Butter Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Last night my daughter was cold so she said she was going to get a sweater. She came back with a sweatshirt. When we moved to San Antonio four years ago, we noticed that sweaters and sweatshirts are both called sweaters here. In response to my post on FB a friend asked what the difference is. She is not from here so I wondered if calling them both the same thing is more widespread than just here. To you, what is a sweater and what is a sweatshirt? What is the difference between them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Sweaters are sweaters and sweatshirts are sweatshirts. I hope I am making myself perfectly clear. :laugh: I have never heard the terms used interchangeably. 39 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) A sweatshirt is machine knit jersey. It may be pullover or zip front and sometimes is fleece-lined. Hooded sweatshirts usually have pockets. A sweater is knit, machine or hand, from yarn. The knit pattern often includes cables, ribbing, or other fancy needlework. It may be pullover or cardigan style, buttons are more common than zippers. Cardigan style sometimes have pockets, pullover style rarely do. ETA: It is the fabric the sweatshirt is made of that is knit. Sweatshirts are made by cutting the knit fabric and sewing the pieces together. Sweater pieces are knit to the proper shape and then assembled. Edited December 10, 2017 by Sherry in OH 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) nm Edited December 12, 2017 by _______ 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Sweaters are made with a yarn or woven fiber with a knit pattern Sweatshirts are made with a fabric that is like very thick t-shirt fabric and is often fuzzy/fleece on one side. Two different things in the PNW but I have heard people call them all sweaters before. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I would define a sweater as a long sleeved garment made by knitting. A sweatshirt is a long sleeved garment which is cut and sewn... and made of heavier/thicker material than a "shirt". (Which is again a cut and sewn garment not a knitted one) Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I associate sweatshirts with those that have the college logos or sports teams logos or brand logos, and is just thick material that tends to be fleeced lined. Sweaters are more likely to be hand made and customized. I had plenty of sweaters as a kid that were hand made by relatives and my mom’s close friends that were customized to my sensory needs. I get to pick the yarn and the pattern and my relatives enjoy having someone to knit for that can’t fit into stuff off the racks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 After my many, many years of living in San Antonio, it is my firm belief that the natives know absolutely nothing about cold weather clothing. Lol That is what I was thinking too. I used to live in Austin. There is one word for snow there....snow! A lot of natives don't know the difference between slushy, crunchy, powder, pellets, snowball snow. blizzard, white out etc. It is all just "Snow!!" even if it is truly just a faint dusting of some dry powder! LOL They don't' need the words sweater and sweatshirt. Either will do, sweater is a broad enough term to cover both. LOL 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Sweatshirts are fleece-y. Sweaters are yarn-y. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) I can easily see "go put on a sweater" as simple instructions to put a warmer layer on. And since we don't really buy sweaters, I can see me both saying that and my kids putting on some kind of pull-over (probably fleece) even though I know the difference between sweater and sweatshirt. I just asked my kids if they know the difference between each or if they're the same thing -- they were totally confused. I showed them a sweater and they named it correctly but sounded completely unsure. So -- I think my kids equate them as the same thing. Edited December 10, 2017 by xixstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixpix5 Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 This is my pet peeve. To me a sweater is a sweater and a sweatshirt is a sweatshirt and shouldn't be interchangeable. My husband calls everything a sweater and it bugs me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Count me among those who've never heard the two terms used interchangeably. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I’ve never used them interchangeably. A sweatshirt is more casual, made of a machine knit stretchy fleece fabric. A sweater is probably more formal but can still be casual. It’s made of a yarn and may or may not have cables or be soft, but it’s not fleecy. Oh, I have seen them used sort of interchangeably. Eddie Bauer or somewhere had what they called a shawl collar sweatshirt a couple of years ago, and MIL got me a couple. We expected them to be, based on the name, a fleecy sort of fabric, and they seemed like a nicer casual sort of garment, like suitable for going grocery shopping without looking sloppy but not what I’d wear for going out to dinner with friends ( I would easily wear my college alum sweatshirt for grocery shopping but not for dinner with friends). We were pleasantly surprised when they turned out to be a finer gauge yarn and on the nicer end of casual. Definitely suitable for dinner out with friends, even for church. I’d have called them casual sweaters, not sweatshirts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I differentiate the way most pps have. However, my mom calls every pullover top a sweater, no matter what it is made of or the length of sleeves. She also calls cardigans sweaters. Anything else that buttons up, she calls a shirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) The difference has to do with the fabric. Both are typically made from knit fabric, but the type of knit fabric is quite different. I have heard the terms used interchangeably. I don't do it myself. If you really want to drive me nuts, you'll call say your lacy knit sweater is "crochet" -- you might put that on the sales tag, or the sign in the store, or in the print ad. If you do, I will judge you mercilessly. Don't write ad copy using fancy words you don't know the meaning of! Edited December 10, 2017 by GailV 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) I differentiate the same way people here have. Yarn vs. cloth seems pretty obvious to me. I will