Eleanor Pemberton
Why Knitwear Deserves Its Own Rules
A woven shirt can be hung from a rail without complaint. Its threads run in straight lines, warp against weft, and it holds its shape almost by stubbornness. Knitwear is a different animal altogether. A jumper is one continuous length of yarn, looped through itself, relying on the natural spring of the fibre to keep its form. That spring is generous but not limitless, and gravity is patient.
Hang a jumper on a hanger and the entire weight of the garment hangs from two small points at the shoulders. Within a few weeks you will see the result: two little peaks pushing up towards the neckline, a body that has quietly grown longer, and a ribbed hem that has lost its snap. On a heavy Aran or a chunky lambswool crew neck, the damage appears even faster. Folding is not fussiness. It is simply the right treatment for the material.
Fold Along the Natural Seams
Every knitted garment tells you where it wants to be folded, if you look for the seams. On a crew neck or V-neck jumper, you will find a seam running down each side of the body, joining front to back. These lines are the garment's own architecture, and folding along them keeps the front and back panels sitting exactly as the maker intended.
Folding in mid-air, with the jumper dangling from your hands, invites crooked panels and stretched necklines. Lay it flat on a bed or table instead. Smooth it out, let the ribbing settle, and take a moment to check that the shoulders are square before you begin.
There is one more rule worth committing to memory: never fold a jumper across the chest or back, and never press a sharp crease into the middle of the body. A crease in knitwear is a line of weakened loops, and it will show for years.
How to Fold a Jumper, Step by Step
This method works for fine merino, cashmere and heavier wool alike, and it takes about fifteen seconds once you have the habit.
- Lay the jumper face down on a flat surface and smooth out the sleeves and body with your palms.
- Fold the left sleeve back across the body, angling it slightly downwards towards the hem rather than straight across. Do the same with the right sleeve, so the two lie parallel.
- Fold the left side of the body inwards towards the centre, using the side seam as your guide. Repeat on the right, so the jumper is now roughly the width of a folded shirt.
- Fold the whole garment in half from hem to shoulder, or into thirds if your drawer is shallow. The neckline should end up on the inside of the fold, never crushed against a drawer front.
- Turn the parcel over and give it a gentle pat. It should sit flat with no bulges and no rolled edges.
For very fine cashmere or a delicate silk-blend knit, slip a sheet of acid-free tissue paper between the layers before folding. It costs pennies and prevents the faint pressure marks that appear where wool rubs against wool.
Storing Flat, and Storing Wisely
Stored flat in a drawer, a folded jumper has nothing pulling on it. Stack them no more than three deep, and put the heavier garments at the bottom. A towering column of wool presses the fibres beneath it and leaves the bottom jumper looking tired before it has been worn.
If you are short of drawer space, open shelving works well provided the jumpers are not stacked so high that they topple. Drawer dividers for shirts and underwear keep things tidy, but knitwear is better given a little breathing room than crammed into a compartment that squeezes the sides.
Banish wire hangers, clip hangers and the thin velvet hangers sold for shirts. If you truly have no alternative but to hang a very fine knit, use a wide, padded hanger and fold the jumper over the bar rather than putting the shoulders into it, but treat this as a temporary measure only.
Protection Through the Seasons
Knitwear should go into storage clean. Perspiration and invisible food traces attract clothes moths, and a summer in a warm wardrobe is exactly what they want. Wash according to the care label, dry flat on a towel away from radiators and direct sun, and only then fold and store.
- Use breathable cotton storage bags or a clean cotton pillowcase for out-of-season knitwear. Plastic bags trap damp and encourage mildew.
- Cedar blocks and lavender bags help deter moths, but refresh or replace them yearly, as their scent fades long before the risk does.
- Give a jumper a day to rest between wears. Twenty-four hours on a shelf lets the fibres recover their loft, and it dramatically extends the time between washes.
- De-pill with a proper knitwear comb or a small fabric shaver, working gently in one direction, rather than pulling at bobbles with your fingers.
A Small Habit With a Long Payoff
Treat knitwear as what it is: a piece of engineering held together by the memory of its yarn. Fold it along its seams, store it flat, keep it clean and let it rest. Do that, and a good lambswool crew neck will look as sharp in ten years as the day it came home. Hang it, and you will be replacing it in three.
