A short cream cardigan with a shawl collar, textured stitch, a rounded hem and a brooch-style fastening: that is a genuinely original knit, stylish and warm in wool and angora.

We are well into the cold season now, the festive season is approaching and the thermometer is dropping without mercy. Time to light a proper fire (or turn the heating up, of course) and reach for the big knits—the hardest-working pieces in our wardrobes, the chunky stitches, the enveloping layers, all soft and warm. Not got your chunky knit game sorted for the cold? That is a risky move, one that could land you with a proper streaming cold, or worse. Time to shop for chunky jumpers that will keep you warm until the season is out.

Three folded knit jumpers stacked on a wooden stool by a window

First up is a carmine-red jumper in a classic shape, with patterns and mixed stitch details: exactly the shot of vibrant colour the cold season lacks. The composition is acrylic, alpaca and wool, by Chattawak.

Chattawak carmine-red jumper with patterns and mixed stitches, worn by a young woman
Chattawak's carmine red, the vibrant note winter needs

A marled jumper with plenty of blue and red, this one has a straight, neat cut without being too tight. With a high wool content plus a touch of cashmere and angora, it promises to be warm and beautifully soft.

Tequila Solo blue and red marled jumper with a straight cut, worn in the street
Tequila Solo's blue and red marl, warm and soft

We love the idea of an oversized chunky jumper in a looped knit to cocoon in. Wool, acrylic and alpaca combine in a lovely white for this Leon & Harper piece, with a roll neck and contrast zip.

Leon & Harper oversized white looped-knit jumper with roll neck and contrast zip
At Leon & Harper, oversized looped knit for endless cocooning

A fleece-back cotton poncho with a large fur-trimmed hood is 2Two's idea of a sweatshirt that works indoors and out.

2Two fleece-back cotton poncho with large fur-trimmed hood, worn outside
The 2Two poncho: an indoor sweatshirt turned outdoor coat

Here is a proper big knit you want to wrap up in at first glance: this loose teal cardigan in a chunky stitch with an unstructured cut is by Le Phare de la Baleine, made mainly from acrylic, wool and alpaca.

Le Phare de la Baleine unstructured teal chunky-knit cardigan, worn in a bookshop
The unstructured teal cardigan, made for layering over a fine knit

A soft knit, a simple straight cut and a soft coral shade: this is Massimo Dutti's comfort jumper in angora, polyamide and wool.

Massimo Dutti soft coral jumper with straight cut, worn on a balcony
Massimo Dutti's soft coral, to wear with raw denim

A white chunky knit with cable motifs and pom-poms, a roll neck and a mix of acrylic and wool: a lovely cape-cardigan from IKKS to layer over a finer jumper when the cold bites.

IKKS white cape-cardigan with cables and pom-poms, roll neck, worn over a fine knit
IKKS's cable cape-cardigan, made for layering when it freezes

Soft, fleece-back cotton, a loose enveloping shape: we adore the slightly offbeat, boyish look of French Connection sweatshirts. The motif? A skull—or, rather, a skull, but properly designed.

French Connection fleece-back sweatshirt with skull motif, loose fit, worn in the street
At French Connection, the skull sweatshirt with confident boyish attitude

What we like about the Ba&sh jumper is its pumpkin shade combined with a beautiful blue-grey, a chunky stitch, a little zip at the back, and a simple, flattering shape...

Ba&sh pumpkin and blue-grey jumper with a small back zip, seen from behind
The Ba&sh jumper, pumpkin and blue-grey, with its back zip

And we finish with the adorable little Kookaï jumper with snowflake motifs. Predominantly green, with a roll neck, it promises to be warm and stylish.

Kookaï green jumper with snowflake motifs and roll neck, warm knit worn at home
Kookaï's snowflake jumper, the roll neck that stays all winter

A cape-cardigan, a poncho, a looped oversized style or a simple well-marled crew neck: whichever you choose, it is worth reading the label and favouring blends where wool really dominates. A chunky looped or cable knit traps a lot of air, so it cocoons you, but it bobbles quickly and catches on coats; a tighter knit, meanwhile, stands up better to wind. One simple question before you buy: do you want to cocoon on the sofa or face the cold outside?

Young Black woman drying a wool jumper flat on a towel

On the colour front, a carmine red or coral wakes up raw denim; teal goes with almost everything, and if you are hesitating, grey marl lasts for years without ever clashing with the rest of your wardrobe.

Young woman in an oversized carmine-red jumper and fine roll neck standing in a quiet street

What to expect to pay

There is no single price that holds true: from one retailer to another, the same fibre does not cost the same. But rough orders of magnitude do exist. As an indicative UK guide, expect around £80 to £100 for an entry-level mixed-wool jumper or a patterned piece, around £110 to £160 for a good chunky jumper with a high wool or alpaca content, and up to £180 to £200 for a more complex oversized style or a well-made cape-cardigan. For a bargain, keep an eye on end-of-season sales and multi-brand retailers: that is often where a quality knit drops below £100. Treat these figures as indicative only, and check availability in the UK before you set your heart on a particular piece.