Thank you! The more Babaa thoughts the better as they’re come up so often as a jumper suggestion. Something that can be worn on its own or when working from home is actually perfect for me!
Chiming in here on &Daughter. A few years ago I bought a Fintra turtleneck on deep NAP sale, as an oversized navy turtleneck sweater had been on my wishlist for a while. I have to say I’m very pleased with it. I only wear short sleeved t shirts under my sweaters and this sweater, while very heavy wool, doesn’t itch at all. It’s very soft for its weight, if that makes sense. The turtleneck part is hugely long (like I have to fold it down twice - it looks like newer ones are less long) but it’s very cozy on the coldest days. And like I said, it doesn’t itch at all. When the right one (eventually) pops up I will get an &Daughter crew neck sweater too. I really like the weight and heft of the wool as a sweater option.
I like your idea of a sweater that’s not too precious to take camping! But really, that should be all our clothes, right? Things we love so much that we use them for everything!
Thanks for sharing, heavy and soft sounds heavenly! Will keep that in mind when I shop around. Wool is great when camping (wool socks, thin base layers or a heavier jumper to wear around the campsite) they're truly resistant to dirt and smells, and keep you so warm. I borrow my partner's alpaca wool jumper whenever we do camping and it's 100% nicer than any sports fleece.
I purchased a sweater from Babaa during their Black Friday sale after having my son, and I think I wore it a small handful of times. It was too rough for me to wear while I was holding him as a newborn, and the oversized fit felt at times, a little bit inconvenient? I've heard that there is a difference between some of their wool knits. The ones that are less treated tend to be rougher and itchier (these are the natural colours). I would be tempted by their cotton sweaters but honestly, I have enough at this point and need to stop buying more.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m very apprehensive of buying knitwear online so the advice is helpful -- I did indeed think the Babaa level of oversized might be inconvenient haha.
I got a wool cardigan from Babaa and only wear it at home now because the wool is such poor quality that it looks shabby. I have no idea how they've come by their good reputation (to be fair, their cotton knits look great).
I also ordered the Fintra turtleneck from &Daughter, and ended up returning it because the color was so different from the photos (the brown is more of a light latte color, not the rich brown color in their photos - if you compare the &Daughter website photos to the ones on Net-a-porter, the latter are accurate).
So yeah, super burned on ordering wool knits online...
Thanks for sharing your experiences with Babaa and &Daughter; I’m pretty ambivalent about shopping for knitwear online as well and hope to find something available locally, though I’ve not found anything to write home about. Did you like the feel of the &Daughter knit?
Yeah, it seemed pretty nice - not soft but not scratchy, and durable. Like it wouldn't immediately become a fuzzball. I'd consider buying secondhand, but they really did lose my trust with misleading photography. How much of their hype is just the founder working her fashion publicist network?
There’s definitely a lot of be wary of when it comes to the hype around these types of knitwear brands -- visually the marketing is so appealing but having this conversation is helping bring me back to earth!
Chunky knits are a no-go for me, too warm for a heated room, can’t get them under a coat, a bulky inconvenience when packing or de-layering in the aforementioned warm room. My sweaters are generally for going over a t-shirt and under a jacket or coat, and I’ll do a twinset for extra warmth or dressiness. Surely it’s possible to find an all-merino sweater in Australia of all places without the need to buy unseen online from a non-local vendor ?
I’m simply craving variety -- I work from home so I haven’t felt the need to invest in more outwear, but I get a lot of use out of knitwear both indoors and out. I have two perfectly good merino fine knit jumpers that fit well under jackets, but they’re both slim fitting so I want something oversized, both for comfort and for variety.
It’s true that you can find quality knitwear in Australia (and NZ) and I’ve been looking, but finding one that ticks all my boxes hasn’t been straightforward!
Bravo on avoiding the urge for something shiny! I get a particular urge to shop for occasion specific pieces this time of year and I have to fight myself to buy things that actually fit my wardrobe!
I’ve been reviewing what I bought in the last 2 years and anything that leaned special occasion has been a bust or gone woefully unworn, so it wasn’t so hard to say no! L
Chiming in on the Babaa--I have two of their no. 19 cardigans, both undyed, one in earth and one in natural. I live in them in the winter! The earth one is scratchy but I find I get used to it quickly. I don’t find the natural (white) colored one scratchy, but it isn’t as soft as say merino. Of course YMMV. I will also say that in my experience sweaters made with a chunky yarn tend to pill a little more easily, but it’s easily fixed. A heavy knit with a finer yarn may pill less. For me, they are great for wearing when working from home, or on not-too-cold days I’ll wear it as a jacket. It’s not practical to wear under a fitted jacket, but I have a couple of oversized ones already.
And that is my brain dump in Babaa, hah! Apparently I had a lot to say.
Thanks for the suggestion and I love it, such a beautful colour and shape, but based on the listed size it would be too small for me - I usually take a large if not XL in clothes!
Thank you! The more Babaa thoughts the better as they’re come up so often as a jumper suggestion. Something that can be worn on its own or when working from home is actually perfect for me!
