10   Designing, knitting and linking together a garment involves around forty separate processes, many of them done by hand - every seam is checked by hand, the detailing is stitched by hand and the final press before folding and labelling is carried out by hand - no machine is yet as sensitive as human touch and human sight. Cashmere yarn is oiled to strengthen and protect it during knitting: when the garment is complete it is washed to remove the oil and washed again to open the fibres and realise its characteristic and unique softness - this is called 'milling'.