Martha Stewart: Don't be a pill - get the right cashmere

Q: My daughter has asked for a cashmere sweater for Christmas. How can I ensure I purchase a well-made one?

A: Like today's holiday shoppers, 18th-century Western explorers coveted cashmere. The fine wool owes its softness to the animal from which it's shorn - Capra hircus laniger, a goat native to Kashmir that's now bred in China, Mongolia and central Asia for its wool. What distinguishes this goat is its two layers of fleece. Rough fibers blanket the softer insulating filaments that are used to create cashmere yarn.

For all of cashmere's allure, it possesses two drawbacks: It pills and it's expensive. Often there's a correlation. Pricier cashmere is less likely to pill because it's made with the best fibers. These come from breeds in inner Mongolia that produce the finest hair. This hair is light and long enough so that fewer strands stick out of the yarn once it has been spun - thus the finished sweater doesn't pill as easily.

A simple test will yield clues about fiber quality. Bunch the sweater in your fist and then let it go. "It should come back to life," says Karl Spilhaus, president of the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute. "A good product will have a certain loft." Avoid scratchy sweaters with fibers sticking out, which may foreshadow excessive pilling due to the short and lower-quality fibers.

Another factor is ply: the number of yarn strands twisted together. Overall, two-ply cashmere (two entwined yarn strands) is more durable than single, and therefore less likely to pill or lose its shape, says Ingrid Johnson, professor of textile development and marketing at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. But single-ply is softer and lighter; it's ideal for cool summer evenings. Plies greater than two aren't necessarily more durable; they're heavier and warmer.

Although blends - cashmere twisted with wool, silk and so on - can be a sneaky way to sell consumers a watered-down version of the prized wool, don't reject them out of hand. A blend of silk and cashmere is shiny and smooth, yet soft, says textile designer Beatrice Wong.

Because cashmere will inevitably pill regardless of quality, buy a sweater comb to safely remove the rolled fibers. When it comes time to clean the sweater, dry-clean or hand wash it. To do the latter, agitate the sweater gently in lukewarm, sudsy water and rinse it thoroughly. Lay it flat on a towel, roll them up together and then squeeze gently to remove water. Let the garment dry on a flat surface for 24 hours. Before storing your cashmere for a long period, be sure to clean it and place cedar blocks in the drawer to protect the sweater from moths.

Q: The buds on my Christmas cactus fall off before opening. What causes this problem and how do I remedy it?

A: The masses of orchidlike flowers that Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera sp.) produce during the holidays make them popular houseplants. The cactus is easy to grow under the right conditions, but its buds often fall off before they bloom.

Exposure to heat or cold is a major culprit: If the plant sits near a radiator or in the path of a drafty window, it will almost certainly drop its buds. In cold areas of the country, damage may also occur between the store and your home as the plant moves through a broad range of temperatures in a short period of time. (Make sure the salesperson wraps the cactus in paper and places it in a bag. Then take it home right away.)

Watering too much or too little also causes bud drop, as does fertilizing the plant as it buds and flowers. Finally, gas from ripening fruit can knock off the buds of many plants, not just Christmas cacti, so don't keep them in the kitchen or anywhere in which produce is displayed.

For the best results, place the plant in a cool (64 to 68 degrees), draft-free location, with evenly moist soil and bright, indirect light; it should hold on to its buds, which will unfurl on schedule. Once the blooms fade, you can move the plant to a warmer location.

Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 601 W. 26th St., 9th floor, New York, N.Y. 10001. Questions may also be sent by e-mail to: mslletters@marthastewart.com. Please include your name, address and daytime phone number.