HE 440
PURCHASING POWER:
BUYING SWEATERS
Lois M. Gotwals
Extension Clothing Specialist
Sweaters are worn year round by every member of the family. Today’s sweaters are suitable for many types of wear—active sports, business, and even formal occasions. They range from classic styles to high fashion looks, so you will have a wide variety of styles in a wide range of prices from which to choose.
Consider Need
Before you shop, decide the following:
•	Do you want a pullover sweater, a cardigan (one that opens the full length of the front), or a sweater vest?
•	Do you want a warm sweater for winter, a transitional sweater for spring and fall, or a cool one for summer?
•	Do you want to wear the sweater for active sports, school or casual wear, work, or dressy occasions?
•	Do you want a classic sweater that would be wearable for many years or a current, high fashion sweater that may be “in style” for one or two years?
•	Do you want a sweater that you can wear with several sets of clothes or outfits? It may be more economical to purchase a sweater which can be worn with several garments so that you can wear it more often and create several different looks.
•	What color and texture do you want and need? A plain knit, one with fancy stitch patterns, a tweed, a plain color, a pattern or design created with two or more colors of yarn? A sweater knitted from fine, medium, or heavy gauge (bulky) yarn? Take or wear some of the clothes you plan to wear with the sweater when you shop, so you can choose the color and style that coordinates best with those garments you already own.
•	What type of care do you want to give the sweater? Will the recommended care take more time or money than you want to spend? Sweaters that can be machine washed and dried are probably the easiest to care for, but you may be willing to hand wash and block a sweater, or to dryclean it if the cost of care is not a concern.
Read Before You Buy
Read the labels before you purchase a sweater so that you can make a more intelligent decision. Most sweaters will have sewn-in labels as well as hang tags. Sewn-in labels are usually placed at the back neckline, but one may also be stitched in the side seam. These labels and hang tags will give the trade name of the sweater, the fiber content, size, recommended care, the price, and other information.
Know Your Fibers
When you know about fibers used in sweaters, you have a good indication of the amount of wear and the performance characteristics to expect. Today many sweater yarns contain a blend (mixture) of fibers, and the label will indicate, by weight, the amount of each fiber used in the sweater. If the sweater is mainly one fiber, you can expect that fiber’s performance and care requirements to dominate. For example, a sweater that is 70 percent wool will be about as warm and wrinkle resistant as a 100 percent wool sweater. However, a small percentage of some fibers may change the sweater’s characteristics a great deal. For example, small amounts of nylon and polyester can add dimensional stability to the garment, or a small amount of angora fiber will give a wool sweater added softness and a different look.
Wool
Wool sweaters are warm, durable, and lightweight. The wool yarn is elastic and resilient so the sweater can be expected to keep its shape and not wrinkle. Because wool absorbs moisture, the sweater will be comfortable to wear, even if damp from rain or perspiration (an important consideration when choosing a sweater for active sports wear). Most wool sweaters will need to be drycleaned or hand washed, so be sure to read the care label.
Lamb’s wool is wool from sheep less than eight months old, or wool obtained from the first shearing of a lamb. Virgin wool is new
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE, PURDUE UNIVERSITY, WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 47907