How to Choose a Pashmina Shawl or Scarf

A quality pashmina shawl is an excellent addition to any wardrobe. Because of confusion over terminology and misleading labling, though, finding a pashmina that's truly high quality isn't always so easy. Here are some tips to help you get the best pashmina your budget will allow.

What is pashmina anyway?
A lot of the confusion about what pashmina is comes from people using the phrase "a pashmina" to refer to any type of large, soft, lightweight wrap. Pashmina is, in fact, wool from the Capra hircus goat. The name pashmina is derived from the Persian word "pashm," meaning "inside" or "underside," due to the area the wool comes from. Although it's sometimes defined as high quality cashmere, actually pashmina and cashmere are the same thing.

Quality material
So why is it some pashmina shawls go for $40 while others cost several hundred dollars? A lot of it has to do with the type of cashmere used to make the shawl. The highest quality pashmina comes from the upper chest and throat area of the goat. This wool is very soft, but it's also quite delicate. It takes great care and time to weave, which raises the price of any product made from it. Lower quality pashmina, on the other hand, is throat wool mixed with coarser wool from the belly and shoulders. Being tougher, this wool is easier to work with, so it takes less effort to weave. This is still considered pure pashmina, though. The most important factor is that the pashmina not be mixed with sheep's wool, which is noticeably coarser, and of course the pashmina is no longer pure.

To be of reasonable quality, a pahsmina shawl or scarf should be either 100% pashmina (cashmere) or a blend of 70% pashmina and 30% silk. Other ratios of pashmina and silk can also be found. There's nothing wrong with a pashmina/silk blend, so long as you know what you're getting. Just be aware that a pashmina shawl's sheen is no indication of quality; it just means the cashmere has been blended with silk.

Quality workmanship
Naturally, hand made items are generally of higher quality than assembly-line manufactured ones and the same goes for pashmina shawls and scarves. The better ones are hand woven and any embroidery or detailing such as tassels also done by hand.

Part of the quality of the workmanship also involves something that isn't done. A quality pashmina product will not need to have anything done to it to make it soft. If low quality cashmere is used, the shawl or scarf will have to be machine brushed or treated with chemicals to make it feel as soft as high quality cashmere. This harsh treatment stresses the fibers and reduces their life-span. Shawls treated this way will wear thin, ravel or tear easily.

Confusing labeling
Because pashmina is sometimes incorrectly defined as a blend of cashmere and silk, some unethical manufacturers label cashmere-silk blends as "pure pashmina." Pure pashmina is fairly expensive, though, so if the price seems suspiciously low for a supposedly pure product, that may be why. Also, stay away from so-called pashmina shawls and scarves that contain viscose. Viscose is a man-made material and, while it does have a silk-like sheen, it's not nearly as soft or strong as either genuine pashmina or silk.

The best way to get the highest quality pashmina shawl or scarf is to buy from a reputable company that knows the true definition of pashmina and produces hand-woven items. Don't be shy about asking questions. If a sales person tries to convince you that sheen is a sign of quality or admits the pashmina has been blended with "other natural fibers," such as sheep's wool, you'll know not to waste your money with them. Take the time to find a truly high quality pashmina product, though, and you'll be rewarded with a beautiful, comfortable wardrobe accessory that can be passed down for generations.

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Pashmina Useful Tips

Pashmina shawls, pashmina stoles and other pashmina products can be delicately hand/machine washed in cold water with a light detergent such as woolite. You can also use comfortable warm water to wash your pashminas with a good, natural shampoo. They should then be rolled in a towel to remove excess water and laid flat to dry.

During the dyeing process, all items are kept in water between 30 to 60 minutes at a temperature just below boiling, and are washed twice more, so do not fear washing pashmina in water.

To remove wrinkles pashmina shawls should either be steam pressed or lightly ironed under a pressing cloth. silk/pashmina shawls, however should be dry-cleaned. Although the contents are natural products, the silk and raised nap of the fabric cause silk/pashmina shawls to wrinkle more easily.

Because home pressing can often flatten raised nap it is best to have silk/pashmina profession ally dry cleaned.

All our pashmina shawls and other pashmina products are quite versatile can be worn just about anywhere in any occasion. The fabric is extremely lightweight, so they can be safely rolled up and placed in purses or other small spaces.

We recommend that your pashmina shawl be cleaned at a professional dry cleaning establishment. However, they may be carefully hand washed.

To Hand Wash

* Gently remove excess dirt and fiber by brushing gently with a soft brush.

