Sou'west Chunkies Sweaters

[BobJ]

I had been toying with the idea of getting a traditional Guernsey (Gansey) sweater because they are so heavy and tightly knit, wind and rain resistant, that you can wear them as a jacket. I already have a "Chunkie" - it's the strongest, warmest sweater I own, and my favorite. From what I understand though, the Guernseys are twice as heavy, wind resistant, and warm.

So I was saddened the other day when, in a different thread, it was mentioned that "Sou'west Chunkies" had gone out of business. So I emailed them. Luckily, they are still in business!

I cannot recommend them high enough. Their sweaters are hand knit. Yes, genuinely and totally HAND KNIT. They make them to your measurements, you can customize certain things, and choose what color and type of wool you want. I chose undyed, un-chemically treated black sheep wool. Undyed wool has that distinctive lanolin smell, that some may not like, but I do. It seems wild, natural, and outdoorsy.

And, for a handmade, bespoke sweater, their prices are shockingly low - lower than many off-the-shelf mall sweaters.

Here is the LINK: http://www.souwestchunkies.com/

And here is the exchange with Peter, at Sou'west Chunkie Sweaters (SWC):

Hi Peter,

Are you still open and in business?

I heard the rumor that you had closed, and then the email link on your website didn't work.

I hope everything is okay.

Bob

____________________________

BOB THE NEWS

JUST FOUND OUT MTSELF THE LINK DOES NOT TAKE YOU TO MY EMAIL I WILL NEED TO FIND OUT MONDAY WHY??

IN 2013/4 WE HAD FLOODS HERE IN CORNWALL WHICH PUT PAID TO MY OLD KNITTING MACHINE A COMPLETER WIPE OUT

THE GIRLS UKRAINE, FAMILIES LIVING IN THE CRIMEA, PUTIN TAKE OVER THEY WENT TO MAKE EVERYBODY IN THEIR FAMILIES WERE OK , TO CUT A VERY LONG STORY SHORT ON ENTRY TO THE CRIMEA THEY HAD THEIR PASSPORTS TAKE AND ARE STILL THERE, AND WILL BE UNTIL THE SANCTIONS ECT, ECT, ARE SORTED OUT

BUT HAVING PLENTY OF UNFINISHED ORDERS AND THE KNITTING MACHINE 'UP THE SWANNY' IT WAS DECIDED BETWEEN US ( THE GIRLS, MY DAUGHTER IN LAW, AND MYSELF) TO HAND KNIT THEM,

SO PARCELLED A LOAD OF WOOL FOR THE ORDERS UP AND SHIPPED , NOT KNOWING WETHER THE WOOL WOULD GET THROUGH, BUT 7 DAYS LATER THEY WERE KNITTING

IT HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL THAT'S HOW WE ARE DOING THEM NOW MY WIFE AND I HAVE TAKEN WOOL AND IF SHORT I SHIP THE GIRLS ARE WORKING PART TIME IN THE LOCAL HOSPITAL SO MAKING LITTLE MONEY SO THE KNITTING REALLY HELPS THEM

THERE HAS BEEN NO PROBLEM SHIPPING TO THE STATES ONLY ONE PLACE THAT DOES NOT EXCEPT IS NORWAY?

AND THE PRICE TO SHIP TO EVERYWHERE IS MUCH THE SAME AS FROM THE UK



ATTACHED ID SOME OF THE WOOLTAKED OR SHIPPED THE ORANGE HAS BE 'SNAPPED UP' BUT PLENTY OG DARK GREEN LIGHT, MID, DARK GREY FRENCH BLUE.( THICK AND SOFT) NAVY BLUE, WHITE , CREAM (PERFECT FOR SUBMARINERS SWEATERS, PLENTY WE CAN MIX, AND THE PURPLE ONE ATTACHED WAS A SPECIAL THE GIRLS KNITTED FOR A FELLOW COUNTY MAN OF YOURS IN AUGUST

PREVIOUSLY I USED TO GET MY WOOL , AXMINSTER CARPETS THEIR 'WOOL THEY COULD NOT USE AS IT WAS TO SHORT FOR THEIR NEEDS,BUT WITH THEM BEING FLOODED ALSO WENT BUST, AND WERE TAKEDN OVER BY THE WORK FORCE AND NOW HAVE NO WASTE SO NOW I GET MY WOOL FROM A NEW FAMILY COMPANY WHO ONLY DO THE BEST SO A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE BUT I STILL TRY TO TRIM ALL MY PRICES AS BEST I CAN

EMAILS BELOW PLENT TO THINK AND READ PROMICE YOU WONT GET A BETTER BESPOKE ( MADE TO MEASURE IN TRUE BRITISH REAL 100% NEW WOOL) ANYWHERE AND AS USUAL WE WONT REFUND YOUR MONEY AS WE NEVER ASK FOR PAYMENT UNTIL YOU HAVE YOUR ORDER, STILL CRAZY SO PEOPLE SAY

PETER SWC​

 

[casechopper]

That definitely sounds like the same Peter I bought from, capital letters, misspellings and all. He's quite a guy. Glad to hear he's still in business.

