( 
)Don’t think you can afford high-quality cashmere sweaters? Think again. No matter what your budget, cashmere IS affordable - to purchase, store, and wash!
What’s great about cashmere? Not only is cashmere elegant-looking and the softest wool around - cashmere sweaters take up less than half the room of bulky winter wool sweaters yet they keep you just as warm. And - not only do they save a lot of storage space – but the fine, thin-nature of the wool also makes it a lot more convenient to wear under jackets and coats. One thing I have found is that, not only will cashmere keep you very warm – but you don’t get nearly as over-heated in them as you might in typical bulky wool sweaters. Last but not least: cashmere is fantastic for people who normally can’t wear wool against their skin. Cashmere is the ONLY wool I, and many others, can comfortably wear without itching.
How can I afford a cashmere sweater on a bare-bones budget??
If you live within decent driving distance to an up-scale area, routinely visit their nearby thrift shops. While some thrift’s only carry seasonal items, some take anything. Look for thinner gauged sweaters that have a very soft feel. Make sure you look for a label – you may find some that are cashmere blends; acrylic – or 100% cashmere. Now, many cashmere sweaters will wind up at thrift stores because moths LOVE to eat cashmere. If you find a sweater with a small hole or two? It’s worth bargaining for.
Last summer, I bought a beautiful magenta 100% cashmere hoodie for $1.00 because it had two small holes on the sleeve. Small holes (dime size or less) can be re-weaved reasonably. However, you MUST be careful! Local cleaners may advertise reweaving services? But, often, their idea of reweaving is sewing the hole shut, as you can see in this picture:
Therefore, you should send your sweater to be re-weaved by an expert. There is one in California that charges reasonable prices. In the end, you will still pay a fraction of the cost of a new sweater. For instance – I bought a current Neiman Marcus pull-over sweater worth $250.00 at a thrift store for $10.00. It had a small hole on the arm. I paid $30.00 including shipping to have it fixed. Not a bad savings!
However, not ALL sweaters at thrift stores have holes – I have bought several that didn’t. But do look at the garment and decide that if there are holes … whether it would be worth fixing.
But, What If The Label Says “Dry Clean Only” – Can These Still Be Washed?
Absolutely !!! I have washed ALL types of cashmere sweaters and they have turned out just lovely. Hand-washing cashmere sweaters is easy; much more affordable than dry cleaning … AND your sweater will not be made dingy by dry cleaning chemicals. Here’s how to wash your cashmere sweater (or scarf, etc!)
Do I have to wash the sweater every time I wear it ??
No! You can layer it over a light-weight T shirt; or, you can purchase a box of underarm shields that temporarily adhere to your sweater.
Voila! You CAN have affordable, luxurious cashmere sweaters that can be worn for nearly any occasion, for a fraction of the retail/maintenance cost!!
♥♥ So, would you like to read about how to easily detect depression glass that actually GLOWS !?!?!? Check out my guide by clicking on this link !! Thanks !! ♥♥
Please don’t forget to vote for this review! Thanks so much for taking the time to read!
What’s great about cashmere? Not only is cashmere elegant-looking and the softest wool around - cashmere sweaters take up less than half the room of bulky winter wool sweaters yet they keep you just as warm. And - not only do they save a lot of storage space – but the fine, thin-nature of the wool also makes it a lot more convenient to wear under jackets and coats. One thing I have found is that, not only will cashmere keep you very warm – but you don’t get nearly as over-heated in them as you might in typical bulky wool sweaters. Last but not least: cashmere is fantastic for people who normally can’t wear wool against their skin. Cashmere is the ONLY wool I, and many others, can comfortably wear without itching.
How can I afford a cashmere sweater on a bare-bones budget??
If you live within decent driving distance to an up-scale area, routinely visit their nearby thrift shops. While some thrift’s only carry seasonal items, some take anything. Look for thinner gauged sweaters that have a very soft feel. Make sure you look for a label – you may find some that are cashmere blends; acrylic – or 100% cashmere. Now, many cashmere sweaters will wind up at thrift stores because moths LOVE to eat cashmere. If you find a sweater with a small hole or two? It’s worth bargaining for.
Last summer, I bought a beautiful magenta 100% cashmere hoodie for $1.00 because it had two small holes on the sleeve. Small holes (dime size or less) can be re-weaved reasonably. However, you MUST be careful! Local cleaners may advertise reweaving services? But, often, their idea of reweaving is sewing the hole shut, as you can see in this picture:
Therefore, you should send your sweater to be re-weaved by an expert. There is one in California that charges reasonable prices. In the end, you will still pay a fraction of the cost of a new sweater. For instance – I bought a current Neiman Marcus pull-over sweater worth $250.00 at a thrift store for $10.00. It had a small hole on the arm. I paid $30.00 including shipping to have it fixed. Not a bad savings!
However, not ALL sweaters at thrift stores have holes – I have bought several that didn’t. But do look at the garment and decide that if there are holes … whether it would be worth fixing.
But, What If The Label Says “Dry Clean Only” – Can These Still Be Washed?
Absolutely !!! I have washed ALL types of cashmere sweaters and they have turned out just lovely. Hand-washing cashmere sweaters is easy; much more affordable than dry cleaning … AND your sweater will not be made dingy by dry cleaning chemicals. Here’s how to wash your cashmere sweater (or scarf, etc!)
- Swirl a bit of natural shampoo for dry hair in a sink. Fill the sink with cool water; swishing into bubbles.
- Drop your sweater in and carefully massage it in the suds. You may have to fill the sink again if your sweater was really dingy or dirty. The water will look icky!
- Squeeze out the soapy water (DON’T wring), by holding it up and “climbing a rope” downward while squeezing.
- Fill the sink back up with cool water as many times as you need to get the shampoo out.
- Squeeze out the excess water using the method above.
- Get your most absorbent towel and lay it flat. Lay the sweater on top of it.
- Roll the sweater up into the towel, squeezing down as you go.
- Flip the towel over and repeat above rolling action.
- Reshape and lay flat on either a pop-up net sweater dryer, or, another absorbent towel.
- Store in the off-season with CEDAR sachets, or wood blocks – or best in a cedar closet or chest.
Do I have to wash the sweater every time I wear it ??
No! You can layer it over a light-weight T shirt; or, you can purchase a box of underarm shields that temporarily adhere to your sweater.
Voila! You CAN have affordable, luxurious cashmere sweaters that can be worn for nearly any occasion, for a fraction of the retail/maintenance cost!!
♥♥ So, would you like to read about how to easily detect depression glass that actually GLOWS !?!?!? Check out my guide by clicking on this link !! Thanks !! ♥♥
Please don’t forget to vote for this review! Thanks so much for taking the time to read!
Guide created: 04/01/09 (updated 09/23/09)
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