Paychi Guh Worsted Cashmere L/S Crew – Navy

Worsted is a spinning method, not a fiber, and it is the reason this sweater does not behave like other cashmere. To spin a yarn worsted, the fibers are combed until they all lie parallel and every short one has been pulled out, then twisted tightly. What comes out is smooth, dense, strong, and thin, with none of the fluffy halo a woolen-spun yarn carries. Cashmere makes this difficult: the fiber is short to begin with, so only the longest and finest fibers in a fleece can be combed and spun this way, and most of the clip cannot. The result is a sweater that is genuinely thin and genuinely warm at the same time, that does not pill the way soft cashmere pills, because there are far fewer loose fiber ends to work free, and that is cool against the skin rather than warm to the touch, which surprises people who associate cashmere with immediate heat. Practically, it is the sweater that folds into nothing, goes in a bag, and comes out unbothered. Two-ply, and made in Inner Mongolia, China.

Why we selected it

Santa Fe drops forty degrees after dinner for most of the year, and the useful garment is the one that is already in the bag at four in the afternoon. A worsted crew folds into nothing, weighs nothing, and is warm when the sun goes. That is not a refinement, it is the layer this climate actually requires.

Paychi Guh organizes its line by grade and spin of cashmere rather than by silhouette, and the worsted crew is the piece that argument was built around.

The colour

Navy, and on a worsted yarn a navy behaves differently than it does on a fluffy one. A combed, tightly twisted yarn has a smooth surface, so it reflects light in a single direction and the color reads clean and deep rather than dusty. This is the version that will pass for tailoring under a jacket.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent worsted cashmere, two-ply. Long-sleeved crew neck. Made in Inner Mongolia, China.

Fit notes

We do not hold measurements. A worsted knit has more spring and less give than a woolen-spun one, so it holds its shape through a day rather than relaxing into yours, and it will not grow at the cuff. It is thin enough to layer under almost anything without adding bulk at the shoulder, which is what it is for.

Styling

Under the Premium Cashmere Relaxed Turtleneck when it is genuinely cold. Under the Dreamy Cashmere Furry Vest, where the smooth worsted surface against a textured one is the whole effect. With the Baby Cashmere Crew in Heather Oat if you want two that do not compete.

Care

Hand wash in cool water with a cashmere wash rather than a detergent, press the water out between towels rather than wringing, and dry flat. Fold it; never hang it. A worsted yarn pills far less than a soft cashmere does, because the fibers are combed parallel and tightly twisted and there are fewer loose ends to work free, so this is the one in the collection that most rewards being worn hard. Our care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Worsted Cashmere L/S Crew in Black is the same crew where the yarn does not have to carry a color, and the Pine Green is the one that does. Everything we carry from Paychi Guh is listed together.