The " Other " Shetland Sweater. J Press Shaggy Dog

Across the pond in the United States the most well know Shetland Sweater is by far J Press's Famous Shaggy Dog Shetlands, differentiating from the Scottish Staple by soft brushing of the otherwise fairly coarse Shetland Wool.

Whilst manufactured by Drumhor in Scotland the origin of the successful shaggy look is attributed to Irving Press of J Press who wanted a softer feel and felt that he needed to differentiate their sweaters from their near neighbours Chipp and Brooks Brothers.

A staple of American Ivy League collegiate wear for several decades now and available in a myriad of shades from www.jpressonline.com although sadly not at the prices indicated in this vintage advertisement below.

Everest Sweater

Here's JFK on his sailboat in typical Ivy League off duty uniform of Shetland sweater,chinos and polo shirt. No fool Jack he knew a Shetland made an ideal companion for a day on the water.

Most famous of all the Shetlands available today are those from Andersons Knitwear on the Shetland Isles. Their Everest Sweater is still made to the specifications of Edmund Hilary's successful Everest team's requirements.

Andersons Everest sweaters are hand knitted by Shetland Crofters using traditional hand frames from wool taken from top grade Shetland Sheep this lofty wool has inherent heat retaining properties yet soft to the touch and extremely comfortable.

This lofty characteristic of the wool is at it's best when it's knitted on a hand frame in a fairly loose knit with an easy body shape. The hand frame gives a tubular seamless finish that's comfortable to wear and keeps its shape without bulky seams.

Whilst reasonably expensive these are very special indeed as there's a limited supply of the right quality of wool to make these lovely warm sweaters. This together with the fact that there only a handful of the highly skilled knitters required to meet Anderson's stringent quality standards.

Should you wish to purchase one of these excellent garments follow the link below:

www.shetlandknitwear.com

Andersons Everest Shetland Sweater

The Anderson's of Shetland Sweater.

Nothing sings out Trad like a Shetland Sweater, especially in the United States where it's a Preppy Trad piece of "The Uniform."

Here's my own Heather Grey example, these sweaters are incredibly warm but also lightweight as the Shetland Wool has a soft lofty feel to it and Shetland wool is renowned for its heat retaining properties.

It's just these properties that have made professional explorers and mountaineers include Shetland sweaters amongst their essential kit. Sir Edmund Hilary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay both wore Shetland Sweaters ( And socks and long johns ) on their 1953 successful ascent of Mount Everest.