A key element in any man's wardrobe is a sweater. A sweater is also known by various names like sweatshirt, pullover, jumper, cardigan and jersey. Sweaters or pullovers are perfect wear for winters. Knitting as a process of making sweaters can be tight or loose, and can use thick or thin yarn. The knitting can be simple so that the surface can be relatively flat. The knitting can be fancy to form a more textured surface. It can also be complex to form a layered fabric or other special effects. Worn over a shirt or T-Shirt and with a pair of trousers or jeans, sweaters are available in various colors, styles and designs and on various knitted fabrics. Thin sweaters may be worn tucked in to the waistband of pants or trousers; but otherwise, men's sweaters or pullovers are to be worn untucked. The specialty of woolen sweaters is that they are sheer comfortable and very fashionable to wear.

Materials for Knitted Pullovers
Knitted sweaters and pullovers are basically woolen sweaters and are made of various types of wool such as:

• Challis wool: This is made from worsted yarn. It is very soft and lightweight and often printed with floral or paisley patterns.
  
  
• Flannel: Woven from either woolen or worsted yarns. Identified by their fuzzy surface.
  
  
• Gabardine: Woven from worsted yarn. It has a tight twill weave. Identified by the diagonal parallel ribs on the face of the fabric.
  
  
• Herringbone: Woven from either woolen or worsted yarns. Has a zigzag twill pattern on the fabric surface.
  
  
• Jersey: A lightweight wool fabric. It has distinct knit stitches on one side and rounded purl stitches on the other.
  
  
• Merino Wool fabric: This is made from the fleece of the Merino sheep. It is extremely soft and is considered to be one of the best quality produced.
  
  
• Tweed: This fabric is known for the little nubs of color that are found throughout the fabric.
  
  
• Wool Jacquard: It is made from worsted yarns. It has a complex woven pattern and both sides can be used etc.

Besides wool, acrylic, cotton, rayon and cotton-linen blends are also used in making sweaters.

Types of Men's Knitted Sweaters

• Cardigan: Front open sweater which is either buttoned or zipped.
  
  
• Pullover sweater: This type of sweater can be pulled over the head and hence the name. The neck shape can be V-neck, U-neck, crew neck etc.
  
  
• Sweater vests: Mens half sweaters worn underneath a coat or jacket or over a shirt.
  
  
• Turtle neck sweaters: These are high neck pull overs, meant to cover the neck and protect you from catching cold by providing an extra shield.
  
  
• Hooded sweaters: These are pullovers with a hood at the back which can be used as a cap.

Hand knitted sweater and Machine knitted sweater
Sweaters can be both hand knitted and machine knitted. Hand knit sweaters are knit usually by women at home as a part-time enterprise. There are various designs available for hand knitted sweaters. The patterns are very well defined in hand knitted sweaters. There are some stitches too intricate for any machine and thus only seen in hand knit sweaters. Machine knit sweaters are commercially available in various colors and styles. Machine knit sweaters are generally thinner and have a flatter texture and have less intricate patterns.

Buying tips: Factors to consider while choosing sweaters

The yarn
The yarn used to make sweaters affect the warmth, the weight and "ability to breath" of the sweater. Hence, the choice of yarn affects the comfort of the sweater. For some, the yarn can also cause skin itching or allergic reactions. It can also affect the visibility of stitches as well as the bulk and drape of the knitted fabric. Smooth, highly spun yarn is good for complicated stitch patterns as it can be best seen there and may be invisible with "furry" yarns like mohair or novelty yarns. The yarn also determine the lifetime of the sweater. The yarn can also retain the shape of the sweater.

The color
The choice of colors also plays an important role to the design of a sweater. The best option is to use multiple shades of a single color. To get a significant visual effect, the shades on the sweater should be arranged in a proper way. For example: while light shades advance and seem larger, dark shades tend to recede and be smaller. This is technically called the principle of chiaroscuro. Similarly, vertical stripes with a light color at the center or mid portion of the sweater and dark colors on the sides has a slimming effect.

The overall pattern
A key factor in the "look" of the sweater is the scale of the overall pattern relative to the size of the whole sweater. Large overall patterns eliminate the need for accent patterns while a small, fine pattern makes an excellent base for accent patterns.

Embellishments
There are various embellishments that can modify the overall look of the sweater. Zips and buttons are common. Shoulder pads and other shaping devices are also used. Collars and lapels which frame the face, neck and shoulders, and complement the neckline and armhole lines is the most visually obvious embellishments. The fabric of the sweater can be ornamented with various embellishments like sequins, bobbles, gathers, ruffles, pleats, buttons, knots and ribbons, appliqué or cord work. Stitching and other embroidery techniques allow for many visual effects.