Johnstons of Elgin - Knitwear

Knitwear

Johnston’s knitwear is manufactured at their Mill in the border town of Hawick, the heart of the knitwear industry. Most of the products are made from Johnston’s own yarns with the introduction recently of fine cashmere/silk yarn for the spring and summer collections. The Johnston’s knitwear collection is fully fashioned, which means each garment is knitted to shape to give the best fit. The ribbed trimmings, cuffs, collars, welts, pockets and straps are knitted first on specialised machines, which create the essential tensioned construction required, particularly for the cuffs and welts to preserve the shape of the garment in wear. These ribs are transferred to the main frames which knit the fronts, backs and sleeves, either plain or worked into a variety of textured or multi-coloured designs such as stripes and intarsias. Once completed, the main elements are linked together stitch to stitch, single- needle seamed for a low profile finish of neatness and comfort and finally bar-tacked at the stress points for added strength. The garment, now virtually formed, is carefully washed and milled using the soft local water from the River Teviot in Hawick to remove any remaining impurities and oils and to create the soft characteristic cashmere touch. Following a first press, the collars are then linked to the garment. Buttoning and button holing are completed and much of the finishing touches such as sewing the point of the vee are done by hand.