16 Types of Sweaters to Keep You Warm

A sweater is a top made of knitted or crocheted material that often features long sleeves. Sweaters can be made from a range of fabric options, including cotton or synthetic materials, though they were traditionally made from wool. There are many types of sweaters with different necklines, sleeve lengths, openings, and fits. Sweaters are typically the garment of choice for colder weather (sometimes referred to as “sweater weather”), and often worn as a layering piece over a T-shirt, button-up, or other tops, though some choose to wear it on its own.

Sweaters can vary in their neckline, knitting style, fit, or material. Here are the most common types of sweaters:

1. 1. Cable-knit sweater: Cable-knitting is a knitting method in which you methodically change the stitches’ sequence to create an interlocking or braided pattern. Cable-knit sweaters have intricate cable patterns that make the sweater even thicker, increasing the garment’s warmth and structure. Learn how to knit using our complete guide.
2. 2. Cardigan sweater: A cardigan is a sweater that is open in the front, usually featuring buttons that can close the garment. Rather than pulling a cardigan over your head, you simply slip your arms into the sleeves. Cardigans are most often made with very fine knit, giving them a thin, lightweight feel.
3. 3. Cashmere sweater: Cashmere wool is a super-soft material made from the hair of specific breeds of goat. When a sweater is made out of cashmere, it is knit very finely to create a thin, lightweight sweater that is incredibly soft to the touch, more than cotton, synthetic, or wool sweaters. They can vary widely in fits and neckline but tend to be more fitted. Due to the high quality of cashmere, these sweaters are typically more expensive than other types of sweaters.
4. 4. Cotton sweaters: Cotton sweaters are made out of knit cotton fabric. As a natural material, cotton is more breathable than synthetic fabric and often softer than wool (though not quite as soft as cashmere). Cotton sweaters are usually more inexpensive than cashmere and wool sweaters but pricier than synthetic sweaters.
5. 5. Crew-neck sweater: A crew-neck sweater has a round neck that rests above your collarbone, similar to the neck of a T-shirt. Crew-necks are the most common neckline for sweaters. This sweater type comes in a range of knits, cuts, and materials.
6. 6. Fair Isle sweater: Fair Isle is a method of in-the-round knitting developed in the Shetland islands, using five colors in varying rows to create a vibrant pattern. Now, many sweaters are sold as “Fair Isle” sweaters, which is a general phrase signifying any intricate, colorful patterned sweater, especially one with a bib-like patterned area on the shoulders and chest, with the sleeves and lower half being a single color.
7. 7. Fitted sweater: A fitted sweater is any type of sweater that is cut to be more form-fitting than oversized. Fitted sweaters are often made with fine-knit material similar to cardigans but can also be made with chunky wide-knit material.
8. 8. Knit sweater: A plain-knit sweater is the most common knit method used during sweater construction, using a simple knit-and-purl technique to create interlocking rows of stitches. These stitches can be very fine, resulting in a smooth, thin material or thick and wide, resulting in a bumpy, holey, chunky material.
9. 9. Mock neck sweater: A mock-neck sweater is any sweater with a high neck, about half as tall as a traditional turtleneck, usually in a single layer and less tight than a turtleneck. Mock neck sweaters vary in cut, knitting type, and material.
10. 10. Raglan sweater: A raglan sweater, also called a raglan sleeve sweater, is any sweater made from a single piece of fabric from the neckline down, only including seams along the shoulders to attach the sleeves (similar to a baseball T-shirt). Raglan sweaters sometimes use contrasting colors for the sleeves to further draw attention to the raglan quality. Raglans are most often made from a medium knit, slightly thicker than thin-knit but not so chunky that the sleeve seams won’t be visible.
11. 11. Ribbed sweater: Rib-knit is a knitting technique in which the knitter alternates between stockinette and reverse stockinette stitch to create vertical lines in the material, resulting in an especially stretchy fabric. Any sweater can be made with rib-knit, but it is most closely associated with fitted sweaters since the stretchy fabric helps the sweater cling to the wearer.
12. 12. Sweater vest: Traditional sweaters have long sleeves; when a sweater is sleeveless, it is called a sweater vest or a slipover. Sweater vests can vary in cut, knit type, and material, but they’re most often slim-fit and made of a thin knit to avoid bulking around the wearer’s torso.
13. 13. Synthetic sweaters: Synthetic sweaters are sweaters made out of manmade materials—such as polyester, acrylic, or viscose. Synthetic sweaters tend to be the least breathable, compared to cotton, cashmere, and wool, but they are usually inexpensive. Synthetic sweaters can be softer than wool and just as soft as cotton but aren’t quite as soft as cashmere sweaters.
14. 14. Turtleneck sweater: A turtleneck sweater is any sweater with a tall neck that reaches up to just below the wearer’s jawline. A very versatile neckline, turtleneck sweaters vary widely in knitting style, fit, and material.
15. 15. V-neck sweater: A V-neck sweater is any sweater with a neckline cut into the shape of a V—while this can be a deep V that reaches down the wearer’s chest, it’s usually a shallow V only dipping an inch or so below a crew neck. V-neck sweaters can be made with any number of knitting styles, fits, or materials.
16. 16. Wool sweater: Wool is the most traditional sweater material because it is warm and breathable. There are several different wool types, from standard to Merino wool (a softer and more expensive variety). Standard wool can sometimes feel itchy compared to cotton, synthetic materials, or cashmere. You can find wool sweaters in a variety of necklines, knit styles, or fits, and they’re usually around the price of cotton sweaters.

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