Help identifying year/decade of this sweater

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Exertjunk

Registered Guest
I found this Shetland wool sweater and am curious about how old it could be. Does anyone have any idea?
 

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horizontal stripes in brown look very middly 70s to me. Also that term 'made expressly for Eaton's" is very of that 50s-70s period. In the 80s Eaton's had their store brand, but I can't think of ever seeing a label that said something was made expressly for them.
 
I’m presuming it’s Shetland wool from the Shetland Isles. Interesting that they would make an exclusive line for a Canadian Store. I presume they had a small Shetland store make them.
 
GemGem said:
I’m presuming it’s Shetland wool from the Shetland Isles. Interesting that they would make an exclusive line for a Canadian Store. I presume they had a small Shetland store make them.
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I would think the wool was exported from Shetland, but not that it was knitted there. It says Made in Hong Kong

Or it could be that it came from Shetland sheep, which is breed that originated on the Island, but is raised in other places now, and probably in the 70s too. Shetland wool refers to the breed of sheep as much as it does the island.

Exertjunk said:
I was thinking the same. The wool is quite scratchy, I wonder if that's common for 70s Shetland.
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I think Shetland wool varies in 'scratchiness', depending how it is processed, and other factors such as the age of the sheep (lambs wool is softer). I've heard the finest shetland wool, hand pulled ('rooed') rather than sheared, and traditionally used for fine white wedding shawls, is very very soft.

I do think in the 70s people were more used to scratchy and more natural, minimally-processed, wool. Nowadays merino wool, which is a breed that produces much softer wool, is much more common. As is highly processed 'superwash' wool which has been subject to chemical processing to make it machine washable, and also softer, but less natural feeling.
 
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