The jumper is, in knitwear-speak, ten-gauge — i.e. there are ten stitches to the inch. In everyday speak that means remarkable density — one jumper folded is the same height as four stacked corduroy shirts — and exceptional warmth.

The jumper’s exceptional thickness does not come at the expense of comfort. Knitted from the softest, most luxurious lambswool on the market, it is incomparably cosy and comfortable — the cashmere-soft yarn bringing a rare level of luxury that borders on the frankly sumptuous.

It’s a four-colour tuck-stitch of light grey, mid-grey, dark grey and dark green. The tuck-stitch is a traditional stitch where yarn-strands are folded over one another in a dense interlocking weave. The neck, cuff, and hem are knitted in a rib-stitch — same four colours again — so as to hold shape.

The jumper has in-seam slouch pockets on the sides, made from charcoal lambswool, into which hands may be plunged for warmth. When not in use they have a horn button-and-loop fastening.

The chap here is 5ft 10in (177cm) and wears a size small.

The jumper is made by a hand-loomed knitwear maker. Founded 100 years ago, it works with small, hand-operated machines overseen by one person — rather than industrial-size knitting machines. It is one of the only, perhaps the only, maker to do so in Britain: slow going, but results bearing out the time, skill, and effort involved.

The dark horn buttons are made — that’s cut, dyed, and polished — by the last remaining manufacturer of horn and corozo button in England. Based in the West Midlands, the factory has been in the hands of the same family since opening in the mid-1800s: five generations of top-quality button-making know-how.