Fashion

[evelyner]

I know the cashmere sweaters I have purchased are cheap on sale! They pill terribly. Do expensive ones do the same

[kaydee50]

I think all cashmere will eventually pill--I'm not sure "terribly"--and the cheaper the material, the sooner.

[ellaphant]

I returned an expensive cashmere sweater to Neiman Marcus because of pilling. I've never bought it again.

[Nonametoday]

All cashmere pills in the right circumstances: Wearing it inside where it is warm, driving a car when the seat belt rubs you, rubbing your arms across your body, your back against a chair.  

You need to wear something over the cashmere when you drive or buy one of the seat belt shoulder pads from Amazon or anywhere that you choose. They prevent pilling from the seat belt.  Under your arms will always pill because of the heat and rubbing of your arms. There are razors you can buy that are specific for that to remove the pilling without tearing the delicate threads of your sweater.  Wash by hand or in an automatic washer that has a hand cycle in a mesh bag.  Dry by lying on a towel.  I remove the towel once wet and replace with a dry one and back and forth until it is dried.

[chrystaltree]

You have baby cashmere, that's why many women don't buy cashmere or they buy cashmere blends.  When I was in h.s., my mom hand washed cashmere sweaters and there was no piling.  I haven't thought about that in years but it was "dunk" in cold water with a touch of Woolite, don't rub or squeeze or wring.  Just dunk up and down.  Ever so gently squeeze the suds out (which is why you use just a touch of Woolite) and then do the same thing in cold water, twice to get the suds out.  Then she would fold a white sheet several times and roll the sweater to get the water out and lay flat to dry.  Piling, shrinking and pin holes were never a problem.  But when you put the in the dry cleaners, you are going to get piling.  I remember using baby scissors to ever so gently snip the little balls without cutting the sweater.  Now they have shavers designed specifically to do that.  My younger daughter used to wrap scotch tape around her index and middle finger and remove the little balls that way.  I do believe that all cashmere pills, angora and fine wool pills too.

[Carmie]

I have quite a few cashmere sweaters.  I don't wear them often anymore, unless I go out somewhere, but I used to wear them to work all winter long.

Mine have never pilled, except for one.  It was an Issac sweater from QVC and very thin 2-ply cashmere.  I kept it, but it was not as nice as my other ones..not even close. I always get my cashmere sweaters  dry cleaned, so they stay nice.  I have cashmere socks that I wash. They get pilly, but they are warm.

Maybe you have an angora sweater or angora is mixed in.  Now those sweaters pill.  I once had a beautiful red one.  At the end of the day, my bra was red. I had angora stuck under my armpits and my chair at work was red too.

The whole sweater was full of pills.  No angora for me..ever.

[songbird]

I own a thick all cashmere sweater.  I got it at Nordstrom.  Has never pilled.  I've had it now going on 5 years.  I have never purchased any cashmere from Isaac.  Even my cotton has never shrunk in anyway.  I got those from Shopbop.  But when I got cotton from Isaac....you guessed it.  It shrunk.  I can't imagine buying cheap cashmere from Isaac. Or cotton either.  He can keep his stuff.

[Nonametoday]

CORRECTION TO MY FORMER POST ON CASHMERE CARE.  My daughter tells me I have misinformed you and that Ms Brown disagrees with me.  Here is the professional skinny on cashmere and its care.

THE ULTIMATE ANTI-PILLING GUIDE TO CASHMERE CARE

You purchase a beautiful new cashmere jumper and after a number of wears start to notice those pesky little baubles appearing on the garment. We get it, it's extremely frustrating when your favourite new purchase no longer looks new and beautiful. Unfortunately even the highest quality merino and cashmere can pill but if you follow our guide, there are ways to prevent it and remove pilling once it has occurred.

Why does cashmere pilling occur?

Pilling occurs as a result of the fabric rubbing against itself or another surface. This is why you'll notice pilling most on the sides of your jumper and the sleeves, where your arms, desk or even hand bag repeatedly rub against it. Unfortunately pilling can occur on basically any cashmere sweater. Designer cashmere is not necessarily less prone to pilling. Finer, tighter weaves will pill less but it can be difficult to tell one from the other in a store.

Can pilling it be prevented?

It's very difficult to prevent cashmere pilling entirely but you can certainly reduce the amount of pilling by caring for your garment properly.

How do I prevent cashmere pilling?

It sounds quite strange, but if you give a wool or cashmere garment a "rest" in between wears, this can help reduce pilling. When not being worn, the fibres in the fabric are able to bounce back to their original shape, helping them to be more resilient and pill less. 

Being careful when you wash it will also help. Washing with the Ms BROWN Wool & Cashmere Wash will nourish the cashmere fibres, helping to keep them strong and prevent pilling.

Washing inside out will also reduce the rubbing while washing. Gentle hand or machine washing will be better for it than dry cleaning or just throwing it in a normal wash cycle.

How to I remove pilling from my cashmere?

Pills can be easily removed using a cashmere comb or garment bristle brush — never use a razor or scissors as you'll damage the fibres and make it worse. After washing, simply lie the garment flat and use the comb, brushing in one direction to gently remove pills. Your garment will look as brand new as the day your bought it after this process.

[Katcat1]

Years ago, I bought two cashmere sweaters on sale from Neiman Marcus and they never piled.  However, I bought a cashmere cardigan hoodie from L&T and it does pile slightly.  I actually like tops that have say 40% cashmere with cotton blend.  Less expensive and very soft.

[Love to Run]

The amount of pilling depends more on the wearer than the brand (blends do not pill as much as pure cashmere). Some women wear crossbody bags, swing their arms when walking, wear badges at work, etc. All this friction across the fabric can cause pilling. 

Just use a regular shaving razor to gently shave the pills after wearing, it will look like new and won't damage the garment.