A boiled wool sweater the color of manzanita half price at Nordstrom Rack. My Universe knows me well!
This sweater is SO cozy yet oddly lightweight. The fabric, described as “jersey” by the brand, is 100% wool but moves and drapes like cotton. It’s wonderful. It’s so soft, it feels like you have nothing on, which is my preference, except that I live in the foothills with thirty degree rain so even indoors it’s not really an option. Living in Hawaii spoiled me for lightweight, drapey clothes and this sweater is the cold weather version of a muumuu. It’s effortless and loose but confronts cold wind like a full-on winter jacket. This is why I love natural fibers so much. They actually keep you warm! This boiled wool, I have to learn more about. I’m fascinated at how thin it is, yet how warm. I’ve shrunk wool sweaters before and they did not feel like this.
Design-wise the sweater has a unique shape, minimal stitching and a very loose fit. It reminds me of a shortened tunic from the Viking days because it’s so square and the sleeves are so roomy. I’ve often thought about why Viking clothes were so baggy (my son is super interested in his Swedish heritage so we read a lot about Vikings and we’ve assembled more than one authentic costume). The bagginness, I’ve determined, is to keep as much warm air surrounding the body as possible. When you’re only wearing natural fibers, this is how to stay warm in cold climates – layers and bagginess. We’re use to synthetic outerwear these days but synthetics are a very recent invention. For most of the time that people have been living in and traveling through cold climates, natural fibers were the only option.
I know synthetics have thier place in cold weather but in my opinion, they don’t have any place next to our skin. Synthetic fabrics may provide a baseline barrier but they don’t insulate the way natural fibers do. I used to buy synthetic sweaters but after living in Tahoe, I don’t fall for them anymore. They look good on the rack but they don’t perform or last. Even wool-acrylic blends let the wind right in plus they start piling after the first wash. Some synthetic sweaters are indeed beautiful but the job of a sweater is to keep you WARM.
Finding this boiled wool sweater has really lit up a few lightbulbs in my brain. How many types of fabric can be developed with strictly natural fibers? Some of my favorite pants are my full synthetic Adidas warm-ups. They fit and hang so perfectly. They don’t wear out. They’re so comfortable. I usually wear a wool base layer underneath them but could there be a pant that draped the same way using boiled wool?? A girl can dream.
Until I can convince Eileen Fisher and Adidas to form a partnership and get into the natural fiber sportswear space, try any boiled wool styles from Eileen Fisher. Let me know what you think. And for now, you can still find the funnel neck boxy fit boiled wool jersey sweater half price at Nordstrom Rack!
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Funnel Neck Boiled Wool Sweater
Similar Styles from Eileen Fisher:
Lightweight Boiled Wool Funnel Neck Top in Regenerative Wool (Longer Length)