Wool or Cashmere? Cotton or Merino?
How to recognise long lasting, warm and breathable knitwear from… all the rest?
Here a few facts that will help you with the issue and will give you some insight on how we make our outstanding knitwear.
Know your Fiber
Fiber (American English) or Fibre (International English) are hair-like materials (they look like threads) that form the building blocks from which yarn are made. In order to determine a fabric’s appearance, how it would wear and its care, it is important to understand the characteristics of the fibers from which the fabric is made.
There are basically two groups of fibers:
> Natural fibers, consisting of animal and plant fibers
> Man made manufactured/synthetic fibers
What we Use
The knitwear that you find at Belle Grande is made with natural fibers as they: allow the skin to breath, keep warm and generally feel more comfortable.
Some of our knitted pieces are a blend of natural and small percentage of man-made fibers to get ‘the best of both worlds’, as synthetic fiber extend durability and make it more easy to care read more.
Natural Plus
Cashmere, also known as the fiber of kings, is produced from the fine, soft undercoat of hair of the Kashmir goat. Cashmere yarn is extremely soft, lightweight, yet very warm. It is very luxurious and possesses excellent drape. As each Kashmir goat is capable of producing an average of only 4-6 ounces of underdown per year, Cashmere is hence very expensive.
Wool is a natural fiber made from the fleece of sheep. Wool is popular as it is warm, resists wrinkle, is lightweight and durable, absorbs moisture, is flame resistant, and has a natural stretch and elasticity.
The most valuable of wools is Merino wool. This type of wool is a very long staple, extremely fine wool from the Merino sheep. Merino wool, particularly when twisted into a worsted yarn, is smooth to the skin. The fine fibres are soft, and the long staple gives fewer ends, reducing any irritation from loose ends.
Cotton. Everyone knows cotton and its history, but did you know that cotton have excellent absorbing capabilities? Cotton garments absorb perspiration, thus keeping the person more comfortable. “Absorbent” cotton will retain 24-27 times its own weight in water! Cotton can also be ironed at relatively high temperatures, stands up to abrasion and wears well.
November 27, 2015