Chiming in here on &Daughter. A few years ago I bought a Fintra turtleneck on deep NAP sale, as an oversized navy turtleneck sweater had been on my wishlist for a while. I have to say I’m very pleased with it. I only wear short sleeved t shirts under my sweaters and this sweater, while very heavy wool, doesn’t itch at all. It’s very soft for its weight, if that makes sense. The turtleneck part is hugely long (like I have to fold it down twice - it looks like newer ones are less long) but it’s very cozy on the coldest days. And like I said, it doesn’t itch at all. When the right one (eventually) pops up I will get an &Daughter crew neck sweater too. I really like the weight and heft of the wool as a sweater option.
I like your idea of a sweater that’s not too precious to take camping! But really, that should be all our clothes, right? Things we love so much that we use them for everything!
Thanks for sharing, heavy and soft sounds heavenly! Will keep that in mind when I shop around. Wool is great when camping (wool socks, thin base layers or a heavier jumper to wear around the campsite) they're truly resistant to dirt and smells, and keep you so warm. I borrow my partner's alpaca wool jumper whenever we do camping and it's 100% nicer than any sports fleece.
I purchased a sweater from Babaa during their Black Friday sale after having my son, and I think I wore it a small handful of times. It was too rough for me to wear while I was holding him as a newborn, and the oversized fit felt at times, a little bit inconvenient? I've heard that there is a difference between some of their wool knits. The ones that are less treated tend to be rougher and itchier (these are the natural colours). I would be tempted by their cotton sweaters but honestly, I have enough at this point and need to stop buying more.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m very apprehensive of buying knitwear online so the advice is helpful -- I did indeed think the Babaa level of oversized might be inconvenient haha.
I got a wool cardigan from Babaa and only wear it at home now because the wool is such poor quality that it looks shabby. I have no idea how they've come by their good reputation (to be fair, their cotton knits look great).
I also ordered the Fintra turtleneck from &Daughter, and ended up returning it because the color was so different from the photos (the brown is more of a light latte color, not the rich brown color in their photos - if you compare the &Daughter website photos to the ones on Net-a-porter, the latter are accurate).
So yeah, super burned on ordering wool knits online...
Thanks for sharing your experiences with Babaa and &Daughter; I’m pretty ambivalent about shopping for knitwear online as well and hope to find something available locally, though I’ve not found anything to write home about. Did you like the feel of the &Daughter knit?
Yeah, it seemed pretty nice - not soft but not scratchy, and durable. Like it wouldn't immediately become a fuzzball. I'd consider buying secondhand, but they really did lose my trust with misleading photography. How much of their hype is just the founder working her fashion publicist network?
There’s definitely a lot of be wary of when it comes to the hype around these types of knitwear brands -- visually the marketing is so appealing but having this conversation is helping bring me back to earth!
Chunky knits are a no-go for me, too warm for a heated room, can’t get them under a coat, a bulky inconvenience when packing or de-layering in the aforementioned warm room. My sweaters are generally for going over a t-shirt and under a jacket or coat, and I’ll do a twinset for extra warmth or dressiness. Surely it’s possible to find an all-merino sweater in Australia of all places without the need to buy unseen online from a non-local vendor ?
I’m simply craving variety -- I work from home so I haven’t felt the need to invest in more outwear, but I get a lot of use out of knitwear both indoors and out. I have two perfectly good merino fine knit jumpers that fit well under jackets, but they’re both slim fitting so I want something oversized, both for comfort and for variety.
It’s true that you can find quality knitwear in Australia (and NZ) and I’ve been looking, but finding one that ticks all my boxes hasn’t been straightforward!
Bravo on avoiding the urge for something shiny! I get a particular urge to shop for occasion specific pieces this time of year and I have to fight myself to buy things that actually fit my wardrobe!
I’ve been reviewing what I bought in the last 2 years and anything that leaned special occasion has been a bust or gone woefully unworn, so it wasn’t so hard to say no! L
Chiming in on the Babaa--I have two of their no. 19 cardigans, both undyed, one in earth and one in natural. I live in them in the winter! The earth one is scratchy but I find I get used to it quickly. I don’t find the natural (white) colored one scratchy, but it isn’t as soft as say merino. Of course YMMV. I will also say that in my experience sweaters made with a chunky yarn tend to pill a little more easily, but it’s easily fixed. A heavy knit with a finer yarn may pill less. For me, they are great for wearing when working from home, or on not-too-cold days I’ll wear it as a jacket. It’s not practical to wear under a fitted jacket, but I have a couple of oversized ones already.
And that is my brain dump in Babaa, hah! Apparently I had a lot to say.
maybe this one for you? it’s been sitting in my favorites and seems great... https://www.therealreal.com/products/women/clothing/knitwear/by-malene-birger-mock-neck-sweater-iw006
Thanks for the suggestion and I love it, such a beautful colour and shape, but based on the listed size it would be too small for me - I usually take a large if not XL in clothes!