered a couple of pullovers from Alan Paine, but no comparison. Not bad, but not as comfy and fluffy as the Cordings/WL ones.

I will reach out to WS directly and ask if they can make few in size S.

Lockie is top stuff. Their most offical retailer is Teviotdale Mills, they will probably will tell you to contact them.

When you say size S you mean pit-to-pit 20 inches (aprox 50cms)? If yes, you should be able to find this size in most online shops that sell Lockie.

Otherwise, Drake's and Anderson&Sheppard sell rebranded WL (though a little overpriced) in sizes XS and XXS (38 and 36 as per Lockie sizing).
 

Lol1000

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Lockie is top stuff. Their most offical retailer is Teviotdale Mills, they will probably will tell you to contact them.

When you say size S you mean pit-to-pit 20 inches (aprox 50cms)? If yes, you should be able to find this size in most online shops that sell Lockie.

Otherwise, Drake's and Anderson&Sheppard sell rebranded WL (though a little overpriced) in sizes XS and XXS (38 and 36 as per Lockie sizing).


It´s rather about arm-length, as I have shorter arms than usual sizes it seems. I also thought about Drakes and Armoury, so good to know it´s the same producer. Thanks anyway!
 

Lol1000

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It´s rather about arm-length, as I have shorter arms than usual sizes it seems. I also thought about Drakes and Armoury, so good to know it´s the same producer. Thanks anyway!

I took this a bit further and bought a sweater and a cardigan from Teviotdale Mills. Their website was down for months, but ultimately they reopened and had a few items on sale. I had to place the order by phone, though, as they had some trouble with my delivery area. I was also waiting for Drakes to give some rebates due to their available sizes, but still today I find it too pricy. Ahume didn't have any smaller sizes like S or 38.

I really have to compliment William Lockie for their craftsmanship. I bought a grey Aran pullover in Lambswool as well as a Merino navy cardigan. The pullover is very soft and super fluffy. In fact, it seems to be a stock surplus from a Japanese order from United Arrows and fits very well.

The cardigan is a bit rougher and sturdier, which surpised me, as I thought Merino was the softest wool. Slightly confusing, as I have a Merino vest bought at Cordings, which is extremely soft. But all good, though, at 70 bucks it was a fair bargain and I was looking for something to wear when outside in autumn in the park.

Sizewise, both are size 38 and fit quite well. The pullover is perfect, whereas the cardigan could be 1 cm longer on the sleeves, but in fact it has roll-up sleeves, so I will just see how it adjusts to my body and then maybe roll the ends down.

@aristoi, thanks a lot for this hint! I love this community of experts!

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aristoi bcn

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Happy to see you liked the stuff.

Later in the year will order a batch of cashmere pullovers. Still hesitant whether going to Lockie or to A&S
The latter is pricier but fits me better.
 

Shetterd

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Great purchases! Just discovered William Lockie myself (got a shawl-collar cardigan from A Hume). How might you (@aristoi bcn) go about hunting down a colourway which no stockists appears to offer, but which they all claim exists on their websites (they have little swatches)? Thanks!
 

Lol1000

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Not sure what you mean. Can you clarify? What colour are you looking for?
 

Lol1000

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Hi everyone,

I bought a few more jumpers for the season, two lambswool from William Lockie (Moorings Knitwear) and one Merino directly on sale from John Smedley. Fantastic stuff.

A few observations:
- The WL are the same size, as my previously purchased Cordings WL/lambswool pullover, which was their size M. Cordings told me they do their own WL runs, so not a bit surprise, but good to know. I was looking for the right fit and now I am certain that S is the right fit for me.
- I might be wrong, but the Cordings WL is a bit softer, at least so far, probably because I wore it more often so far. I hope they turn out the same over time.
- The new WLs are model "Leven" with a saddle-shoulder. The Cordings one does not have a saddle-shoulder. So far not difference in wearing.
- the sleeves of the new WL are a bit wider, not too much, but still noticable

The JS is unique, very soft, very nice colour. I almost feels like knit-underwear and I will definitely layer this under a cardigan or so.I paid 85 GBP on their website, so quite a bargain. Sleeves are maybe 1 inch longer than the WL, but it still fits and you can theoretically roll up the cuff.
 

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Lol1000

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Can someone help me with understanding this:

I checked the labels of the knitwear purchased over the last couple of months, and it seems somewhat inconsistent. My light-green Cordings pullover has a tag that says 100% pure new wool (even though their website says 100% lambswool), but my dark-green William Lockie jumper I purchased online (which should be exactly the same except the Cordings label) says 100% lambswool.

Also, the WL cardigan I bought says 100% pure new wool on the woolmark, but then it says 100% Merino on the WL label.

The navy cardigan could be a labeling screwup, as it was an outlet item anyway. But how can the Cordings jumper say pure new wool? Isn't pure new wool something different to lambswool?

Here are the pics:
 

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Blake Stitched Blues

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I'm a big fan of Cordings lambswool knitwear, and in my experience it tends to be a little more generous fitting and has a softer finish than WL branded lambswool. Their geelong sweaters are very nice too.
 

Marshak

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Lockie is top stuff. Their most offical retailer is Teviotdale Mills, they will probably will tell you to contact them.

When you say size S you mean pit-to-pit 20 inches (aprox 50cms)? If yes, you should be able to find this size in most online shops that sell Lockie.

Otherwise, Drake's and Anderson&Sheppard sell rebranded WL (though a little overpriced) in sizes XS and XXS (38 and 36 as per Lockie sizing).

I agree. Lockie is fantastic, sturdy fabric, relaxed but not loose fit, excellent neck support. I have two lambswool rollnecks I bought maybe 20 years ago which are in perfect fit. For your info, the customer service of WL is incredible. Since I didn't find any rollneck in their collection or on the site of Teviotdale Mills, they agree to make me a copy respecting the specs of the original model. Mindblowing service.
 

aristoi bcn

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I agree. Lockie is fantastic, sturdy fabric, relaxed but not loose fit, excellent neck support. I have two lambswool rollnecks I bought maybe 20 years ago which are in perfect fit. For your info, the customer service of WL is incredible. Since I didn't find any rollneck in their collection or on the site of Teviotdale Mills, they agree to make me a copy respecting the specs of the original model. Mindblowing service.

wow that's a good piece of information.

I might contact them to order 2-ply cashmere rollnecks in colours to match my bespoke woolen cashmere. Their stock service only has the 1-ply rollneck in very basic colours.
 

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