If you've ever stood in a shop holding two jumpers that look almost identical — one twice the price of the other — and wondered what you're actually paying for, this is for you.

Understanding a few simple terms can help you buy knitwear with confidence, spend wisely, and choose pieces that will genuinely last.

It Starts With the Fibre

Before ply, gauge, or weight, the single most important factor in knitwear quality is the fibre itself.

In cashmere, quality is determined largely by the length and fineness of the individual fibres. Longer, finer fibres produce yarn that feels softer, pills less, and holds its shape wash after wash. Shorter fibres feel coarser, pill more quickly, and wear out faster — regardless of how the garment looks on the hanger.

This is why two jumpers can both be labelled "cashmere" and feel completely different. The label tells you what's in it. The fibre grade tells you how good it is.

At MIKA & MILO, we source our cashmere directly from Inner Mongolia, where the extreme climate produces some of the world's finest, longest fibres — and we work without unnecessary middlemen to ensure that quality reaches you.

What is Ply?

Ply refers to the number of individual yarn strands twisted together to form a single thread. A 2-ply yarn, for example, is made by twisting two strands together, which creates better balance and strength than a single strand alone.

In practical terms: higher ply yarns tend to feel warmer and heavier, and generally require more material to produce. But ply alone doesn't make a jumper good or bad — it's one factor among several, and always secondary to fibre quality.

What is Gauge?

Gauge refers to the number of needles used per inch of fabric during knitting. It affects how a garment looks and feels more than how warm or durable it is.

Lower gauge knits are looser and more relaxed — think chunky, textured knits with visible stitch detail. Higher gauge knits are tighter and more refined, with a smoother, more polished finish. Neither is inherently better. It depends on the garment, the season, and what you're looking for.

Pure Cashmere vs. a Cashmere Blend

Pure cashmere is beautiful, but for children's knitwear it comes with a practical problem: it typically needs to be hand-washed and handled carefully, which is a significant ask when your child has just come in from the garden.

A well-made cashmere blend — like our 95% organic cotton and 5% cashmere — gives you the softness and warmth of cashmere with the durability and easy care that real family life demands. Machine-washable, non-itch, and built to survive actual childhood.

The key word is well-made. A blend is only as good as the fibres in it and the care taken in production.

What Makes a Piece Worth Passing Down

A knitwear piece worth handing down has three things: exceptional fibre quality, considered construction, and a design that doesn't date. It should soften with wear rather than pill and lose its shape. It should hold its colour after repeated washing. And it should look as good on a younger sibling three years later as it did on the first day.

These things aren't accidental. They're the result of choices made long before the garment reaches you — in the field where the cotton is grown, the plateau where the cashmere is sourced, and the factory where the piece is made.

Knowing what to look for means you can see those choices — and choose accordingly.

At MIKA & MILO, every piece is made to be worn, loved, and handed down. Shop the collection at mika-milo.com