Bobbles — pills — are short fibres working loose and tangling where the fabric rubs. Under the arms, along the sides, wherever a bag strap sits.

They are not a sign that a jumper is worn out. They are a sign of fibre length, and they can be removed.

Why some garments pill and others do not

Worth understanding, because it decides whether the problem comes back.

Yarn spun from short fibres has more loose ends at the surface. Friction works them free and they tangle. Yarn spun from long fibres has fewer ends and holds together.

That is why cheap cashmere pills badly and good cashmere barely does, despite an identical label. It is also why acrylic is the worst offender and why anything brushed or unusually fluffy will pill — that softness is short fibre at the surface.

A jumper that pills heavily in its first few wears will keep doing it. One that survives a season without much usually will not start.

The four methods

1. A fabric comb or cashmere comb. The gentlest, and the right answer for anything fine or expensive. A small comb that lifts the pills without cutting the fabric. Slow, safe, and the one to use on cashmere and fine merino.

2. A sweater stone or pumice-style block. Effective on chunky and robust knits, too aggressive for anything fine. Work in one direction with light pressure.

3. A battery fabric shaver. The fastest by a distance and the most dangerous. A rotating blade behind a guard shaves the pills off.

Rules for using one safely:

  • Lay the garment flat on a hard surface. Never hold it in the air, and never use it on a garment you are wearing — the fabric flexes into the blade and it will cut a hole.
  • Keep the fabric taut but not stretched.
  • Work in small sections with light pressure.
  • Use the guard on the highest setting for fine knits.

4. A disposable razor. Works, and it is the easiest to get wrong. Same rules as the shaver — flat surface, taut fabric, very light pressure, short strokes. Use it as a last resort rather than a first choice.

What not to do

Do not pull them off. Tempting and damaging. A pill is still attached to the fabric, and pulling drags a working fibre out with it, which thins the knit and creates the conditions for more pilling.

Do not use sticky tape. It lifts the loose surface without removing the tangle, and repeated use leaves residue that attracts more.

Reducing how much it happens

  • Wash inside out, which puts the friction on the inside face
  • Wash less often, since every wash is agitation
  • Use a mesh bag for anything delicate
  • Rest a jumper for a day or two between wears
  • Watch bag straps. A shoulder bag on the same side every day will pill that spot and nothing else

Buying to avoid it

The label alone will not tell you, but two things at the rail will.

Rub a small area between your fingers for a few seconds. If fuzz appears immediately, the fibres are short and it will pill.

And treat unusual softness with suspicion. A cheap jumper that feels remarkably soft is often soft because of a brushed short-fibre surface, and that surface is exactly what turns into bobbles. What makes a knit good quality covers the rest of the checks.