Real cashmere is gathered once a year. In spring, as the Hircus goat begins to shed its winter undercoat, the herders of the high plateaus comb it out by hand. A single goat gives perhaps one hundred and fifty grams. A cardigan needs four goats.
The fibre is then sorted by hand for length and colour. The longest and whitest fibres spin into the strongest, softest yarn, and they are the only ones we buy. Shorter fibres make a softer sweater in the shop, and a pilled one by February.
The test of a good knit
Hold it to the light. A well-knitted piece is even and dense, with no thin patches. Stretch the cuff gently; it should return. And notice the weight: two-ply yarn, knitted tightly, has a quiet heaviness that a single-ply sweater never will.
Good cashmere feels better in its fifth winter than its first.
Looking after it
Wash by hand in cool water, roll in a towel, and dry flat, away from the sun. Fold it; never hang it. Rest it a day between wears. Treated this way, a cashmere crewneck will outlast most of the jackets it is worn beneath.
