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"Planning on flexing your sartorial muscles in the blog arena? You'll need to come packing. And no, we're not referring to your pocket square game. Every week on The Eye, we'll cover a basic term you need to know right now... before you get laughed off the internet.\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nFor those of us stuck in the northeast, the past week has been downright feel-it-in-your bones cold. With weather so frigid that your fingers freeze just trying to use your phone, there are really only two things you can do. You can be \"that guy\" and bail on your plans, or you can buck up, put on the warmest thing you can find, and brave the cold. Some might call it sacrilege, but I'll go ahead and say that when the mercury drops into the single digits, it's acceptable to place comfort over style, which is why right around this time, Shetlands become the sweater of the season.\n\nPeople have been knitting this unique kind of sweater on the Scottish Islands of Shetland since Norse settlers first introduced their sheep onto the isle during the ninth century. These sheep yield wool so unique that it's become a bona fide cash crop for the island. Shetland sweaters, made from that wool, are not bulky like cable knits or paper thin like merino; they're as warm as they are airy, packing a dense weave with an oven-like effect of keeping heat in without weighing you down. Like most wools, though, raw Shetland can be fairly itchy, which is why as the sweaters made their way stateside, a brushed version was favored.\n\nThe brushing technique makes Shetlands even softer, cutting down on the wool's natural coarse texture, resulting in a fabric that isn't just easier on the skin, but has a worn-in quality to it. Brushed Shetlands have become a cornerstone of American style, thanks largely to classic brands like J. Press and their signature Shaggy Dogs, an apt moniker for the texture of the sweaters. When it comes to fit, the early Shetlands - best described as boxy or frumpy - were a far cry from the ones most men favor today. However, that didn't stop icons like JFK and John Updike from popularizing them as a vital piece of any East Coasters wardrobe. Today, authentic Shetlands can still be found from labels that use authentic wool from Scotland while updating the cut for a more form-fitting silhouette. When the cold drops, pick yourself up one of these new slimmed down versions, because while you might want to be as warm as a shaggy dog, you don't want someone comparing you to one.\n\nJake Gallagher writes the blog Wax-Wane. He lives in Manhattan.\n\nRead more Dropping Knowledge:\n\n Dropping Knowledge: Boiled Wool\n\nDropping Knowledge: The Cowichan Sweater\n\nDropping Knowledge: Brogues"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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