Why Buy Natural Yarns?

Porridge Knitwear was born from a simple frustration: I was finding it harder and harder to find high wool content knitwear on the high street. Polyester blends dominated the marketplace and more and more I was wearing vintage and second hand wool jumpers through the winter. As a young pastry chef working in central London, cashmere was an unachievable luxury. My wardrobe consisted of inherited Scottish cashmere and and hard-won finds from Notting Hill and King's Road charity shops. This treasure-hunting trained my eye for quality factors in textiles. I learnt well-made wool, whether lambswool, merino, or cashmere, endures. My decade-old Brora roll neck, a charity shop gem, stands as testament to this, I still wear it today.

Wool has breathability, odor resistance, and longevity. A gentle wash, a little bit of de-bobbling , keeps it pristine for years. 

While synthetics like polyester and elastane have a place – adding stretch, lighter weight, or affordability – in my view they should never dominate. A 100% polyester jumper is essentially a glorified plastic bag, offering zero breathability. Remember that bin-liner dress-up game? Remember sweating? That's the effect.

Many people worry about washing Cashmere and Wool, as it can shrink. Handwashing a jumper in the bath or sink, takes 10 minutes, its much less effort than it seems, and many washing machines now have a wool cycle, if a bath feels to labour intensive! That is how i wash mine, and I then lie them out flat to dry.

Think of your jumper like a food label: the first ingredient matters. If it's wool, you're investing in comfort, warmth and durability. If it's polyester, you're buying transient fashion. Natural fibers – wool, silk, cotton – allow your skin to breathe, keeping you comfortable, season after season.

Holly Hawthorne

CEO Porridge Knitwear