Christmas “Ugly” Sweater

Picture today’s Christmas ugly sweater, a brightly coloured, heavily decorated and Santa Claus likely has a starring feature. A wooly pullover, usually in different shades of red, white and green, often of questionable fabric, and with at least one Christmas-inspired motif on it — a snowman, tinsel, a reindeer or candy canes. Reflecting the craftsmanship behind quality knitwear manufacturing.

Christmas sweater origins vs ugly sweaters can be traced back to 19th century Scandinavia. These jumpers, which were much more minimalist in style, were thick and woolly – designed to keep out the chill that pervaded Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

These first jumpers also served a purpose: they were hand-knitted by women in local Scandi communities, who used them to help distinguish different groups of fishermen. Scandi women knitted these jumpers with local sheep’s wool (natural wool). And while not as brightly coloured as its modern counterpart, these jumpers did feature decoration in the form of knitted patterns.

Traditional Nordic designs, like the ‘selburose’ snowflake, were the most popular. A slow fashion tradition that played a part in helping those on land pick out their loved ones.

A brief history of the “Ugly” Christmas Sweater

Christmas-themed pullovers started making an appearance in the 1950s, offering insight into the origin of Christmas ugly sweaters and reflecting the holiday’s growing commercialization. Initially referred to as “Jingle Bell Sweaters,” they weren’t as garish as today’s iterations, and found little popularity in the market, although some TV personalities, notably crooners Val Doonican and Andy Williams, really embraced the ugly side of the festive topper.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that the item hit the mainstream. The shift came thanks to pop culture and comedies, with goofball dad characters like Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” turning the holiday sweater into an uncomely but endearing expression of cheer.

In the 1990s the Christmas sweater faded in popularity; it was something only your unfashionable older relatives would ever think of wearing or gifting. By the turn of the new millennium, the item was widely considered an eyebrow-raising sartorial mishap.

Is the “ugly” Christmas Sweater still a thing?

Over the following decade, the festive knit evolved into a new holiday tradition. Handcrafted knitwear has become essential for Christmas and a reference for sustainable fashion.

Fast-fashion giants like Topshop and high-end retailers like Nordstrom began filling their shelves and sites with gaudy designs each holiday season. Vintage stores and the Salvation Army capitalized on the trend by upping their stocks of fuzzy snowmen and dancing Santa pullovers.

In 2007, Stella McCartney released a polar bear-themed alpine sweater. Givenchy followed in 2010, and Dolce & Gabbana the following year. 2012 was a turning point for the ugly sweater craze. UK charity Save the Children launched Christmas Jumper Day, a fundraising event encouraging people to don their most cringeworthy sweaters.

We’ve slowly but steadily been leaning back into Christmas jumper fashion, repeating history with a revival of stylish knits celebrating the festive season. And today, you’ll find a number of high profile brands and designers throwing their hat in the ring and offering their take on the traditional knit.

What patterns for Christmas knitwear should I look for?

It is believed that these warm, colourful and patterned jumpers were originally designed to simply distinguish men from different communities when they were out or lost at sea, laying the foundation for what we now recognize as traditional Christmas knitwear patterns.

Gansey

A gansey (or guernsey) is a hardwearing, traditionally hand knitted, woollen pull over. Which have been worn by fishermen around the coast of Britain for many years. Although a tough, weatherproof garment, its purpose was more than just to keep the fisherman warm and dry. Each gansey had a unique pattern which varied from village to village and family to family.

Gansey’s are traditionally knitted tightly and without seams to make them extra weatherproof.

The pattern is concentrated around the upper body for extra warmth. Stitch patterns such as anchors, cables, lightning, ropes and ladders, symbolise everyday objects in fisherman’s lives, telling the story of their tools, their harvest and the weather.

Aran

The iconic Aran jumper takes its name from the trio of islands at Ireland’s most westerly point just off the coast of County Galway.

The islander women knitted the first Aran jumpers as a protective layer for the island farmers and fisherman. The stitch combinations were closely guarded and passed through generations.

Traditionally, the yarn was unscoured so it retains its natural lanolin making it water resistant, perfect for braving the harsh weather conditions of the Atlantic Ocean.

Fair Isle

The Fair Isle pattern, with fisherman identity, is a complex design created by skillfully knitting numerous coloured yarns (traditionally five or six colours) into a distinctive motif usually worked in a circular formation around the body or shoulders and doesn’t include any large areas of one colour.

True Fair Isle garments are made on the remote island of Fair Isle. A tiny jewel in the ocean lying midway between the Orkney and Shetland islands to the north of Scotland, at the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea. Traditional garments are hand knitted in the round using double pointed needles, known locally as ‘wires’.

Hope you enjoyed this article! Here at Knit-Lab Peru we are committed to offer premium quality products that combine modern technology with ancestral tradition. Contact us if you want to learn more or work with us.