SORT IT OUT 

Artisans manually sort through enormous amounts of recycled cashmere garments and materials according to their colour, origin and finesse. Old labels, embellishments and any unnecessary parts are snipped away leaving only the necessary fibres. Bags and bags of recycled cashmere scraps are now ready to be renewed and regenerated! 

 

KEEP IT CLEAN 

The yarn is then washed to remove any remaining impurities such as dirt or grease. Once clean, the yarn is dried and ready for the next step. 

 

THE CARDING MACHINE 

The carding machine is used to detangle and combe the yarn into thin sheets known as rovings. The machine takes in a random mass of fibres which are then separated and aligned so they can be transformed into a continuous  web of cashmere that is of consistent weight and thickness. In order to keep everything as smooth as possible the carding machine also removes any coarse hair. After several turns of carding, the fibres are separated, disentangled and aired to give a wonderfully fluffy appearance. 

 

HANDMADE FROM THE HEART 

What we love about this recycled process is the human touch that is involved. At this stage our artisan is hand crafting the yarn to be as compact as possible before spinning. 

 

METICULOUS SPINNING 

Spinning is an ancient textile art in which fibres are drawn out and twisted together to form yarn. The fibres are transformed into a fine, smooth and compact yarn via a conventional spinning wheel.  All of CRUSH’s cashmere is made using this traditional technique. Clumps of fibres are teased little by little by being pulled and twisted into a basic string shape. The continual pulling and twisting allows the artisan to control the overall thickness of the yarn. Once enough thread has been spun the end result is a perfectly smooth and woven ball of yarn. 

 

 

STEAM IT OFF

Once spun, the balls of yarn must then pass through a heated drying tube or steam system. This makes sure that the spun and plied yarn is set as it generally has a tendency to relax and unwind if left alone after spinning. Much like us all. Once cooled the balls of yarn are ready for knitting. 

 

 

KNIT TO PERFECTION 

The artisan then takes this wonderfully crafted ball of cashmere yarn and starts to create heavenly cashmere garments by hand knitting. This yarn is supremely soft, light and warm, exactly like the end product.  

 

 

RENEWED AND REGENERATED 

Et voila, your CRUSH recycled cashmere jumper has been created from start to finish. From fibre to fabulous, the recycled cashmere process can be lengthy but it is absolutely worthwhile. All of CRUSH’s Artisans are dedicated to creating the finest quality recycled cashmere products possible.