Donegal Cashmere: The Flecked Knit and How to Wear It

A Donegal sweater is a knit made from flecked yarn, with small pieces of yarn in other colours set in at irregular intervals so the surface looks heathered instead of flat. Johnstons of Elgin uses the term for its ‘100% Donegal Cashmere’ yarn, and you can see it across Johnstons of Elgin knitwear at Coveti in pieces such as the Cairn Grey Donegal Cashmere Jumper, which sits among our women’s cashmere jumpers.

The short answer: Donegal describes a look, not a place of manufacture. The name comes from Donegal tweed, a cloth from County Donegal in Ireland, and lowercase ‘donegal’ is now used for any cloth with that flecked, heathered surface, wherever it is made. In knitwear it means a yarn with coloured flecks that break up a plain colour.

What Donegal means

Donegal tweed is woven in County Donegal, Ireland. The area is best known for a plain-weave cloth with small pieces of yarn in various colours woven in at irregular intervals, which gives the cloth a heathered effect. Along with Harris Tweed, it is often called the most famous tweed in the world.

Over time the word moved from the place to the effect. Cloth with that flecked look is often labelled ‘donegal’ with a lowercase d, regardless of where it is made. It is the only sense in which we use it in this guide. None of the yarns described below are claimed to come from County Donegal. When a label says Donegal, read it as a description of the surface: a base colour with small, scattered flecks of other colours through it.

The irregular spacing is the point: no two inches of the fabric look quite the same. From across a room the knit reads as one soft colour, grey, oatmeal, navy. Up close you see the flecks, and that close view is where most of the pleasure is.

How the fleck looks in a cashmere knit

In a woven tweed the flecks sit in a firm, flat cloth. In a knit they sit in loops, so they soften and spread a little across each stitch. On a plain jersey stitch the effect is quiet, almost like a heathered yarn seen through mist. On a rib, the flecks follow the ridges and the knit looks more textured. In cable and argyle patterns the fleck adds depth to the colour without fighting the pattern.

Cashmere suits the look because its soft hand keeps the fleck gentle: you notice the colour first and the flecks second. If you want the background on how the house sources and spins its fibre, our guide to Johnstons of Elgin cashmere, from ply to superfine covers it in full.

Johnstons of Elgin Donegal jumpers

Johnstons of Elgin is the main source of Donegal knitwear at Coveti. The house was founded in 1797 in Elgin, Scotland, and runs two Scottish mills. The house says on its brand FAQ page: “Our woven goods are crafted at our mill in Elgin, while our knitwear is produced at our Hawick mill.” The Donegal jumpers are knitwear, so they belong to the Hawick side of the business. For the longer history, read who Johnstons of Elgin are and how the mill works.

The product pages list the composition as ‘100% Donegal Cashmere’, and the colour names carry the word too, such as Light Grey Donegal and Navy Donegal. Coveti currently has 22 Johnstons of Elgin Donegal colourways live, across six knitwear styles and a dressing gown. The table below sets out each style with its composition, ply and price.

For women: Norah and Cairn

Norah is the fuller, more textured style. It comes as a ribbed jumper and a ribbed cardigan, both in an ‘Oversized Fit’. The Norah Ribbed Natural Donegal Cashmere Jumper is $1,780 at Coveti, in sizes XS to M. The rib gives the flecks a ridge to run along, so the knit has more surface interest than a plain jersey. The cardigan version, the Norah Ribbed Grey Donegal Cashmere Cardigan, is $2,440 at Coveti and runs XS to L. The house does not state a ply for Norah on its product pages, and we do not guess one.

Cairn is the lighter, plainer option. Its product pages state ‘2-Ply Construction’, which the house labels as lightweight. The Cairn Grey Donegal Cashmere Jumper is $1,220 at Coveti, sizes XS to XL, and the style also comes in natural, blue and purple. A 2-ply Donegal crew is the easiest way into the look: the fleck shows, but the jumper is light enough to sit under a jacket. More women’s styles are in our edit of cashmere sweaters for women, and the cardigans sit with the rest of our women’s cardigans.

