The Only Wool Sweaters I’d Buy.*

Summary

Michael embarks on a comprehensive exploration of wool sweaters, from traditional Norwegian Lusekofte patterns to Dutch Ganseys, Irish Arans, and modern interpretations. He explains the functional origins of decorative patterns - like how the Norwegian “lice” pattern creates air pockets for insulation - while examining sweaters ranging from $30 eBay finds to $560 Filson pieces.

The video debunks some sweater folklore (like identifying drowned fishermen by their sweater patterns) while celebrating the genuine craftsmanship of handknit and hand-framed sweaters. Michael covers the full spectrum from vintage finds (GAP had surprisingly good handknit runs in the 90s) to premium makers like Andersen-Andersen, whose sweater took 7 years to develop.

Key themes include the value of buying vintage on eBay, the importance of understanding construction quality (interlock vs. jersey knit, hand-framed vs. machine knit), and why sometimes paying more for the right sweater makes sense while other times a $30 vintage find outperforms expensive modern options.

Highlights

”Sailors would need to sit in oil before pulling it off”

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“Fishermen who were wearing these sweaters wanted to get them as covered in like fish guts and oils and waxes and get them as dirty as possible while fishing because that made them warmer and more wind resistant. And that some sailors would need to come home and sit in oil with their sweaters on before they could pull it off cuz it was so fused to their skin.” — Michael, 0:55

”Identifying a fisherman’s body from his sweater”

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“The whole identifying a fisherman’s body from the sweater that he wore when he washed ashore. There’s whole academic papers written on if that’s true or not.” — Michael, 1:10

”GAP had some insane quality sweaters”

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“GAP had some insane quality sweaters. Nowadays, they will be pretty old with holes, but they had a nice handknit run, I think in the 90s.” — Michael, 6:00

”Andersen-Andersen spent 7 years perfecting”

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“Andersen-Andersen spent 7 years perfecting their navy sweater design.” — Michael, 10:00

”Pompoms to wipe jellyfish venom from your eyes”

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“This is the original and true fishing sweater. And according to the author Stella Rue, who wrote a book on the Dutch Ganzy, these originally had pompoms hanging down right here so you could wipe jellyfish venom from your eyes.” — Michael, 0:41

Key Points

• Norwegian Lice Pattern Function (0:00) - The dotted “lice” pattern on Norwegian sweaters creates air pockets between colors, adding insulation beyond mere decoration
• Dutch Gansey Origins (0:41) - Original fishing sweaters had pompoms to wipe jellyfish venom from eyes; fishermen wanted them dirty with fish oils for warmth and wind resistance
• Fisherman Identification Myth (1:10) - Academic papers debate whether fishermen could really be identified by unique sweater patterns when they washed ashore
• Filson Guide Sweater Comparison (3:30) - Vintage version is dramatically better quality than modern; recommends buying vintage on eBay
• GAP Vintage Quality (6:00) - GAP had excellent handknit runs in the 90s; search “GAP handknit” or “GAP Scotland” on eBay
• Interlock vs Jersey Knit (8:15) - Interlock knit (like Andersen-Andersen) stretches and recovers without deforming; jersey can get wonky
• Andersen-Andersen 7-Year Development (10:00) - Danish brand spent 7 years perfecting their navy sweater design
• Cashmere Durability Issues (12:30) - Cashmere pills easily and loses shape; recommends buying used William Lockie or Pringles of Scotland
• eBay Search Terms (15:00) - Specific terms: “lusekofte,” “setesdal,” “handknit,” “guernsey,” “gansey,” “fully-fashioned”
• Hand-Framed Construction (16:00) - Semi-automated process where pieces are shaped on the machine; better than cut-and-sew
• Cotton Alternatives (18:30) - L.L. Bean Organic Cotton Rollneck as wool alternative for warmer climates
• Dehen 1920 Motorcycle Sweaters (20:00) - Oregon-made worsted wool sweaters, incredibly durable for decades
• Peter Storm Vintage (21:00) - British brand made super oily sweaters that are naturally water-resistant
• Price Sweet Spot (22:00) - Best value often found $80-150 range or vintage at $30-60

