CASHMERE PILLING
By pilling we mean the appearance of those "balls" due to the rubbing of the very small surface fibers that escape from the thread because they are not completely fixed by the twist.
We often tend to have a wrong conception of pilling thinking that it is a quality defect. In fact, this is a frequent and absolutely normal feature of cashmere and fine wool.
When making a pure cashmere sweater, compromises must always be made: in fact, you are always faced with the dilemma that requires you to choose between favoring softness or tightening the thread, to prevent the release of those fibers that, with the continuous use, cause pilling .
The more the thread is twisted, therefore the more closed, the more it will become less soft and swollen, to the point of resembling a string.
On the contrary, the use of a swollen, soft and light yarn, obtained with a few turns of twisting, will lead to the creation of a very delicate knit, which will be ruined in a short time.
We prefer to make a medium / high twist to favor the durability and stability of the garments, so sometimes our sweaters are soft, but surely, wash after wash, they will become more and more and any light pilling will disappear completely after 2 or 3 washes.
The thinner the fibers, the more they will tend to peel: a "shetland" sweater (ordinary wool) will certainly have fewer problems than an extrafine merino's or cashmere.
Ways to Minimize Pilling
Do not wear a shirt more than 2/3 days in a row.
Wash it as often as possible, cashmere loves water! Goats live in difficult conditions, outdoors and often in the rain.
The fibers, by wetting, react by loosening while, when they dry, they return to their original state.
In this way your cashmere sweater will be renewed with every wash.
What is worn over each piece of knitwear should have a smooth surface, with not particularly protruding labels or accessories.
We recommend attention in daily habits, even the most normal: for example, avoid carrying a pen or rigid objects in your pockets, in order to avoid the phenomenon of pilling as much as possible.
------
Regardless of the way used to understand what resistance it reaches or when it begins to form, pilling is simply measured with a number ranging from 1 (very bad) to 5 (excellent) through a universal reference scale for all laboratories.
A resistance scale that determines the PILLING
5 - No change (however not very significant)
4 - Slight surface hairiness and / or formation of small balls
3 - Moderate superficial hairiness and / or moderate pilling. Balls of varying sizes and densities that partially cover the surface of the tube
2 - Distinct surface hairiness and / or distinct pilling. Balls of varying sizes and densities that cover a large part of the surface of the test tube
1 - Intense surface hairiness and / or intense pilling. Balls of variable size and density that cover the entire surface of the test tube
Our cashmere, for example, on the reference scale is positioned at (n ° 4)