For men: Tiree, MacKintosh, Kinnaird and Monteith

All four men’s Donegal styles are 2-ply and printed as ‘Regular Fit’. Tiree is the plain crew and the widest choice, with five colourways. The Tiree Green Donegal Cashmere Jumper is $1,320 at Coveti.

The MacKintosh Roll Neck Grey Donegal Cashmere Jumper is $1,400 at Coveti and adds a roll neck to the same yarn. The Kinnaird Natural Half Zip Donegal Cashmere Jumper, $1,960 at Coveti, is the half zip, with a natural colourway and a grey one. Monteith is the pattern piece: the Monteith Natural Exploded Argyle Donegal Cashmere Jumper is $1,510 at Coveti, an enlarged argyle on a flecked ground. If argyle is what draws you in, our guide to argyle sweaters covers the pattern, and the men’s line as a whole is in the Johnstons of Elgin menswear guide. Everything is filed under men’s knitwear.

The Donegal dressing gowns

The house also makes two dressing gowns with Donegal in the colour name. The Light Grey Donegal Cashmere Dressing Gown is $4,490 at Coveti, and there is a navy version at the same price. Their product pages list the composition as ‘100% Cashmere’ instead of the Donegal yarn wording used on the knitwear, and they do not carry the Scotland line the jumpers carry, so we describe them only as the house does. They come in S, M and L and sit in our robes category.

Donegal from other houses at Coveti

Johnstons of Elgin is not the only house using the word. Twenty pieces from four other houses at Coveti carry Donegal in their names, and they show how differently the same flecked look can be used: in tailoring, in skirts, in knits with metallic thread. We describe only the pieces we carry.

Brunello Cucinelli, founded in 1978 in Solomeo, Umbria, uses Donegal across ten pieces at Coveti: blazers, trousers, skirts, a mini dress, a hooded down jacket and a baseball cap. The Donegal blazer with monili in Anthracite is $7,790 at Coveti, and the Donegal pleated skirt in Light Brown is $5,030 at Coveti.

Fabiana Filippi has six pieces in Donegal yarn, several with Lurex, a metallic thread, worked through the fleck. The Donegal Yarn Sweater with Lurex in Cachà is $1,090 at Coveti, and the line also includes a cardigan, trousers and bombers in the same colour.

Max Mara, founded in 1951 in Reggio Emilia by Achille Maramotti, has two Donegal pieces at Coveti, both in white and black: a wool blend midi skirt and a pair of wool and silk trousers. The Palazzi Wool Blend Donegal Midi Skirt in White Black is $830 at Coveti.

Me and Em has two knits named for soft Donegal tweed, a crop sweater and a sweater vest. The Soft Donegal Tweed High V-Neck Crop Sweater is $502 at Coveti, the lowest price quoted in this guide.

How to wear a Donegal knit

The simplest rule is one flecked piece per outfit, with plain colours around it. The fleck already brings several colours to the surface, so a flecked jumper with flat trousers and a plain coat looks considered, while two flecked pieces together tend to blur into each other. Pick the plainest colour in the fleck and repeat it in the trousers, then let the jumper do the talking.

For a woman, a Cairn crew in grey sits well over a white shirt collar with wide trousers. The Norah rib in an oversized fit works on its own with a straight skirt, since the rib already has volume. With a flecked skirt, such as the Brunello Cucinelli pleated skirt, reverse the rule: a plain cashmere jumper on top, the fleck below.

For a man, a Tiree crew under a navy jacket is the most useful version, and the roll neck MacKintosh replaces a shirt and tie in cold weather. The Kinnaird half zip sits well over a collared shirt. Monteith, with its argyle, already has a pattern on a pattern, so keep everything else plain: dark trousers, a plain coat, nothing checked.

