A letter from a customer: the Veloria sheep jumper
My sister has called me the black sheep of the family for thirty years. This jumper finally agreed with her.
What changed my mind about a jumper with six white sheep and one black one, written by a customer, not the shop.
It is a family joke that has outlasted three house moves and at least one argument about Christmas dinner. I am, by unanimous family vote, the black sheep. Different opinions, different everything, and nobody ever lets me forget it. So when I saw a jumper with a little knitted flock on the chest, six white sheep and one black one standing slightly apart from the rest, I knew exactly who it was for before I had even read the price.
I will admit I nearly talked myself out of it. A jumper built around a family joke felt like the sort of thing you buy once, wear to one dinner, and then leave in a drawer. It has not worked out that way. I have reached for this one more mornings than I expected to, mostly because it is simply a lovely, soft, warm jumper that happens to have a very good joke knitted into it.
Have A Look YourselfFree UK delivery ยท 30 day returnsIt is softer than I expected for the price
The knit is a proper soft, slightly fuzzy wool blend, not the thin, scratchy knit I half expected from the photos online. It has a gentle weight to it, warm without feeling heavy, and the raglan sleeves mean it moves with you rather than sitting stiff across the shoulders. The ribbed cuffs and hem keep their shape, even after a few washes.
I sent a photo to my sister before I had even taken the tags off. She rang me laughing within the minute. "Finally," she said, "they got the likeness right."
The flock is knitted in, not printed on
This mattered more to me than I thought it would. I have been caught out before by a jumper with a motif that turns out to be a flat print, slightly shiny, slightly cheap looking up close. This one is properly knitted into the wool itself, the same soft texture as the rest of the jumper, not stuck on top of it.
I did not have to guess my size
It runs from a UK 8 right up to a UK 22, and I went with my usual size with no trouble at all. It sits in a relaxed, comfortable way, roomy enough for a shirt underneath on the colder days, without ever looking like I have borrowed it from somebody larger.
See All The SizesUK 8 to UK 22The real thing was not impressed
I wore the grey one on a proper countryside walk a fortnight ago, right past a field full of actual sheep. I stopped to look at them, half expecting some sort of moment. Nothing. Not one of them so much as glanced up from the grass. My husband, walking slightly ahead, turned round, looked at my jumper, looked at the field, and just laughed. He does not usually comment on what I wear. That was as close as I was going to get to a review out of him.
The sale is what finally moved me off the fence
Abbey Lane has this one at 70% off at the moment. I am always a little wary of a steep discount on its own, a cheap jumper is still a bad buy if the wool pills after one wash, but the softness and the stitching told me this one was never a bargain-bin piece to start with. The sale simply removed my last excuse for leaving it in the basket.
A neighbour stopped me by the gate the other morning, nodded at the jumper, and said, "Go on then, which one are you?" I did not even have to answer.
Claim The 70% OffFree UK delivery ยท 30 day returnsIt is the jumper I reach for now
That is really the whole story. It is warm, it is properly made, and it carries a joke that has run in my family for thirty years without ever feeling like a novelty costume. For a jumper I nearly left in my basket, that is as good a recommendation as I know how to give.
The Veloria, in both colours
Green, on the lane
Grey, by the field
Kettle on
Getting ready
I have owned my share of plain, forgettable jumpers, worn mostly out of habit. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
The one at the back of the drawer
- Plain, nothing to notice
- Thin knit, little warmth
- Motif prints flat and cheap
- One colour, if you are lucky
- Full price
The Veloria
- Six white sheep, one black one, knitted in
- Soft, properly warm wool blend
- Motif knitted in, not printed
- Green and Grey, UK sizes 8 to 22
- 70% off
About the price
I will be honest, when a jumper is both this distinctive and this far reduced, my instinct is to look for the catch. I looked. The wool has not bobbled after wear, the knit sits exactly as it did on day one, and the flock has not stretched or faded.
Free UK delivery, and 30 days to send it back if it is not right. If your own family has a black sheep joke that has been running for years, I would have a proper look at this one before the mornings get much colder.
Anne Whitaker
Veloria Sheep Jumper
70% OFF- Six white sheep, one black one, knitted across the chest
- Soft, warm wool blend knit
- Relaxed, flattering raglan-sleeve fit
- Ribbed crew neck, cuffs and hem
- Green and Grey, UK sizes 8 to 22
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
About the writer. Anne Whitaker is a customer from West Yorkshire. This page is an advertisement for Abbey Lane ยท Free UK delivery ยท 30 day returns.