The name cashmere comes from Kashmir, the wild and mountainous area of India, Tibet and Pakistan. Cashmere's use as a luxury fiber can be dated back as far as Roman times.

The best cashmere garments are, to a great extent, made by hand. This starts with the combing of the goats. Each goat is combed by hand in the spring when they are shedding the fine underdown that protected them during the winter. These fleeces are then washed and dehaired. It takes one goat 4 years to produce enough fiber for one sweater.

Each knitting frame is operated by hand. The knitted panels are then linked together through a laborious, hand process. Seams are linked stitch by stitch. The garment is then washed to achieve just the right hand.

As these cross sections indicate, cashmere is extraordinarily fine, accounting for its unique softness.

If 2-ply is good, is 3-ply better?
Three ply indicates a weightier sweater. Adding a third strand, thickens the yarn.

How can you tell the difference in cashmere?
Your fingers can tell you quite a lot: they are able to distinguish the thickness. A human hair is about 50 microns; fine white Chinese cashmere fibers are under 16 microns.

Why do sweaters pill?
When a sweater pills, it is actually releasing short fibers that are abraded into balls. The longer the fiber and the tighter the knit, the less a sweater will pill.