 

[jacketjunkie]

I ordered a Gansey and a Chunkie from Peter a few weeks ago, received them, very happy with the Chunkie which he did with a polo neck on my special request, the Gansey I had to send back and he offered to re-knit because the sleeves were oddly short on that one. I gave him one bunch of measurements for both sweaters and for some reasons the sleeves on the Chunkie - perfect, on the Gansey very short.. Anyway, Peter is a great lad and a real charm to communicate with and I can recommend dropping him a message if you are looking for a rough heavy hand-knitted sweater. Be aware though that the wool is very rough, this is no super soft cashmere!

 

[red devil]

I had been toying with the idea of getting a traditional Guernsey (Gansey) sweater because they are so heavy and tightly knit, wind and rain resistant, that you can wear them as a jacket. I already have a "Chunkie" - it's the strongest, warmest sweater I own, and my favorite. From what I understand though, the Guernseys are twice as heavy, wind resistant, and warm.

So I was saddened the other day when, in a different thread, it was mentioned that "Sou'west Chunkies" had gone out of business. So I emailed them. Luckily, they are still in business!

I cannot recommend them high enough. Their sweaters are hand knit. Yes, genuinely and totally HAND KNIT. They make them to your measurements, you can customize certain things, and choose what color and type of wool you want. I chose undyed, un-chemically treated black sheep wool. Undyed wool has that distinctive lanolin smell, that some may not like, but I do. It seems wild, natural, and outdoorsy.

And, for a handmade, bespoke sweater, their prices are shockingly low - lower than many off-the-shelf mall sweaters.

Here is the LINK: http://www.souwestchunkies.com/

And here is the exchange with Peter, at Sou'west Chunkie Sweaters (SWC):

Hi Peter,

Are you still open and in business?

I heard the rumor that you had closed, and then the email link on your website didn't work.

I hope everything is okay.

Bob

____________________________

BOB THE NEWS

JUST FOUND OUT MTSELF THE LINK DOES NOT TAKE YOU TO MY EMAIL I WILL NEED TO FIND OUT MONDAY WHY??

IN 2013/4 WE HAD FLOODS HERE IN CORNWALL WHICH PUT PAID TO MY OLD KNITTING MACHINE A COMPLETER WIPE OUT

THE GIRLS UKRAINE, FAMILIES LIVING IN THE CRIMEA, PUTIN TAKE OVER THEY WENT TO MAKE EVERYBODY IN THEIR FAMILIES WERE OK , TO CUT A VERY LONG STORY SHORT ON ENTRY TO THE CRIMEA THEY HAD THEIR PASSPORTS TAKE AND ARE STILL THERE, AND WILL BE UNTIL THE SANCTIONS ECT, ECT, ARE SORTED OUT

BUT HAVING PLENTY OF UNFINISHED ORDERS AND THE KNITTING MACHINE 'UP THE SWANNY' IT WAS DECIDED BETWEEN US ( THE GIRLS, MY DAUGHTER IN LAW, AND MYSELF) TO HAND KNIT THEM,

SO PARCELLED A LOAD OF WOOL FOR THE ORDERS UP AND SHIPPED , NOT KNOWING WETHER THE WOOL WOULD GET THROUGH, BUT 7 DAYS LATER THEY WERE KNITTING

IT HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL THAT'S HOW WE ARE DOING THEM NOW MY WIFE AND I HAVE TAKEN WOOL AND IF SHORT I SHIP THE GIRLS ARE WORKING PART TIME IN THE LOCAL HOSPITAL SO MAKING LITTLE MONEY SO THE KNITTING REALLY HELPS THEM

THERE HAS BEEN NO PROBLEM SHIPPING TO THE STATES ONLY ONE PLACE THAT DOES NOT EXCEPT IS NORWAY?

