Cashmere: composition, description, pros and cons

Any woman knows well that cashmere things are a real luxury that not everyone can afford. Not for nothing this fabric is called "soft gold." Before you buy such a thing, it would be good to know what are the features of this unique material and the subtleties of caring for it, as well as learn how to distinguish a cheap fake from the original.

This definition has been heard by many, but very few people know its meaning. Cashmere is a super-thin twill-type material of weaving. The canvas is made from yarn made from down mountain goats that live in Pakistan, as well as Northern India, some areas of Mongolia and Nepal.

The term itself comes from the name of the region in the west of Indostan, in the high mountainous region of the Himalayas near the Pakistan border.

The cashmere thread is two times thinner than a human hair, the down for its making is combed out by goats during spring molting, and they do it exclusively by hand. About 200 g of raw materials are obtained from one animal, which, after the termination of cleaning, gives only 100-110 g.

The yarn is also made by hand, usually it takes about a month.

Therefore, as before, Mongolia, India and Pakistan remain the main suppliers of wool to ours, and many other countries. But the best fabrics are brought to us from Italy and Scotland - this is where the optimal production conditions are created for high-quality fiber cleaning, dyeing and subsequent spinning.

Of course, cashmere is a very expensive material, however, often the items offered on the shelves of stores vary greatly in cost. The price tag of the finished product is affected by the type of fabric, its density and shade of the original fiber, as well as the country of origin.

Today, the market is overflowing with Indian, Turkish, and Italian and French cashmere, which is divided into several main categories.

• Pashmina This canvas consists of down with the thinnest hairs (less than 15 microns), it is taken for the manufacture of almost weightless shawls, the cost of which on the market starts from 15 thousand rubles.
• Polupashmina. The raw materials for its manufacture are fibers up to 19 microns. This material is used for sewing sweaters, dresses, skirts, and even outerwear.

Three types of yarn are conventionally distinguished by the type of threads.

• Mongolian. In this case, the fluff is taken several varieties of Chinese and Mongolian goats. Such raw materials are subjected to the most careful processing and manual combing. Things made from Mongolian cashmere are very soft, they are not deformed in the process of wearing and are not covered with pills.
• Cashmere material for coats. Such a canvas is produced by a combination of cashmere and other types of wool.As a rule, fluff in such matter is only 30%, but this amount is enough for the canvas to turn out soft, warm and nosy. Cashmere is most often supplemented with alpaca wool.
• Double-sided coat matter. Used to create exclusive coats from leading designers, most often they are made in limited quantities. This material is two wool webs that are bonded with fibers. As a rule, one side is monochrome, and the second is made in the form of drawings.

The quality of cashmere is directly related to the method of carding yarn - the more “twigging” the thing looks, the sooner it will wear out, therefore cashmere fibers are usually spun so as to smooth their “hairiness” as much as possible. For this, the threads twist heavily, and even form an ornate structure, combining the twisting of 2-3 separate threads.

Before spinning, combing is carried out; its task is to separate separately lumps of wool and create smooth fibers. Modern industry has automated this process - the raw material is passed through the card machine, where it moves in the big drum, passing through sharp needles and bristles.

If at the end of such processing, the raw material goes immediately to the roving box, and then to the spinning mill, then the carded material is connected. And if at the same time it is processed on a combing machine, then the output is combed cashmere. This canvas is even smoother, thinner and softer. Combed material is estimated much more expensive than the carded, but this is an honest difference.

You will learn more about Mongolian cashmere by watching the following video.

The value of cashmere is explained not only by its rarity and difficulties in obtaining, but also by truly unique properties. This canvas has many advantages compared with all other types of wool materials.

• The canvas is very light and almost weightless - for example, a cashmere sweater can be passed through the ring without any effort.
• A natural product is hypoallergenic, in its fibers it does not create conditions for settling dust mites, as is the case with many synthetic materials.
• For durability and wear resistance, cashmere can be compared with silk and wool.
• The fibers have a rather low thermal conductivity, so the products always stay warm, they will be comfortable in any conditions, but the skin will breathe.

• The pellets on the surface of the product appear only after prolonged wear, and then only at the points of contact between the two canvases, for example, in the area of ​​the sleeves of the sleeves to the side parts of the product.
• Cashmere fibers are much thinner and softer than silk threads; therefore, the fabric is considered to be the softest of all existing materials for clothing and linen. Products do not prick or pinch.
• It is noted that the yarn of these goats can have a healthy effect on the body, it helps to treat the spine and joints, relieves pain, fatigue and stress.
• Cashmere contains natural wax that cares for the skin.

Of the drawbacks of cashmere products, only the complexity of their care and the extremely high cost can be identified.

Many buyers sometimes can not understand why such a high cost of the product. Everything is simple - from one goat, as we have already mentioned, you can get no more than 200 g of fluff per year, and after processing, its amount is almost halved. In order to make a sweater, 3 animals will need wool, and the cost of cashmere, like that of platinum and gold, directly depends on its weight.

