The Merino sheep. Man’s real best friend?

Next week sees the return of a true heavyweight, just in time for the mercury drop that’s in the post.

The Heavy Zip Knit is an Asphalte favourite, already indispensable to 4441 of you out there. Those of you lucky enough to have experienced its wonder-wool credentials gave it some knock-out scores in the Asphalte Knits category:

- 9/10 for style
- 8.8/10 for its cut
- 9.4/10 for comfort

You can’t argue with the numbers on this one. Next Tuesday this pillar of the knitted community returns, taking on all challengers. We can’t wait for you to (re)discover it.

As usual with us, this jumper’s the result of your input. You told us about the shortcomings of your previous zipped knits, where they went wrong, let you down, missed the mark... Unlike those jumpers of old, this one has been designed to keep you warm for years to come while also keeping its shape and neither pilling or itching. All of that practicality, plus a neatly tailored cut. Consider your heavy jumper woes over.

Summer’s shuffling off, the first cold winds are arriving, the days are getting shorter. In light of that, we’re betting you want to know just how we made this tidy-looking number a cold-fighting masterpiece. Let’s get into the knitty-gritty…

Seriously warm jumpers require seriously sumptuous wool. So we paid another visit to those high-end Merino sheep down in Provence, good grazing pals of the ones who fitted out our Sailor’s Jumper. Do those sheep get sniffles and runny noses in the winter? Do they sweat buckets in the summer? No, they don’t. That’s because Merino (being the smart cookie of the wool world) is what we call “thermoregulating”. It’s a great-looking material that keeps you warm when the temperature drops, without suffocating you during milder spells. And that’s exactly why we used it for the Heavy Zip Knit.

You made it pretty clear in the questionnaire: you wanted a heavy knit you could wear out without feeling like you stumbled out of a Saga mail order catalogue. We get it, some zipped jumpers are definitely the carpet slippers of the wool world. But that doesn’t mean they have to be. Here’s how we went about making a top-notch, great looking zipped knit.

- When the winter rolls around, you want something thick and heavy - something substantial - to keep you warm. We went for a dense and tight pearl rib, offering you a comforting level of heft as well as reliable warmth and hard-wearing credentials.

- For extra comfort, we went for raglan sleeves. The stitching reaches up to the collar giving better ease of movement for your arms. This, combined with the pearl ribs, lends the Heavy Zip Knit some serious character. See for yourself.

- Then of course there’s the cut. It’s tailored, but not fitted - who needs a tight woolly? The top quality, high-micron count wool combined with the expert knit and stitching give you a jumper that drapes nicely, with just enough give. It’ll be the ideal partner for autumnal brunches, mountain top picnics, occasional wood-chopping excursions and pretty much any cold-weather outdoors-y-ness you can think of.

One of the main visual features of the Heavy Zip Knit is… You guessed it, the zip. It’s also one of its main draws. Consider the zipper jumper the portable thermostat of the outwear world.

A mean cold snap? On with the Heavy Zip Knit, get that sturdy 11cm collar up to your chin. Just hopped on the bus after a 50-metre dash? Unzip that chunky YKK bad boy for a little instant refreshment. Weather can’t make its mind up? Just play around with the zip until you get it right. Factor in Merino’s already amazing thermoregulating powers, and this is one highly temperature-attuned top.

Oh - and there’s one setting we forgot to mention: the ‘popping it on a nice wooden hanger to freshen up every now and then’ setting… Even heavyweights deserve a break now and then.

The YKK zipper is a double zip - which means you can take it from top to bottom, or visa versa, without ever wearing it out or risking ruining the knit.

There’s nothing too out there about the pocket placement here - two hands, so two pockets. Right about where hands usually go. One each side. Where the pocket magic really comes into play is with the secure ribbing we added to the openings, which keeps them nice and snug - either to keep your digits toasty or to keep your valuables with you. Goodbye to the sound of your change, wallet, phone hitting the deck each time you sit down.

No try-hard curve balls here, just four intensely autumnal hues to choose from :

- Off-white: Brilliant white knits have a bit of a lesser-known Roger Moore character feel to them, but a creamy off-white woolly is an autumnal classic.

- Brown: Another classic for the run-up to winter. You can evoke the smell of falling leaves and bonfires before you even leave the house in this one. Like a living scented candle.

- Navy: We can’t not do a navy one. It’s in the Asphalte rule book.

- Bottle green: Looks spot on paired with a raw denim, something a little more punchy so you can stand out on that pre-pub walk across the heath.

You have until 10 am (CET) next Tuesday to make up your mind. Yep, that’s when preorders start. See you then.

The Asphalte Team