A Better Pill

All knitwear will pill with wear, including cotton, cashmere and wool, and occurs when shorter fibres separate from the longer fibres in the yarn. This process becomes accelerated under conditions of abrasion. Although pilling is an inherent quality of all knitted garments, Interwool has developed a unique strategy for minimizing the occurrence of pilling in its garments. By sourcing the world’s finest and longest combed cashmere yarn from Mongolia and combining it with stretched merino wool, via Optim technology, we have produced a yarn that will pill considerably less than other cashmere. In addition, we have added silk yarn to the blend to produce a garment that will resist pilling. As part of our commitment to continued research and development we are now trialing blends containing linen to assess its effectiveness in controlling pill.

Treatment of pilling is as simple as removing the pill ball by hand, wiping with adhesive tape and most effectively by shaving with a battery-powered pill shaver available from most department stores. Natural fibre pill balls will eventually fall-off of their own accord and once this stage is reached the pilling will cease.