In addition, the fluff is harvested exclusively by hand, since the traditions of such combing and sorting originate in ancient times.

There is another danger associated with the purchase of cashmere things - a large number of fakes. Many brands and brands focused on the mass sector, take for sewing down of the lowest quality with short and dense fibers. In addition, unscrupulous manufacturers often add synthetic fluff, which is similar in appearance to raw materials. According to experts, some brands use threads that are too loose twist, which give the necessary feeling of softness, but at the same time quickly lose their shape.

Cashmere is considered a versatile material, it is used for sewing children's and adult clothing, underwear for newborns, bedding and blankets.

Skirts, sweaters and cashmere cardigans, as well as gloves, shawls and berets are very popular; outerwear from this canvas is rather highly valued.

In the countries of the East, even carpets are made of such cloths, and their prices are incredibly high.

Cashmere is considered a very durable and wear-resistant fabric. If competently take care of such things, they will serve faithfully and faithfully to their masters for many years without deteriorating their original gloss. However, this fabric requires very reverent and careful handling.

Products from lightweight cashmere should be stored in a closet in a horizontal position, but the coat should be hung on small hangers, as otherwise unpleasant fractures appear on the surface.

Wash cashmere only manually at a temperature not higher than 30 degrees, and for this you should use gentle cleaning agents.

Products should be gently squeezed by hand, in any case not twisting the canvas, it is usually just soaked with a towel and laid out on a horizontal surface away from heat sources. But cashmere and iron should not be introduced at all - it’s best to do with a simple steamer.

If you notice that over time in some places the pellets appeared, remove them with your hands or with the help of a comb.

Cashmere is often compared with wool, but these materials are obtained from completely different animals. So, wool is a sheep's hair, which is shaved off, while gentle cashmere is only an undercoat, the so-called down, which can be obtained only by combing, and strictly from certain goat breeds.

With the "relocation" of cashmere animals in any country, the down loses its unique qualities. The extremely harsh climate in which in the warm season the temperature rises to 40 degrees, and in the cold drops to -50, and makes it possible for goats to have fluff of the desired quality. As for consumer characteristics, cashmere is 8 times warmer - its villi are hollow inside, so they create additional thermal protection.

The main "competitor" of cashmere when sewing a coat is considered to be a drape - a heavy canvas of complex weaving from carded yarn.Drap has insulating properties due to the two-layer structure, this material is often used for sewing winter and autumn-spring outerwear. Cashmere is softer than drape, it requires troublesome care, but such outerwear looks much more solid. On the other hand, the drape is more practical, and its wear resistance is higher, therefore when buying a coat it is better to give preference to mixed formulations.

The increased price of cashmere products led to the fact that a large number of fakes appeared on the market. Often, inexperienced users can be deceived and get at all the quality they expected.

The first sign that a fake is in front of you may be a low price tag. For example, if you are offered a shawl for 2-4 thousand rubles, most likely, it was knitted of wool with a minimum share of cashmere, and if the product you are offering is priced even cheaper, then rest assured that it was made of simple viscose or acrylic.

However, unscrupulous sellers can mark prices on their products that are similar to the cost of natural cashmere things, so it’s pretty easy to be deceived. To avoid this, you should be aware of the main differences between the material from its fakes of synthetics.

• Cashmere can not have rich colors, this material is difficult to dye, so any dye becomes smoky faded when applied to the canvas. Of course, the sellers often assure that the yarn was obtained from white down, but even in this case, a bright tone cannot turn out under any circumstances.

• To decorate the look of the fabric, some manufacturers add up to 10% silk to it, which can be seen with the naked eye if you take a closer look at the canvas. In this case, it consists of fibers of different thickness, and the difference between thin down and thicker silk threads will be clearly visible.
• Before purchasing a cashmere product, squeeze the fabric in your hands for 5-10 seconds. If the original is in front of you, you will soon feel a little warmth in your palms, because the down has a tendency to hold, and even strengthen it.

• Keep in mind that natural cashmere can not shine, if you notice that its fibers shimmer in the sun, it means that you have synthetics in front of you.

The owners of cashmere things give the most positive feedback about this material: the products are pleasant to the body, they are soft, delicate, light. The skin breathes freely, but the material retains the warmth of the human body. Such things are simply irreplaceable in winter. The products are worn for a very long time, they do not wear out, do not wear out and do not roll, they can be worn for years, but only if they are properly cared for.

There are almost no negative reviews, since such a fabric is really expensive, it looks amazing, emphasizing the taste of its owner. Nevertheless, due to the fact that there are a lot of fakes in the markets and shops, not all buyers are satisfied with their purchase. The thing quickly wears out, stretches, there are pellets on it, and all this even with the right care. There is nothing you can do, however, it is worth remembering that such problems are unusual for real cashmere, and you just need to be careful when buying.