* Gently hand wash your pashmina products using cold or warm water and a mild detergent soap. Shampoo can be used.

* Place pashmina products on a towel and roll up together to squeeze out excess water.

* Place the pashmina products on a flat surface and lightly stretch it to its original shape. Allow the shawl to air dry completely.

* Once dry, you may lightly press your products with a steam iron and use a very soft brush to give the pashmina products a soft, plus texture.

SOME USEFUL TIPS REGARDING PASHMINA PRODUCTS !!

1. How to wash your pashmina products?

* Hand wash in lukewarm water using your hair shampoo. Be sure to dissolve the shampoo through then put the pashmina products into water. Rinse with hair conditioner, this would make your pashmina products or any pashmina garments softer. Wash colored garments separately.

* Do not bleach pashmina products.

* Squeeze your pashmina shawl gently, do not twist or wing. Twisting the wet pashmina shawl would stretch the shape of your pashmina shawl.

* Dry flat your pashmina products after removing excess water from pashmina products, away from direct heat and sunlight.

* Press your pashmina products with damp cloth, using a cool iron, from the inside of the garment.

2. How to store your pashmina products?

In order to store your pashmina products few things has to be remembered. Here we have summarized few of them:

* Dampness, sunlight and leakages are very harmful to your precious pashmina products. So before storing your pashmina products in basements or attics, always keep in mind that your pashmina products don't get in touch with dampness, sunlight and leakages. Fold pashmina products or pack them neatly in tissue paper or polythene bag and store them in closet away from light, dust and dampness.

* Cleaning pashmina products before storage is recommended, as fresh stains that may not yet be visible will oxidize and become fixed during storage; they may also be the food for moths. Moths have a discerning; they feast only on natural fabrics. Mothballs (naphthalene) and cedar chips are standard protection from moth infestation of woolens.

* To store a pure pashmina products during summer, the most important thing is to keep moisture away, and so please do not store your pashmina products in a damp place. A well-sealed plastic storage box (available in most stores) is good enough (be sure that if there is any moisture inside). Make sure the box is dry before you put your pashmina products in.

* To keep the moth away, the first important thing to make sure that the muffler is clean before long-time storage. Pay close attention to any food stains as moths are particularly attracted to our normal food proteins and cooking oils. Those mothproofing products are helpful, or simply spray some perfume on a piece of paper and put the paper next to your pashmina products inside the box.

3. Few more extra tips.

You can use the following tips to keep your pashmina products always clean and beautiful:

* Avoid wearing or using the same pashmina products frequently, allow the pashmina products two or three days' rest after one day's wearing.

* A silk scarf goes well with pashmina shawl or stole to and cardigan, to put between your pashmina shawl or stole top/cardigan and your neck will also prevent powder or other cosmetics stains.

* Do not wear the pashmina shawls or pashmina stoles or pashmina scarves or pashmina mufflers next to rough clothing, metal necklace, bracelet, belt and rough leather such as crocodile leather bags because these things may harm your pashmina products. Dress up your pashmina shawl or pashmina stole or pashmina muffler or pashmina scarf with silk and pearl accessories instead of accessories with rough surface.

* Pilling is caused by abrasion during regular use, it often develops on elbows, on the seat of skirts, and in areas rubbed by a bag or briefcase, even seat belt. Soft, fuzzy surfaces are more susceptible than others. So for pashmina shawl or other pashmina products, it is normal when pilling develops in some areas after times of wearing.

* To avoid pilling, it is important not to rub the pashmina shawl or other pashmina products with rough clothing, metal accessories, bags and all kinds of belts. In case you can not avoid the belts such as seat belts, cover your pashmina shawl or your other pashmina products with a silk or synthetic fibers shawl, make sure it has the smooth surface that is next to your pashmina shawl or any other pashmina products.

* To remove pills, just manually pick them off. Do not rub and brush the pashmina products.

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How Pashmina Shawls are made

The pashmina making process undergoes pain staking process and the entire process is done completely by hand.The pashmina wool is collected every spring from the Mountain goat "Chyangra" (Capra Hircus). Pashmina is the goat's soft underbelly down, which lies under the coarse and thick outer hair. Each goat produces only about 3 ounces or 80 grams of pashmina wool each year. One woven pashmina shawl require wool from about three goats, and is basically spun by hand. The yarn is spun on a spinning wheel locally known as 'Charkha'. Hand-spinning is extremely painstaking and time consuming task. It requires immense patience, dexterity and dedication of experienced and expert weavers.

