I've (more or less) learned not to wear good things in the garden. While extricating my sleeve from one thorn another thorn will already have snagged me and after a few such encounters my tendency is to just rip my arm away, no longer caring what happens. The only time I ever had to actually throw my clothes away was when I fell into my largest bush of Le Vesuve and tried to take it with me as I rolled down the hill. That outfit went straight into the trash can.

Ingrid

I even warn the Sheriff's work project guys not to wear anything nice when they are working for me in the Sacramento cemetery rose garden! I wear denim shirts and jeans or twill overalls. The shirts can only take so much, and then begin to shred. My husband thinks that I need Kevlar.
Anita

I wear the worst rags in the garden until they give out completely.

www.yarn-paradise.com. Shipping usually runs 1/2 the cost of wool. Tuesdays are major sale day.
I've ordered from them for years. The quality is fine. The problem, selection is huge.
Have fun.
Jeannie

Agreed - I never wear nice sweaters into the garden. They would be ruined in no time.

I prefer sturdy denim and twill. If it is cold, I also wear a sweatshirt. Not sure what you call sweatshirts in your part of the world -- a sewn hooded garment, often with a zippered opening in the front, made of a sturdy cotton knit fabric that is smooth on the outside and fleecy on the interior. Worn by workmen and also as athletic warm up wear.

Folly

My DH is a general contractor, and he had a great idea. He took me to a contractor supply store. They had "painters jackets" there. They are made of heavy white 100% cotton denim, and are lined with warm cotton flannel. They have nice cotton corduroy collars in a medium blue. The buttons are metal and big enough to handle with gloves on. They are cheap. I bought two, and took the flannel lining out of one of them for use on warm days. They are truly indestructible! No rose thorn has ever penetrated them. I am about to replace one of them (the one I took the flannel out of), because after 15 years, constant washing & drying has made it fray a bit at the hem.

Jackie

The worst was when I wore a pretty gauzy vintage skirt out to pick roses. All was fine until the wind kicked up and blew it into a bunch of canes with the hooked climbing thorns. I should have known better. After trying to sew up the tears, I saw that it would never look right and recycled it into a baby dress.

I agree with Pam: I wear ratty clothes when gardening (if I don't, they rapidly BECOME ratty). When it's cold I just pile on layers, topping it off with my oldest fleece. When it's hot I wear a long-sleeved, heavyweight linen shirt. I have two of them that I picked up at thrift shops. They protect me from sun, bugs, and thorns and are a very tough fabric, impervious to the attacks of the roses. Cotton is just not in the same league.
Wearing a new sweater to work in the garden sounds insane. You must be a much faster knitter than I ever was.
Melissa

All my clothes are tatty. But yeah, it was the sight of the sun....it completely destroyed even the smidgeon of common sense I usually possess.
Once over the shock and dismay (my fault for buying the wrong wool), the jumper sits quite well alongside the rest of my clothing.....the socks are underway and I quickly knocked up a cardigan for Grand-daughter from my leftover stash.
I consider myself quite a slow knitter although it took a couple of weeks to knit my jumper (it was miles and miles of mindless stocking stitch though). Can do a child's in an evening.....so I would say my pace has picked up. I calculated it at 0.015mph.