The Journal
Guides to knitwear quality, construction and care
Long-form, sourced explanations of what makes knitwear luxury — written to answer the questions people actually ask before buying.
11 September 2026 · 4 min read
Slow Knitwear: Why Family-Run Mills Still Make the Best Sweaters
How small, family-owned knitting mills in Scotland, Italy, Ireland, Japan and across Europe produce better knitwear than industrial fashion — and what 'slow', 'ethical' and 'traceable' actually mean when a knitwear house uses them.
9 September 2026 · 5 min read
How to Care for Cashmere and Fine Knitwear: Washing, Drying, Storing and De-pilling
The care routine that makes luxury knitwear last twenty years: how to hand-wash cashmere and merino, dry flat, fold rather than hang, prevent moths, remove pills, and when dry cleaning helps or harms.
7 September 2026 · 4 min read
Cashmere vs Merino vs Alpaca vs Vicuña: A Comparison Guide to Luxury Knitwear Fibres
Side-by-side comparison of the fibres used in luxury knitwear — cashmere, merino, alpaca, vicuña, yak, baby camel, lambswool, Shetland, silk and Sea Island cotton — by fineness, warmth, durability, care and price.
5 September 2026 · 5 min read
Gauge, Fully-Fashioned Knitting and Linking: How a Luxury Sweater Is Actually Made
A step-by-step explanation of luxury knitwear construction — gauge, fully-fashioned versus cut-and-sew, hand-linking, seamless whole-garment knitting and finishing — and how to spot each in a finished sweater.
3 September 2026 · 5 min read
Cashmere Grading Explained: Micron, Fibre Length, Ply and Why Cheap Cashmere Pills
How cashmere is graded — Grade A, B and C by micron and staple length — what 2-ply means, why Scottish and Italian cashmere feel different, and how to spot short-fibre cashmere before you buy.
1 September 2026 · 6 min read
What Makes Knitwear Luxury? The Seven Things That Actually Matter
A plain-English guide to what separates luxury knitwear from the rest: fibre grade, spinning, gauge, fully-fashioned construction, linking, finishing and provenance — with the checks you can do in a shop.