The Journey of Peru Knitwear: Alpacas to Cardigans
Knitwear has always been a big goal of ours…but it was always so intimidating. Not only is it a big investment (knitwear is expensive to make!), there are so many choices when it comes to techniques, shaping, sizing, and gauging (this is the number of stitches in a row that give the knitwear its “looped” texture – they can be anything from big and spacious, to tight and small.)
It’s possible to get cheaply made knitwear–but they’ll most likely be made with synthetic fibres. They look good on the rack, but as soon as they’re lived in, they lose their quality almost immediately; the knit loses shape, the fibres fuzz up and you stop seeing that woven texture, or the sweater will pill for all eternity and no amount of shaving will prevent it (one of us is still quite bitter about a forever-pilling, unwearable sweater we bought years ago.)
So we tucked our knitwear goal away. Because if we’re going to do our version, we want to do better than what’s out there. It must be high-quality, ethically made, and designed to fit in with the rest of our Free Label pieces – size inclusive and for curvier bodies.
And then two summers ago, we received an email asking if we wanted to take a trip to Lima, Peru – which is known for their deep cultural connection to knitting and their abundance of natural fibres. We sent Tagnéa there on a whirlwind trip to see if this would finally be the right fit for us. Tags did a solid day of back-to-back-to-back presentations on all of the things that could be created with their high-quality natural fibres. We were so in awe and inspired by her discoveries, that we decided 2025 would be the year of knitwear!
We started to design our dream sweaters, created from Peru’s best known fibres: Superfine Alpaca Wool and Organic Pima Cotton.
SUPERFINE ALPACA WOOL
There are different variations of alpaca wool, but they always come from the same source: Alpacas! These are beloved animals in Peru. You can only shave alpacas twice per year, so they are well protected and very loved by their caretakers. Once the alpacas are shaved, the raw wool is completely hand sorted – the skilled women who work in these processing facilities are so familiar with the texture and feel of wool they can sort it by hand-feel alone. This skill is passed down through generations. They bundle all the fibres up by their quality, and then they are sent to the next phase where they are combed, washed, spun, and coned into yarn. 
Selecting our wool type
There are four main types of alpaca fibre, which depend on their fineness and quality: Regular, Superfine, Baby, and Royal. For our wool cardigans we went with Superfine because it’s more durable than other types but still super soft. Our wool blend is 89% superfine alpaca and 11% recycled polyamide. The wool will last a lifetime and the polyamide will help the piece keep its shape.
What does alpaca wool feel like
Superfine alpaca has a cashmere-soft feel. It’s lightweight yet still helps regulate body temperature. So you get all the warmth without the bulk. Unlike sheep’s wool, alpaca wool does not contain any lanolin, which is a wax-like substance excreted from sheep skin that builds up in the wool and collects oil and dust. This is typically what people are allergic or sensitive to when it comes to wearing wool–so alpaca wool is naturally hypoallergenic. That being said, wool is not silk, and it will have a texture you can feel on your skin. We tend to wear base layers under our wool, not only for comfort, but to cut down on wash frequency.
ORGANIC PIMA COTTON
Pima Cotton is the strongest and softest cotton in the world. It’s mainly grown in Peru and not to be mistaken with Supima Cotton, which is grown in the USA. Pima Cotton makes up less than 1% of the world’s cotton production, and is known for its strength and durability. The fibres are extra long which gives the yarn a smoother feel – this means the fabric is less likely to pill and is better at holding its shape.
KNITTING THE KNITWEAR
Once the yarn is ready for knitting, there’s a collaboration between human and machine to bring it to life. Machines are programmed to create all the individual elements of the garment: the pockets, front panels, back panels, arms, sleeves, neck, etc. If there are any errors in the machining, the wool is unwound and used again so nothing goes to waste.
After all the key pieces are created, they are then looped together on another machine by a human hand. Every individual loop is placed on the machine to achieve a perfect connection. The Marina Wool Cardigan is particularly complex and takes roughly 3 hours to complete one with hundreds of loops that need to be connected by hand! 
After the sweater is assembled they do a quality check. If anything is off, small hand tools are used to correct the errors. Tags and buttons (if needed) are sewn on, and then they perform a final quality check. If all looks perfect, the sweaters are pressed, steamed, and ready for packing!
See the final sweaters below!
HOW TO WASH YOUR KNITWEAR
To extend the life of your sweater, you want to cut down on washing as much as possible. Best practice is to wear your cardigan and pullover with an underlayer, like a tee or longsleeve, to prevent sweat, deodorant, or perfume from penetrating the fabric.
When it’s time to wash your knitwear, less is best. For more indepth instructions, check out our blog post here: HOW TO WASH WOOL AND DELICATE SWEATERS
GET ON THE LIST TO GET 1-HOUR EARLY ACCESS
