Since 1977, I have been actively involved in the Scottish Knitwear Industry.
My family owned and operated Scotch House in San Francisco and Carmel until end 2005.
In early 2006, I opened Carmel Cashmere and Company dedicated to continuing the tradition of offering the world's highest quality knitwear and accessories.
In 2019, I closed my storefront and just offered my products on this website.
I have witnessed so many changes over the decades and I consider myself
very fortunate to have seen what great cashmere and craftsmanship looked like.
The Scottish Knitwear Industry has been pretty much decimated by the cheap foreign, inferior products that has flooded the marketplace for many, many years. That mixed with consumers not knowing what they were buying, only added fuel to fire. There is a small trend back to people wanting top quality, but unfortunately, the knitters are mostly gone.
A few still exist, but with all the raising prices and tariffs and shipping costs, etc., etc.,
it is just getting too difficult to make it work.
The policies and actions imposed by Trump and his regime
have caused such worldwide chaos and destruction with no end in sight.
They do not care about anything or anybody but themselves. Their unbridled greed
and lust for money and power is utterly disgusting.
I am just one of millions, if not billions, of people worldwide affected by these actions.
So, as of May 1, I have ceased operations.
May Good Triumph over Evil; it is our only option.
-Kathleen
CASHMERE CARE
Natural fibers that are knitted can be hand washed using a natural, mild soap. Hand washing is better for a knitted garment in the long run as chemicals used in dry cleaning can be hard on cashmere fibers. Woven items should always be dry cleaned as they could lose their body.
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Be sure to dissolve all cleaner thoroughly and then put the sweater into the water. After wahing, be sure to rinse until the water is clear. Then lay the sweater out flat away from heat and sun. Reshapse side seams and sleeves if necessary, as some sweaters may twist during washing. When dry, press with a damp cloth and cool iron.
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Sweaters should be washed after about 6-7 wearings to keep them looking their best. The best recommendation is to store cashmere and fine woollens in either a cedar chest or plastic bags to keep clean and moth free. Moths may go after any food particles that may be on the garment, so it is very important to keep your garments clean.
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"Pilling" (the little balls that get on sweaters) is a natural occurrence on cashmere and wool. Not all sweaters will pill, and some will pill more than others. All natural fibers have their own chemistry that will differ from yarn to yarn. However, a quality sweater should not pill excessively. The pilling is usually caused by a friction of some sort; such as a seat belt, purse strap or even synthetic linings of coats and jackets. If pilling occurs, pull or carefully cut the pills off, breaking the connection. Then wash according to the above instructions