We've been asked how best to care for hand knit and crochet items made with June Cashmere yarns, so today we'll be posting some of our tips and tricks to ensure your hand made pieces will last for years to come. Washing the first time When you make an item in cashmere, the item isn't finished until you wash and block it. This allows the cashmere to bloom, stitches to even out, and even more softness to emerge. As we continue to wear our cashmere items, there are steps we can to keep them in tip top shape so that they last us a very long time. General upkeep of cashmere In general, you don't need or want to wash...
Southern Kyrgyzstan, photo: Erica Manning Historically, the vast majority of the world's cashmere has come from Mongolia and China. In recent decades, the rapidly increased production of this fiber has contributed to land overuse and land desertification in the region, the negative climate effects of which are felt even along the west coast of the United States. Native goats to Kyrgyzstan - referred to as 'jaidiri', meaning local goat; photo: June Cashmere Goats aren't innately bad to the land if managed properly; total animal numbers (including goats, sheep, cows, and any other animals being grazed) need to be kept in proportion to the size and topography of the area of land being grazed. Traditional grazing methods understood the importance of numbers in an animal...
IT HAPPENED. A clearly visible drop of greasy sauce. Right on the middle front of the Norah Gaughan Sand Waves Poncho that I wear All. The. Time. . . Oooohhhh Noooooo, I blurted outloud when I realized. . . However, I've decided to make lemonade out of lemons, as they say, and use the greasy spot to talk about caring for and washing cashmere garments, as well as share my favorite trick at removing grease stains out of anything from cashmere to those cotton t-shirts where the stains aren’t discovered until after being set in the dryer.
