Margaret Howell Seamless Crew

A knitted sweater is normally made in pieces. Front, back, and two sleeves are knitted flat, cut to shape, and then joined, and every one of those joins is a place where two knitted edges are held together by a thread that is not part of the knit. That is where sweaters fail, it is what you can feel under the arm and along the shoulder blade in a cheap one, and it is why the shoulder is the first thing to go. A seamless knit removes the problem rather than improving it. Knitted as a continuous structure instead of assembled from parts, there is no side seam and no shoulder join, so the sweater has one continuous surface from cuff to cuff and the fabric can move in any direction without a seam deciding where it stops. In midweight merino it is the plainest possible object and the most technically considered one in the line. Merino is the fine end of the wool family, with a narrow fiber that does not prickle, and it holds a crew neckline’s shape better than a softer hair fiber would. Made in England.

Why we selected it

The plain crew neck is the most bought and worst bought garment there is. This is the one where the money went into the knitting rather than into anything you can see.

Knitwear made in England is a thread that runs through Margaret Howell’s work from the beginning, and this is the plainest example of it.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent merino wool, made in England. Midweight knit, crew neckline, seamless construction. Color: Black.

Fit notes

Skims rather than fits, because without side seams there is nothing pulling the body in. Lettered sizing across a full run. Merino at midweight goes under a jacket without bulk at the armhole, which is exactly what a seamless shoulder is for.

Styling

Under the Raglan Blazer or the Stand Collar Jacket, where the absence of a shoulder seam on both garments is the reason the layering sits flat. Over the Monogram Shirt with the collar out. Alone, with the flannel trousers, which is the version we would wear most.

Care

Wool, and treat it as wool: cool water, no agitation, dry flat, and fold rather than hang, because even a seamless knit will lengthen on a hanger. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Short Classic Crew Neck is cashmere and cotton knitted short to the waistband, and the Knitted Sweatshirt takes a sweatshirt shape in plied merino. Everything we carry from Margaret Howell is listed together.