LWB+ 25th Anniversary Sweatshirt #2 is the Mega LOOPWHEELER Zip Hoodie. 

I think it was in 2021 that I started working with Mr. Minakata, president of Kanekichi Kogyo, on a prototype of LOOPWHEELER's heaviest ultra-heavyweight suspension-lined fabric.

I remember that we finally settled on two types of prototypes: A: front 16 single count yarn x middle 20 single count yarn right x back 7 single count yarn, and B: front 20 single count yarn x middle 20 single count yarn right x back 8 single count yarn.

A was an even heavier weight than B, and the fabric was too stiff with a fuller degree. B was able to pack the balance of weight and softness to the point where it was almost like a loop wheeler. B was given three types of knitting again with further improvements.

① GR6 on the front (a little lighter gray melange than the standard gray melange) x medium gray melange x gray reverse

② Front GR2 (darker gray melange) x medium GR7 (standard gray melange) x raw reverse

③ Table GR4 (lighter gray melange) x raw silk x raw silk

Finally, the recipe (3) was decided to be as follows: outer yarn No. 20 single yarn GR4, middle yarn No. 20 single yarn right-twisted yarn, and back yarn No. 8 single yarn yarn yarn. It was a long, long road, but the hard work was worth it.

The name of this material came from the fact that President Minakata called it Mega LOOPHWEELER when it was knitted.

This is also produced in plain and printed versions. The characteristic of the moth is that it is an ultra heavy weight, but it just barely expresses the softness that is typical of LOOPWHEELER.

I think the key to this technical feat was the persistence, pride, and passion of the craftsmen at Kanekichi Industries, who succeeded in producing random loops of the backing yarn by adjusting the gears and cams of the knitting machine in a mind-boggling way.

As you can see when you turn it over, the length of the loops are mixed compared to the standard LW Light LW Basic, with some longer and some shorter.

It is that the loops are knitted in such a way that the loops lie down slightly with the length of the loops randomly and unevenly while maintaining the density of the loops.

By doing so, I think we were able to attack the balance between weight and softness to the very limit.

I have not been able to weigh this LWB+ version yet, but it probably weighs over 1 kg. I think this one will be released at the end of October or early November.

 by Satoshi Suzuki