AND THE PRICE TO SHIP TO EVERYWHERE IS MUCH THE SAME AS FROM THE UK



ATTACHED ID SOME OF THE WOOLTAKED OR SHIPPED THE ORANGE HAS BE 'SNAPPED UP' BUT PLENTY OG DARK GREEN LIGHT, MID, DARK GREY FRENCH BLUE.( THICK AND SOFT) NAVY BLUE, WHITE , CREAM (PERFECT FOR SUBMARINERS SWEATERS, PLENTY WE CAN MIX, AND THE PURPLE ONE ATTACHED WAS A SPECIAL THE GIRLS KNITTED FOR A FELLOW COUNTY MAN OF YOURS IN AUGUST

PREVIOUSLY I USED TO GET MY WOOL , AXMINSTER CARPETS THEIR 'WOOL THEY COULD NOT USE AS IT WAS TO SHORT FOR THEIR NEEDS,BUT WITH THEM BEING FLOODED ALSO WENT BUST, AND WERE TAKEDN OVER BY THE WORK FORCE AND NOW HAVE NO WASTE SO NOW I GET MY WOOL FROM A NEW FAMILY COMPANY WHO ONLY DO THE BEST SO A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE BUT I STILL TRY TO TRIM ALL MY PRICES AS BEST I CAN

EMAILS BELOW PLENT TO THINK AND READ PROMICE YOU WONT GET A BETTER BESPOKE ( MADE TO MEASURE IN TRUE BRITISH REAL 100% NEW WOOL) ANYWHERE AND AS USUAL WE WONT REFUND YOUR MONEY AS WE NEVER ASK FOR PAYMENT UNTIL YOU HAVE YOUR ORDER, STILL CRAZY SO PEOPLE SAY

PETER SWC​

Thanks for sharing, will give this a try

 

[Davy Crockett]

Excellent jumpers and so warm, so superior to high street jumpers at twice the price!

D

 

[Sloan1874]

Lovely stuff, but is it just me, or are there no prices on the site? Also, I'm having trouble differentiating between Chunkies and Ganseys. I think I've looked at this site before and been put off because of the lack of key info.

 

[jacketjunkie]

Chunkies are the ones with raglan sleeves/shoulders, Ganseys the ones with normal (though quite dropey) shoulders. Price is based on weight of wool used. Let me say though that it is basicly Peter handing out gifts.

 

[Davy Crockett]

Give Peter a call, he will give you all the info you need and shock you with the price he charges.

D

 

[Sloan1874]

Cool, thanks. I prefer the Chunkies. As far as colours go, do they generally come as natural and have to be dyed or is it just the selection that's on the site?

 

[jacketjunkie]

He has access to a fairly large number of colors and if you have special requests he may be able to come up with it. When I ordered mine, he had like 10 colors available and when I asked about something in autumn colors, he came up with a cool green orange leaves color kind of wool which I like a lot.

 

[Guppy]

I had been toying with the idea of getting a traditional Guernsey (Gansey) sweater because they are so heavy and tightly knit, wind and rain resistant, that you can wear them as a jacket. I already have a "Chunkie" - it's the strongest, warmest sweater I own, and my favorite. From what I understand though, the Guernseys are twice as heavy, wind resistant, and warm.

So I was saddened the other day when, in a different thread, it was mentioned that "Sou'west Chunkies" had gone out of business. So I emailed them. Luckily, they are still in business!

I cannot recommend them high enough. Their sweaters are hand knit. Yes, genuinely and totally HAND KNIT. They make them to your measurements, you can customize certain things, and choose what color and type of wool you want. I chose undyed, un-chemically treated black sheep wool. Undyed wool has that distinctive lanolin smell, that some may not like, but I do. It seems wild, natural, and outdoorsy.

And, for a handmade, bespoke sweater, their prices are shockingly low - lower than many off-the-shelf mall sweaters.

Here is the LINK: http://www.souwestchunkies.com/

And here is the exchange with Peter, at Sou'west Chunkie Sweaters (SWC):

Hi Peter,

Are you still open and in business?

I heard the rumor that you had closed, and then the email link on your website didn't work.

I hope everything is okay.

Bob

____________________________

BOB THE NEWS

JUST FOUND OUT MTSELF THE LINK DOES NOT TAKE YOU TO MY EMAIL I WILL NEED TO FIND OUT MONDAY WHY??