Mentions

Companies

• Dale of Norway (0:00) - Norwegian sweater maker, made USA Olympic ski team sweaters
• Elowan (0:20) - Makes Norwegian fishing sweaters using lice pattern technique
• Filson (3:30) - $560 Guide Sweater; vintage versions far superior to modern
• J. Crew (5:00) - Oarsman Sweater mentioned as decent option
• Harley of Scotland (5:30) - Scottish maker of Shetland sweaters
• Buck Mason (6:30) - American brand with Herdsman Crew and Seastack Wool Tweed
• GAP (6:00) - Surprisingly good vintage handknit sweaters from the 90s
• L.L. Bean (7:30) - Made in Ireland Aran sweaters; Made in Scotland Lambswool
• Wolf vs. Goat (9:00) - Chunky Roll Neck; recommends their membership for deals
• Pringles of Scotland (12:00) - High-quality cashmere; buy vintage on eBay
• William Lockie (12:45) - Scottish cashmere maker; buy used for best value
• Andersen-Andersen (10:00) - Danish brand, 7 years developing their navy sweater, interlock knit
• Knickerbocker (17:00) - Ivy Sweater, American-made
• Dehen 1920 (20:00) - Oregon-made worsted wool motorcycle sweaters
• Peter Storm (21:00) - British brand making oily water-resistant sweaters
• Patagonia (21:30) - Vintage sweaters worth seeking on eBay

Products & Technologies

• Lusekofte/Lice Pattern (0:00) - Norwegian dotted pattern creating insulating air pockets
• Gansey/Guernsey (0:41) - Traditional fishing sweater from Channel Islands
• Aran Sweater (7:00) - Irish cable knit style
• Shetland Wool (5:30) - Wool from Shetland Islands sheep
• Interlock Knit (8:15) - Double-knit fabric that stretches and recovers without deformation
• Hand-Framed Construction (16:00) - Semi-automated knitting where pieces are shaped on machine
• Fully-Fashioned (16:30) - Knitting term for shaped panels vs cut-and-sew
• Worsted Wool (20:00) - Tightly spun, smooth wool yarn for durability

People

• Stella Rue (0:50) - Author who wrote book on Dutch Gansey
• Jen (2:30) - Instagram maker of handknit ganseys (@jens_gansey_knits_)

Surprising Quotes

“Fishermen who were wearing these sweaters wanted to get them as covered in like fish guts and oils and waxes and get them as dirty as possible while fishing because that made them warmer and more wind resistant. And that some sailors would need to come home and sit in oil with their sweaters on before they could pull it off cuz it was so fused to their skin.” — 0:55

“The whole identifying a fisherman’s body from the sweater that he wore when he washed ashore. There’s whole academic papers written on if that’s true or not.” — 1:10

“GAP had some insane quality sweaters. Nowadays, they will be pretty old with holes, but they had a nice handknit run, I think in the 90s.” — 6:00

“Andersen-Andersen spent 7 years perfecting their navy sweater design.” — 10:00

Transcript

0:00 This is a modern version of the Lucy Norwegian sweater. Still made in Norway, but weirdly for the USA Olympics ski team in 2006 or 2007. You may be thinking, “What a weird freaking hook to start this video off with.” That’s an incredibly polarizing sweater. I know. But the technology used in the Luc sweater is You’ll like it. It’s very, very cool.

0:20 The Norwegian fishing sweater that you love that Elowan makes and everything like that uses the same little trick that these which are variations of the Norwegian lice sweater uses. This pattern exists for a specific reason besides decoration. That’s why I love it.

0:35 If the luc is not your speed though, I’m sure I have something that you would like in my giant sack and also not in my giant sack. A bunch of other sweaters are in this video.

0:41 But check this out. This is the original and true fishing sweater. And according to the author Stella Rue, who wrote a book on the Dutch Ganzy, these originally had pompoms hanging down right here so you could wipe jellyfish venom from your eyes.

0:55 And fishermen who were wearing these sweaters wanted to get them as covered in like fish guts and oils and waxes and get them as dirty as possible while fishing because that made them warmer and more wind resistant. And that some sailors would need to come home and sit in oil with their sweaters on before they could pull it off cuz it was so fused to their skin.

1:10 Now seems like a good enough time as any to mention there was also a lot of folklore and myths around sweaters. The whole identifying a fisherman’s body from the sweater that he wore when he washed ashore. There’s whole academic papers written on if that’s true or not. And well, we’ll get to that. Ireland.

1:28 The goal of this video is to find the perfect sweater. Whether that be a $30 one that you got on eBay, which I have plenty of, or a $560 one you got from Filson’s website, which I kind of us…

1:45 Today we’re covering everything from vintage finds to premium makers. The spectrum of quality and value in wool sweaters is enormous, and there’s something for every budget if you know where to look and what to look for.

2:00 Starting with the Norwegian styles - the lusekofte or lice sweater gets its name from the small dotted pattern that looks like lice. But functionally, when you knit with two colors, you create small air pockets between the yarns. These air pockets add significant insulation beyond what a single-color sweater would provide.

2:30 For handknit ganseys, check out Jen on Instagram at jens_gansey_knits. There’s also Flamborough Manor in the UK making traditional versions. These take enormous skill and time to make properly.

