Wool fabric guide
Wool Sweater Design with AI
For a wool sweater, most mills quote wool knit at 250 to 500 g/m²: a classic pairing.
It is the heaviest of the 7 cloths this guide lists for this cut, ahead of polyester knit.
Next to cotton knit, it is heavier, more fluid, warmer to wear and more demanding to care for.
Wool Sweater at a glance
- Cloth to ask your mill for
- Wool knit
- Typical weight
- 250 to 500 g/m²
- Drape
- Soft
- Stretch
- Slight
- Breathability
- High
- Warmth
- Warm
- Care
- Dry clean
- How common
- A classic pairing
- Typical cloth price
- $15-80/yard
Typical trade ranges, not one mill's figures: confirm them with your mill.
The sweater, in numbers
- Typical length
- 62 to 70 cm, from the high point of the shoulder
- Defining details
- Crew, V or turtle neck, rib trims, cable or rib stitches, set-in or raglan sleeves
- Cloth needed
- about 1.4 to 1.8 m of 150 cm cloth, roughly $23 to $160 of cloth at typical prices
Typical figures for an adult size M. The pattern tier is set from the real piece count when you order.
How wool behaves on a sweater
On a sweater it skims the body without clinging, and gathers at a yoke or a cuff sit softly instead of standing up.
At this length a soft cloth moves gently at the hem and falls in loose folds.
It wears warm, which places it in autumn and winter collections.
The finished piece is usually labelled dry clean only.
It recovers from creases overnight and resists dirt, but it felts if washed hot and moths eat it in storage.
About wool
Wool is the fleece of the sheep: springy, warm even when damp and naturally resistant to odour. Fine merino feels soft against skin, while coarser wools give tweed and melton their body.
Fine merino comes mostly from Australia and New Zealand; Biella in Italy and Yorkshire in England are known for fine worsted cloths.
Wool dresses, skirts and tailoring are usually lined in viscose or cupro so they slide and do not itch.
Cutting, sewing and color
An 80/12 needle; wool shapes with steam, so ease a sleeve head or a curve with the iron rather than with extra seams.
It takes acid dyes evenly, and heathers and marls come from blending dyed fibres before spinning.
Its surface is matte, so it photographs evenly under flat light.
A description to start from
A sweater in wool knit, 250 to 500 g/m², with a soft drape and a matte surface, for autumn and winter.
If wool is not quite right
- Lighter: Cotton, in cotton knit
- More structure: Linen, in linen knit
Also: how the studio works, prices and questions and answers.
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