IN 2013/4 WE HAD FLOODS HERE IN CORNWALL WHICH PUT PAID TO MY OLD KNITTING MACHINE A COMPLETER WIPE OUT

THE GIRLS UKRAINE, FAMILIES LIVING IN THE CRIMEA, PUTIN TAKE OVER THEY WENT TO MAKE EVERYBODY IN THEIR FAMILIES WERE OK , TO CUT A VERY LONG STORY SHORT ON ENTRY TO THE CRIMEA THEY HAD THEIR PASSPORTS TAKE AND ARE STILL THERE, AND WILL BE UNTIL THE SANCTIONS ECT, ECT, ARE SORTED OUT

BUT HAVING PLENTY OF UNFINISHED ORDERS AND THE KNITTING MACHINE 'UP THE SWANNY' IT WAS DECIDED BETWEEN US ( THE GIRLS, MY DAUGHTER IN LAW, AND MYSELF) TO HAND KNIT THEM,

SO PARCELLED A LOAD OF WOOL FOR THE ORDERS UP AND SHIPPED , NOT KNOWING WETHER THE WOOL WOULD GET THROUGH, BUT 7 DAYS LATER THEY WERE KNITTING

IT HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL THAT'S HOW WE ARE DOING THEM NOW MY WIFE AND I HAVE TAKEN WOOL AND IF SHORT I SHIP THE GIRLS ARE WORKING PART TIME IN THE LOCAL HOSPITAL SO MAKING LITTLE MONEY SO THE KNITTING REALLY HELPS THEM

THERE HAS BEEN NO PROBLEM SHIPPING TO THE STATES ONLY ONE PLACE THAT DOES NOT EXCEPT IS NORWAY?

AND THE PRICE TO SHIP TO EVERYWHERE IS MUCH THE SAME AS FROM THE UK



ATTACHED ID SOME OF THE WOOLTAKED OR SHIPPED THE ORANGE HAS BE 'SNAPPED UP' BUT PLENTY OG DARK GREEN LIGHT, MID, DARK GREY FRENCH BLUE.( THICK AND SOFT) NAVY BLUE, WHITE , CREAM (PERFECT FOR SUBMARINERS SWEATERS, PLENTY WE CAN MIX, AND THE PURPLE ONE ATTACHED WAS A SPECIAL THE GIRLS KNITTED FOR A FELLOW COUNTY MAN OF YOURS IN AUGUST

PREVIOUSLY I USED TO GET MY WOOL , AXMINSTER CARPETS THEIR 'WOOL THEY COULD NOT USE AS IT WAS TO SHORT FOR THEIR NEEDS,BUT WITH THEM BEING FLOODED ALSO WENT BUST, AND WERE TAKEDN OVER BY THE WORK FORCE AND NOW HAVE NO WASTE SO NOW I GET MY WOOL FROM A NEW FAMILY COMPANY WHO ONLY DO THE BEST SO A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE BUT I STILL TRY TO TRIM ALL MY PRICES AS BEST I CAN

EMAILS BELOW PLENT TO THINK AND READ PROMICE YOU WONT GET A BETTER BESPOKE ( MADE TO MEASURE IN TRUE BRITISH REAL 100% NEW WOOL) ANYWHERE AND AS USUAL WE WONT REFUND YOUR MONEY AS WE NEVER ASK FOR PAYMENT UNTIL YOU HAVE YOUR ORDER, STILL CRAZY SO PEOPLE SAY

PETER SWC​

Looks like they have the same webmaster that Stu at Lost Worlds uses.

 

[Davy Crockett]

I like the chunkies best, Peter will tell you the choice of colours he has and also will mix them to your choice(he did for me), they really are very good jumpers.

D

 

[Edgar Laurel]

Liked those sweaters. They seem pretty warm.
Wonder if they have Navy or blue wool.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Can anyone attest to how comfortable the actual wool is? I'm always a bit wary of wool after some very scratchy experiences. These look tempting.

 

[jacketjunkie]

It's scratchy. And I am saying that as a person who didn't mind Aeros alpaca at all, which apparently already is considered itchy by some people.

 

[Edgar Laurel]

Can anyone attest to how comfortable the actual wool is? I'm always a bit wary of wool after some very scratchy experiences. These look tempting.

I remember the scratch the sweaters my grandmother made me when I was a child gave my. But I think it must be the kind of wool.

 

[Sloan1874]

Once you've worn them a bit, these types of jumpers soften down. By the time you get to wash them after the first season, they're as soft as lamb's wool.

 

[ton312]

No idea about these sweaters but this just made me think of this Mickey skit that is pure gold.

 

[Sloan1874]

Had a chat with Peter, he’s very obliging isn’t he. Prices are rock bottom for what’s being offered. I mulling a maroon and grey chunky at the mo...

 

[hondurasdave47]

Do they make shawl collars or cardigans?