Pashmina yarn is too fragile for the vibration caused by power looms, the weaving of the traditional 100% pashmina shawls are therefore done on hand-looms. The weaving process is in itself an art, which has been passed down over generations to give you the fabulous pashmina shawls and other pashmina products.

The making of the distinctive pashmina fringe and design is perhaps one of the most interesting stages of shawl making. It takes hours to fringe each pashmina shawl, pashmina stole or pashmina scarf or pashmina sweater or pashmina blanket.

Dyeing is also done by hand. Dyers with immense patience and generations of experience are the one who dye the pashmina shawls, as even the smallest negligence reflects on the quality of the product. Only natural dyes are used, making the shawls completely eco-friendly.

Thus pashmina production process includes:

Fiber Collection >> Fiber Spinning >> Weaving in Hand-looms >> Mending White Pieces >> Washing White Pieces to Remove Spot, Blots, etc. >> Dyeing >> Fringe and Designs Making >>Embroidery >> Ironing and finally Packing.

The entire process of manufacturing pashmina products like pashmina shawls, pashmina sweaters, pashmina scarves, pashmina stoles, pashmina mufflers and pashmina blankets etc. are similar.

How is Pashmina Made?

Origin of Pashmina dates back to ancient civilization. In olden days though the pashmina making process was same as today, pashmina were made by hands, collecting pashmina fibers, spinning the pashmina wool, no extra colors were added and there were no dying system and the pashmina products were woven for their own use. As time changed the pashmina products found favor with the royal families, emperors, rulers, kings, etc. This precious fabric was known as the ROYAL FIBERS. Now this royal luxury is being offered in wide variety of shawls, stoles, scarves, mufflers, sweaters and blankets. These luxurious pashmina products are hand woven by traditional weavers whose families have been in the occupation since ages and they inherit this art from their ancestors, and tradition of this art continues from one generation to another generation.

Weaving Of Pashmina on a Handloom

Every summer, Himalayan farmers climb the high Himalayan regions to comb the fine woolen undercoat from the underbelly of, Himalayan mountain goat 'Chyangra' the Capra Hircus goat which is the source of pashmina, and which lives at elevations of 14500 feet (4500 meters) and above, where temperatures rarely rise above minus 40 degree centigrade in winter. Not to be confused with the endangered Tibetan antelope, chiru that is killed to produce Shahtoosh shawls, some also call these Chyangra goat as the Cashmere Goats. To survive the freezing environment at 14000 feet altitude, it grows a unique, incredibly soft pashm, inner coat, six times finer than human hair. Because it is only 15 - 19 microns in diameter, it can not be spun by machines, so the wool is hand-woven into pashmina products including shawls, stoles, scarves, mufflers, sweaters, wraps, throws, blankets, etc. to export worldwide.

With the coming of summer, the Himalayan goats shed their warm winter coats, Their underbellies are covered with two different types of wool: 1) The fine soft inner coat which is called pashmina and 2) a thick coarse outer layer. The wool is gathered by local women, who comb it thoroughly to separate the pashmina from the thicker, less luxuriant wool.

Each fiber is about one sixth the width of a human hair, and one shawl requires about 24 ounces of wool, the annual output of about 4 goats. The wool is too delicate for mechanical looms, and must therefore be spun and woven by hand. The techniques for producing fine pashmina products have been handed down through the generations, and sometimes the women in a family have carried out the practice since the days of the Mughal Empire.

The Pashmina Making Process includes following steps:

                                                                                                                                        1. Wool Collection

Pashmina Wool

First of all the wool from Chyangra (Capra Hircus) goat is collected. The pashmina wool is collected every spring. Then the soft fine pashmina is separated form the thick coarse hair. And both the soft pashmina and the thick coarse hair is taken for their further process.

Pashmina wool being Spun on Charkha

2. Spinning

The pashmina wool is collected every spring and is basically spun by hand. The yarn is spun on a spinning wheel locally known as 'Charkha'. Prior to spinning, the raw material is treated by stretching and cleaning it to remove any dirt and soaked for a few days in a mixture of rice and water to make it softer. Hand-spinning is an extremely painstaking task. It requires immense patience, dexterity and dedication and is amazing process to watch.