A flecked knit looks best against smooth fabrics. If you love a tweed jacket, choose a plain jumper and let the jacket carry the fleck.

Donegal knits around the world

In the US, buyers search for a Donegal sweater; in the UK the same piece is a Donegal jumper. The knit is the same. In a US and UK winter, a 2-ply Donegal crew is a mid layer: under a coat outdoors, on its own indoors. In much of the EU the same layering works through autumn and spring.

For GCC buyers, the climate changes the use. A lightweight 2-ply jumper suits air-conditioned interiors and cool desert evenings, and travel to colder cities. The heavier Norah rib and the dressing gowns are better kept for winter travel and for evenings at home.

Sizes follow letter sizing, XS to XXL across the house, with each style offering its own run; Cairn, for example, runs XS to XL. Johnstons of Elgin product pages print a garment table in centimetres with chest width measured flat, body length and underarm sleeve length; our Johnstons of Elgin size guide explains how to read it. Prices at Coveti are shown in US dollars, every piece is 100% authentic, and we ship worldwide from London.

Caring for Donegal cashmere

Care for a Donegal jumper is the same as for any knitted cashmere from the house. The house advises combing the surface gently to lift small balls of fibre, hand washing with a shampoo made for cashmere, reshaping after rinsing and drying naturally. Never tumble dry. Always fold knitwear and never hang it, and store it in a drawer, box and breathable bag with cedar wood balls. Our step by step guide on how to wash cashmere goes through each stage.

The house also works with Cashmere Circle, a Scottish aftercare company, on a repair, revive and recycling service for its knitwear. For the full Donegal line, browse Johnstons of Elgin at Coveti.

Johnstons of Elgin Donegal cashmere, style by style

Donegal across the houses at Coveti

How we measured: every live Coveti piece whose name names Donegal, on 1 November 2026: 22 Johnstons of Elgin colourways and 20 pieces from other houses. Composition and ply for Johnstons of Elgin are copied from the brand’s product pages; prices are US dollar list prices.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Donegal sweater?

A Donegal sweater is knitted from flecked yarn, with small pieces of yarn in other colours set in at irregular intervals for a heathered look. The name comes from Donegal tweed, a cloth from County Donegal in Ireland, but lowercase donegal now describes the flecked effect wherever the yarn is made.

Is Johnstons of Elgin Donegal cashmere made in Donegal?

The house does not say so. Johnstons of Elgin uses Donegal to describe the flecked look of its ‘100% Donegal Cashmere’ yarn, in line with the lowercase use of the word for any cloth with that heathered surface. The house knits its knitwear at its Hawick mill in the Scottish Borders.

Which Johnstons of Elgin Donegal jumper should I buy first?

For most people a plain 2-ply crew is the easiest start. For women that is Cairn, $1,220 at Coveti; for men it is Tiree, $1,320 at Coveti, in five colourways. Both are light enough to layer, and both show the fleck clearly without a pattern on top of it.

How do I wear a flecked jumper without looking busy?

Wear one flecked piece at a time and keep everything around it plain. Take the base colour of the jumper, grey, oatmeal, navy, and repeat it in your trousers and coat. Smooth fabrics such as a cotton shirt and plain wool trousers let the fleck show without competing with it.

Do other houses at Coveti make Donegal pieces?

Yes. Coveti carries 20 Donegal pieces from four other houses: Brunello Cucinelli tailoring, skirts and a down jacket; Fabiana Filippi Donegal yarn knits, trousers and bombers, several with Lurex; a Max Mara midi skirt and trousers; and a Me and Em crop sweater and sweater vest.

How should I wash a Donegal cashmere jumper?

Hand wash it with a shampoo made for cashmere, reshape it after rinsing and let it dry naturally, never in a tumble dryer. Comb the surface gently to lift small balls of fibre. Store it folded, never hung, in a drawer, box and breathable bag with cedar wood balls, as the house advises.