3:00 When looking for vintage sweaters on eBay, search terms matter. Try: lusekofte, setesdal, lice sweater, Norwegian sweater, devold sweater for Scandinavian styles. For British: guernsey, gansey, handknit. For Irish: cream fisherman sweater gives best results, or handknit fisherman sweater, aran sweater, irish sweater, cable knit sweater.

3:30 The Filson Guide Sweater is interesting. Their vintage version is dramatically better than the modern one. The new one is $560 and while it’s nice, I’d much rather have a vintage one from eBay. The construction, the wool quality, everything was just better in the older versions.

4:00 That’s a theme you’ll see throughout this video - sometimes vintage wins decisively over modern production, even from the same brand. Manufacturing has changed, supply chains have changed, and not always for the better.

5:00 J. Crew’s Oarsman Sweater is a decent option if you want something new and readily available. It won’t blow your mind but it’s competent.

5:30 Harley of Scotland makes solid Shetland sweaters. The Sherpa Shetland Undyed Voe in Warm Black from Bosie is a good example of their work.

6:00 Here’s a surprise: GAP had some insane quality sweaters. Nowadays, they will be pretty old with holes potentially, but they had a nice handknit run, I think in the 90s. Search “GAP handknit” or “GAP Scotland” or “GAP Shetland” on eBay. You might find something amazing for $30.

6:30 Buck Mason has their Herdsman Crew and Seastack Wool Tweed Mock Turtleneck. These are solid modern options from an American brand that cares about quality.

7:00 Vintage Aran sweaters from Ireland are plentiful on eBay. Look for the classic cream color with cable knit patterns. The best ones were hand-knit and you can usually tell by examining the stitching closely.

7:30 L.L. Bean Made in Ireland Aran sweaters are particularly good finds. Search “ll bean ireland” or “ll bean scotland” or “ll bean lambswool” or “ll bean norwegian” on eBay.

8:15 Important technical point: interlock knit versus jersey knit. Interlock is essentially a double-knit fabric that stretches beautifully and recovers without deforming or getting wonky. Jersey can stretch out and not come back. This matters for longevity.

9:00 Wolf vs. Goat makes a Chunky Roll Neck that’s excellent. Check out their membership - not an ad but it’s an insane deal if you do. You get significant discounts on already high-quality pieces.

10:00 Andersen-Andersen from Denmark spent 7 years perfecting their navy sweater design. Seven years. They use interlock knit construction and the attention to detail shows. Their Navy Turtleneck in Dark Indigo is the flagship piece.

12:00 On cashmere: it pills easily and can lose shape quickly. If you want cashmere, I recommend buying used. Pringles of Scotland cashmere is excellent - search “pringles of scotland cashmere” or “pringles of scotland lambswool” on eBay.

12:45 William Lockie is another Scottish cashmere maker worth knowing. Buy their sweaters used on Baltzar or eBay. You’ll save significantly and cashmere ages fine if cared for properly.

15:00 General eBay search terms that work well: “wool sweater” and look through about 30 pages, handknit, handframed, fully-fashioned, italian sweater, scottish sweater, guide sweater, heavy sweater, thick sweater, lopapeysa, Best Made Co. sweater, woolrich sweater, pendleton sweater, made in USA sweater, made in hong kong sweater, 2-ply sweater.

16:00 Understanding construction: hand-framed is a semi-automated process where pieces are shaped on the machine. This is better than cut-and-sew where flat fabric is cut into pieces. Fully-fashioned means the panels were shaped during knitting, not cut afterward.

17:00 Knickerbocker makes an Ivy Sweater that’s American-made and well-constructed. Good option if you want to buy new from a brand that cares.

18:30 If you live somewhere warm or don’t love wool against skin, L.L. Bean’s Organic Cotton Rollneck is a solid alternative. Cotton doesn’t have the same insulating properties but it’s comfortable and looks similar.

20:00 Dehen 1920 makes their 1/4 Moto Zip in Oregon. These are worsted wool sweaters designed for motorcyclists - incredibly durable, will last decades with proper care. The construction is tank-like.

21:00 Vintage Peter Storm sweaters from Britain are interesting finds. They made super oily sweaters that are naturally water-resistant. The oil content makes them perform differently than modern treated wool.

21:30 Vintage Patagonia sweaters are worth seeking on eBay. Plenty of great options - look for similar form to the classic styles. Early Patagonia had excellent quality control.

22:00 The price sweet spot for new sweaters is often $80-150. Below that you’re usually compromising on something significant. Above that you’re paying for brand, specialty materials, or exceptional construction. But vintage at $30-60 can outperform all of it if you find the right piece.

23:30 Anyway, goodbye. The wool sweater world is vast and there’s always more to explore. Take your time, learn what you like, and don’t be afraid to experiment with vintage finds.