Clothes Worth Fussing For

Happy Sunday ladies. Clothes that pop out of the dryer looking brand new are without a doubt, my favorites. Luckily most of my wardrobe falls into that category but there is one thing I will do a little fussing for. It’s my cashmere. V-neck cashmere sweaters are a big part of my wardrobe during the winter. I reach for one 4 or 5  times a week.

You can pay a fortune for cashmere but the price is not always a guarantee of quality. I have a few that I paid dearly for that drive me crazy because they pill so badly every time I wear them. Then there are the ones from Cost-co that are terrific!

My favorite cashmere sweaters come from Everlane. I’m wearing the same V-neck pullovers for the 4th winter in a row and they’re holding up beautifully. The company prides itself on “radical transparency” and ensures ethical working conditions throughout its supply chain. On top of that, they’re priced well.

Most cashmere care tags insist you “dry clean only”. They say that to absolve themselves of any liability when people destroy shrink their sweaters. But I hate having anything dry cleaned because they never come home looking clean plus they reek of toxic chemicals. I wash all my cashmere knits and find they get softer each time.

Wash your Cashmere

I still use the washing machine – but differently. I wash my cashmere in lukewarm water in my bathroom sink with a mild shampoo (cashmere is hair after all). I say lukewarm because 100% cold water is miserable to put your hands in and adding a tiny bit of warmth doesn’t damage the fibers. I squeeze the water through multiple times then refill the sink to rinse.

I squeeze (don’t twist or wring) as much water out as possible then put into my washing machine. I usually wash several sweaters at a time so they balance out the machine. I set the machine on the final spin cycle which gets most of the water out.

Dry Your Cashmere

It’s the dryer that felts your wool and cashmere so never use it. I drape mine over the bars of a drying rack. They suggest you arrange your sweater into shape and let it dry flat but I don’t have that many flat surfaces in my house. They always end up with wrinkles anyway, so draped works fine.

Remove Wrinkles in Cashmere

When it’s dry I iron my cashmere on a medium setting, just the way I’d iron any shirt. I let it cool before folding or hanging. Lightweight cashmere does perfectly well on a felt hanger and gets worn more often because they’re easy to see.

Removing Pills

While on the ironing board I use a sweater shaver to remove pills. They usually show up under the arms, on the cuffs, and down the front.

I use this inexpensive little fabric shaver from Amazon which does a great job and leaves my sweaters looking brand new.

These days, I’m looking for cashmere in spring colors to lighten the gloom of winter.

Are you a fan of cashmere? How do you care for it?

Thanks for reading and have a great day.