High quality cashmere yarn

is only as good as the fiber it comes from.

Qualities of cashmere

I get excited every time we get an order for our cashmere fiber for spinning. It means I get to put my hands in its soft deliciousness and admire once again the qualities of the fiber, the same fiber that we send to the mill to have spun into our yarn.

Length, fineness, crimp - they are qualities to look for in cashmere. Cashmere is by nature a short staple length so we want to ensure that the length of our fiber is not only as long as it can be, but also as uniform in length as possible before we send it to the mill. Uniformity in fiber length results in an evenness in the yarn, which impacts the finished fabric in its appearance and performance.

The appearance of our knitted fabric after it is hand washed the first time is amazing. You see your stitches even out and the softness of the cashmere bloom. It's so satisfying. 

For performance, think pilling - or rather, a lack of pilling. We have been wearing some of our knit garments for six or seven years now and not only are they not pilling, they look as beautiful as when we first put them on. 

Crimp adds to the liveliness of the fiber, creating amazing stitch definition and drape for the finished fabric. The fineness of fiber equates to its softness. You can certainly feel how soft our cashmere fiber for spinning is. In our finished fabric, that softness and the fact that cashmere fibers are smooth mean you can wear your cashmere garments against the skin without irritation. The softness just gets better with age. It's a beautiful thing.

See cashmere quality yourself

What can you make from our cashmere fiber?

I absolutely love it when I received photos from customers showing me what they've made from our products. One such customer, Maureen, was kind to allow me to share her photos with you of the spinning and knitting project she sent to her friend in Denmark. 

Maureen spun her fiber into a 2-ply yarn roughly the weight of our 3-ply fingering. It took 3 ounces of fiber for her to yield enough yarn to make our Embrace Cowl pattern, designed by Romi Hill. 

Here's Maureen's in-progress knitting with her handspun cashmere.

And here's Maureen's finished cowl, washed and blocked. Look how even and beautiful her stitches are. I can just imagine the softness of the cowl on my neck. 

Here's a close-up after washing.

Well, Maureen, I hope we hear what your friend in Denmark thinks of her gift. Last we talked, your gift had arrived in Denmark but was sitting in customs jail. You said it cost a small fortune to ship - albeit worth it. I know if it were me receiving this exquisite gift, I'd be over the moon and likely cry. Well done, Maureen. Well done, indeed.

You can get your own cashmere fiber here: Cashmere Spinning Fiber

Want to make our embrace cowl without spinning? We have a kit here: Embrace Cowl Kit

-Until next time, happy spinning with our cashmere! --Amy

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