Shawl Collar Cardigan … advice sought, please?

[dieworkwear]

I have a Lockie shawl collar cardigan (lambswool), which has held up well. I think I bought it about six or seven years ago.

 

[ChasingStyle]

lambswool wears softer than camelhair fyi

I disagree with this statement. My camelhair cardigan is definitely softer than my lambswool ones

 

[double00]

I disagree with this statement. My camelhair cardigan is definitely softer than my lambswool ones

i'm referring to general robustness of wear , yes camelhair can be softer than lambswool . nor is it fragile the stuff has been made into floor coverings since forever ( still is ) . camelhair refers to a specific breed ( or maybe it's a species not sure ) and is sorted right off of the critter as it's collected , not shorn . there is quite a spectrum of fineness and coarseness in camelhair , even discounting the guard hairs .

ch will have a significantly longer staple length and , i have found in general , more integrity of yarn and fabric ( we're talking knits here) than lambswool . incidentally , i don't consider pilling a defect but a good staple length and a combed prep is a good bet for those who are looking to avoid .

lambswool is something of a hodgepodge term insofar as it doesn't refer to a specific breed ( it refers to first-year , first-shear ) and is often processed as unsorted , but some shops do pedigree their lambswool .

i've personally knitted quite a bit of stuff up with camelhair ( in blends typically ), simply because it makes up really well and is worth the time and effort , i've found it to wear durably yet next-to-skin soft . lambswool in my opinion is reliably soft but makes a not-great semi-worsted yarn imho . maybe if i saw it in a true woolen spun or something that i might reconsider .

worth noting most yarns are processed as worsted or semi-worsted ( true woolen spun is rare to see these days ), it could be that i just find fault with how lambswool is processed for knitting yarn and find that those processes favor ch which is much more hairlike and amenable to the typical modern processes . lamb is delicious tho .

 

[Connemara]

I ordered a William Lockie shawl cardigan from Baltzar. I’m interested to see how it compares to offerings from the standard brands - Brooks Bros, J. Crew, etc. Based on the reviews, I think I’ll be happy.