never call sweaters and sweatshirts all sweaters. I maintain they are two different things even if people from San Antonio call them all sweaters and look at you blankly if you say sweatshirt. Edited December 10, 2017 by Butter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) Fleece is where it's at, at least for me. :laugh: I don't care for anything else. It's soft, warm and dries really quickly. I just call it "my cozy fleecy." My newest discovery is fleece lined pants. They are the BEST in cold weather. Edited December 10, 2017 by wintermom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Ahhhhh! They are NOT the same! No! It would drive me bonkers to hear someone using the word to mean both things. No. No no no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 To add a complication: sweatshirt in the UK means the cloth garment described by pps. The knitted garment can be a sweater or a jumper here. The garment referred to in the US as a jumper is a pinafore dress here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I differentiate the way most pps have. However, my mom calls every pullover top a sweater, no matter what it is made of or the length of sleeves. She also calls cardigans sweaters. Anything else that buttons up, she calls a shirt. So she calls a t-shirt or a tank top a "sweater"? That would take me by surprise! Re: the bolded. I call cardigans sweaters. I thought everyone did. Cardigan sweaters are a subset of sweaters, with pullover sweaters being the other major type. After typing the word sweater that many times, it is starting to look weird to me. Sweater, sweater, sweater. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 To add a complication: sweatshirt in the UK means the cloth garment described by pps. The knitted garment can be a sweater or a jumper here. The garment referred to in the US as a jumper is a pinafore dress here. Laura, is there a difference between a sweater and a jumper, or are the terms interchangeable? I thought they were always called jumpers in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 My 17 year old, Connecticut born niece uses the terms sweater for sweatshirt. Drives me crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Sweatshirts are generally jersey material and can be washed easily and get softer over time. They're also always casual, and look more like something you'd hang around in on a Saturday afternoon or exercise in. Sweaters are a type of knitwear that can be casual or dressy and can also keep you warmer than sweatshirts (if you get ones with wool), and are generally a little more stylish. You usually have to take more care in washing them. I prefer a warm cozy cardigan sweater over a sweatshirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbowmama Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 SWeaters can include sweatshirts, especially hoodies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMS83 Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 To me a sweater is knit, as in, can be unraveled. A sweatshirt is thicker t-shirt type material. Both are pullover, neither have hoods. To me a "hoodie" is a hooded sweatshirt. If it zips it's a jacket, unless it's knit like a sweater, then that's weird and it should have buttons and be called a cardigan. Egad where did this come from?? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Here we call them jumpers. if it is a woollen one we call it a woollen jumper. if it is knitted and open at the front we call it a cardegen. if it is a thin fleecy it might be called a top. if it has a hood it might be called a hoodie, but they are all jumpers. no clothing is a sweater here. it took me a while to work out what DH was on about when I first met him and he was referring to his sweater. I had a visual image of some very sweaty athletic top???? the dress you guys call a jumper is called a is called a pinafore here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Laura, is there a difference between a sweater and a jumper, or are the terms interchangeable? I thought they were always called jumpers in the UK. I grew up with jumper only, but sweater is common now and means the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Sweaters are sweaters and sweatshirts are sweatshirts. I hope I am making myself perfectly clear. :laugh: I have never heard the terms used interchangeably. Yep. :iagree: A sweatshirt is fleece, can be a pullover with a hood (aka a hoodie), or a pullover without a hood. I know some people call a hooded fleece jacket a hoodie too, but to me that's a sweat jacket. If it has a full zipper, it's not a hoodie to me. A sweater is made out of yarn and has an obvious knit. Could be a cardigan (buttons or open in the front) or a pullover. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Hey, should we muddy the waters and throw in polar fleece as well? What do you call something like this -- https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/78994?feat=907-GN3&page=trail-model-fleece-pullover&csp=f Is that a sweatshirt too or do you call it something else? We call it a "fleece" or "fleece jacket" if it has a zippered front. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 After my many, many years of living in San Antonio, it is my firm belief that the natives know absolutely nothing about cold weather clothing. Lol My children were born in San Antonio. My oldest was born in November. She was gifted a SNOW SUIT in a newborn size by a native. I mean, I did once see a few snow flakes fall from the sky, but no actual snow. I saw people wearing parkas when it was legitimately 70 degrees. Parkas! My kids at toddler ages had light jackets, but I certainly didn't ever have them wear a coat. Heck, we went to the San Antonio zoo every week in the winter and had it pretty much entirely to ourselves if it was under that 70 degree threshold. My oldest would strip to her diaper in the water features in the kid area. I'm pretty sure if the people of San Antonio weren't the most laid back, child friendly people in the world, I would have been reported to CPS. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Hey, should we muddy the waters and throw in polar fleece as well? What do you call something like this -- https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/78994?feat=907-GN3&page=trail-model-fleece-pullover&csp=f Is that a sweatshirt too or do you call it something else? We call it a "fleece" or "fleece jacket" if it has a zippered front. I would call that a fleece, but I would be more likely to refer to it as a jacket than as a sweater. Sweaters are knit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Hey, should we muddy the waters and throw in polar fleece as well? What do you call something like this -- https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/78994?feat=907-GN3&page=trail-model-fleece-pullover&csp=f Is that a sweatshirt too or do you call it something else? We call it a "fleece" or "fleece jacket" if it has a zippered front. I'd call it a fleece or fleece pullover. If it it had a full zipper, a fleece jacket. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 So she calls a t-shirt or a tank top a "sweater"? That would take me by surprise! Re: the bolded. I call cardigans sweaters. I thought everyone did. Cardigan sweaters are a subset of sweaters, with pullover sweaters being the other major type. After typing the word sweater that many times, it is starting to look weird to me. Sweater, sweater, sweater. Oh, I call cardigans sweaters too. I was just pointing out that even though it isn't a pullover, my mom still calls it a sweater as well. Actually, she calls t-shirts t-shirts. I forgot about those. But any other women's pullover, she calls a sweater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squiddles Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 This is my pet peeve. To me a sweater is a sweater and a sweatshirt is a sweatshirt and shouldn't be interchangeable. My husband calls everything a sweater and it bugs me.This is us too... I am born and raised PNW and my husband is from Arizona... I wonder if that has something to do with it [emoji848] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_JWM Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 My brother called sweaters sweaters when we were kids for no discernable reason. It drove me nuts! [emoji23] Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 A sweater is a knit item (preferably made with love by grandma). A sweatshirt is fleece. They are not the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Oh, I call cardigans sweaters too. I was just pointing out that even though it isn't a pullover, my mom still calls it a sweater as well. Actually, she calls t-shirts t-shirts. I forgot about those. But any other women's pullover, she calls a sweater. She's your mom. She doesn't have to make sense. At least, that's what I tell my son*. :lol: *A son BTW who once told me he couldn't imagine any article of clothing fancier than a plaid flannel shirt. I have thus no intention of asking his position on the sweatshirt/sweater controversy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Sweatshirts are made of fabric that was knitted, but the yarn is so fine that I would need a magnifying glass to see it. It is generally fleece or looped on one side (generally the inside). It is stretchy, and generally very casual. If I can see the individual yarns without my reading glasses, it is a sweater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 We use 'hoodie' and 'jumper'. It makes life less ambiguous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Hey, should we muddy the waters and throw in polar fleece as well? What do you call something like this -- https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/78994?feat=907-GN3&page=trail-model-fleece-pullover&csp=f Is that a sweatshirt too or do you call it something else? We call it a "fleece" or "fleece jacket" if it has a zippered front. Lol! I think of a sweatshirt and a fleece as two different things and usually differentiate. I'll tell my kids "Go grab a sweatshirt or fleece," but I might just say sweatshirt and be satisfied if they grab a fleece. I think I do the same thing with "jacket", but we don't have many jackets that aren't fleeces. We have sweatshirts and fleeces, and then we have legit COATS. Because we use them for the same purpose, it doesn't really matter. But they ARE different things. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 sweaters are knitted or crocheted, by hand or machine. sweatshirts are made from a particular type of a specific very fine-gauge knit fabric. generally have a fleecy side and a smooth-side. either can be pullover or cardigan/button up style. I admit being really irked yesterday as I was doing a search for a fleece tunic - and the number of sweatshirts or t-shirt-material items that came up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted December 11, 2017 Author Share Posted December 11, 2017 I'm pretty sure if the people of San Antonio weren't the most laid back, child friendly people in the world, I would have been reported to CPS. This is true. My babies used to wear just diapers a lot in MD and VA and people seriously would say I was a bad mom and my kids could be taken away (note: this was in the summer when it was hot). Here in San Antonio/Texas, people are just kind of chill. Last night we went a couple hours north to a walk-through Bethlehem thing. I totally forgot to bring our coats (we were in sweatshirts and long sleeve shirts) so it got kind of cold waiting in line for two hours in 47 degree weather. And my youngest was wearing sandals. Now, at home, I had told him to wear shoes and socks. My husband had told him to wear shoes and socks. We got out of the van in Burnet and he had on sandals. He said, "It's okay. I can handle it." The people in line behind us, an older couple, commented on his shoe choice. I shrugged and said we told him to wear shoes and socks and this is what he picked. They laughed and said something about kids being silly and we went on chatting about other stuff (because Texans are also incredibly friendly). I doubt it would've gone quite that way where I grew up. My cousin pretty much said I was lying about people in San Antonio calling sweatshirts and sweaters all sweaters. His proof is he's lived in Texas most of his life and never heard someone say that. He's always lived more north in Texas (plus Brownsville) and never in San Antonio. I find it odd, though, that he would indicate I made it up. I mean, what would even be the point of making something like that up? Especially when my own daughter has gotten so used to everyone else her age referring to sweatshirts as sweaters and started saying it as well. But then my cousin is rather... negative... about everything anyway so I guess I should've expected it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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