How To Care For Your Lovely Cashmere And Other Yarns

It is not commonly known, but cashmere will "bloom" after it is washed.  Blooming is a characteristic of some yarns where after they are washed, the fibres fluff up and look fuller. This actually makes the cashmere softer and softer with each wash.  This effect can also be seen with other "crinkled fibre" yarns like wool. 

Without realizing it, many people love cashmere because of its blooming effect.  This effect actually results in a softer more beautiful finished project as it is worn and washed over its lifetime.  Many people have been the lucky receiver of a family heirloom sweater made of cashmere that is so incredibly soft...this is the result of blooming over time.
 

When a fibre blooms, it actually increases in diameter and a very subtle "halo" effect results.  To compensate, the overall length of the yarn may shorten but they do not shrink.  The fibres just crinkle back up to their natural state.  To explain this better, you can compare it to those days where you painstakingly straighten your hair and then step out into the humid outdoors...what happens?...your hair usually goes soft and frizzy again!  The same thing happens to some yarns.  Since the fibres are spun smoothly and tightly, once they are exposed to the "elements" they will regain some of their original condition. 


The amount of blooming will depend on the fibre content of the yarn.  For example, a yarn made of 100% cashmere will usually bloom differently than a yarn with 50% cashmere.  If the cashmere is blended with a wool yarn, you may find it to bloom even more than the 100% cashmere! The amount of blooming can also vary between every batch of yarn due to variations in spinning and dyeing techniques.  You will be amazed at how sometimes fibres can bloom drastically and other times they barely change.


As a rule of thumb, it is always good to make a swatch before beginning any project.  Most people will knit their swatch and then just block it to see how the yarn knits up.  With natural fibres it is always good practice to then wash your swatch to see if there is any blooming which could affect the overall density of your project.  At Knitter's Addiction, we suggest you wash your swatch several times to see how much your yarn will bloom.  This will help you decide if you need to adjust your pattern or needle size to ensure your finished project is absolutely perfect.  

Knitter's Addiction wants to help you be successful in all of your projects so please ask us if you have any questions!  You can always post a comment to this blog or in our forum and we will answer you as soon as possible.  Posting comments will also help others who may have the same question.