Question about my wool sweater going from pilling to smooth after 8 years

I got this heavy wool sweater from a thrift store in Portland back in 2017 and for the first 5 years it was covered in little pills and looked rough. But around year 6 I noticed the fabric started to smooth out and now it's almost like felt, super soft and no fuzz at all. My theory is that the natural fibers finally settled after enough wears and washes, but my buddy says I just wore down the cheap outer layer. Has anyone else seen a garment totally change texture like that over a long stretch?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelarivera21d ago

Makes sense. The constant friction eventually polished the wool fibers smooth.

claire_young7621d ago

That feels like you wore off the outer layer showing the softer underlayer.

park.miles20d agoOG Member

350 dollar cashmere sweaters I've owned started pilling in the underarms after a few winters, and it's always the softest spots first. @claire_young76 you nailed it - that's basically the same thing happening in clothes. The outer wool layer gets worn down by your arms rubbing, and then the softer inner fibers start showing through. It's weird how the nicest, most expensive stuff does this more than cheap acrylic blends, but I'd rather have something that actually gets softer over time.