Weaving of Pashmina on a Handloom in Kashmir

3. Weaving
Pashmina yarn is too fragile for the vibration caused by power looms, the weaving of the traditional 100% pashmina shawls are therefore done on hand-looms. It is essential for the weaver to have a uniform hand. for par excellence fabric. Weaving here is done with a shuttle carrying the soft pashmina yarn through the fine yet strong silk warp. The weaving process is in itself an art, which has been passed down over generations, to give you the fabulous shawls, which we offer. It takes about four days to weave a single pashmina shawl. The weaving of pashmina products differ according to the nature of pashmina products. Different looms are required to weave different pashmina products. For pashmina shawls, pashmina stoles, pashmina mufflers, pashmina scarves, pashmina blankets and pashmina sweaters are woven in different looms and they takes different amount of pashmina fibers and takes time accordingly.

4. Fringes and Designs

The attractive and excellent fringes and beautiful designs in pashmina shawl will be different than the others. Fringe and designs add extra beauty to pashmina shawls and other pashmina products. The making of the distinctive pashmina fringe and designs is an interesting stage of shawl making. Because the fringe and design making process is artistic and delicate process it takes hours to fringe and design each pashmina shawl or any other pashmina product by the expert.

 5. Dyeing

Dyeing is also done by hand, and each piece individually. Dyers with immense patience and generations of experience are the one who dye the pashmina shawls, Pashmina stoles, pashmina mufflers, pashmina scarves, pashmina sweaters, pashmina blankets and other pashmina products, as even the smallest negligence reflects on the quality of the product. Only metal and azo free dyes are used, making the shawls and other pashmina products completely eco-friendly. The pure water used for dying is pumped up from deep beneath the surface. Dyeing is done at a temperature just below boiling point for nearly an hour. Pashmina wool is exceptionally absorbent, and dyes easily and deeply.

In this way a fabulous pashmina shawl, pashmina stole, pashmina scarf, pashmina muffler, pashmina sweater, pashmina blanket and other pashmina product is made. Since making of pashmina products is an pain staking, artistic and time consuming process therefore the quality and the price of pashmina products are incomparable to other garments or fibers.

Making of Fringes and Designs

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Pashmina Kani Shawls

Kashmir Kani Shawl

About Kashmir Shawls it is said: "of all Indian textiles none excels in beauty, colour, texture and design - the famous Kashmir Shawl". Shawls are produced by two techniques, loom woven or kani shawls and the needle embroidered or sozni shawls. The basic fabric is of the three types - Shah Tush, Pashmina and Raffal. Shah Tush (King of wool) passes through a ring and is also known as Ring shawl. It comes from a rare Tibetan antelope living at a height of over 14000 ft in the wilds of the Himalayas. Pashmina is known world over as cashmere wool, it comes from a special goat (Capra hircus) living at an altitude of 12000 to 14000 ft reared by shephered nomads around famous pongkong lake in close vicinity of western Tibet. Raffal is spun out of marino wool tops and is a popular type of shawl. The shawls are embroidered in floral motifs, various designs available range from Neemdoor, Doordaar, Paladaar, Baildaar, Jaalis and Jammas, with the help of needle. Where as kani shawls are woven on looms with the help of kanis. Kanis are small eyeless bobbins used instead of the shuttle. John lrwin in his well-known book, "Kashmir Shawls' says." The local tradition held so far is that the founder of the shawl industry was Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin (1421-72). Some other writers on the subject trace the origin of the industry to earlier times.

Kani shawl is a length of intricately woven material used as a wrapper around the body. The shawl is widely known as Jamawar as the kings and countries used to buy it by the yard, war and made "Jama" gown or robe out of it. It has a superfine texture which baffles even the connoisseurs. Immensely impressed by its resilience, the Emperor Napoleon presented a shawl to his Empress Josephine in 1776. This was so liked by the warrior's wife that it set a trend of new fashion in the whole of Europe. The craft is believed to be indigenous to Kashmir. It was considered as the imperial prestige, hence given an immense amount of patron Cashmere Handicrafts is prominent cashmere shawls manufacturer and cashmere Pashmina shawls exporter, presenting Kashmiri shawls. Kashmir shawl is one of the most cherished acquisitions in the world. It is believed to be indigenous to Kashmir. Experts opine for it being as old as 3,000 years B.C the period which is attributed to Neolithic age. It adorned the Ceaser's court and was looked upon by Mughals and later by Nawabs as a mark of novelty. By way of techniques, the Kashmir shawl can be categorized in two main types- the loom woven or Kani shawls and the needle embroidered or sozni shawls. Kani is the Kashmiri name given to a wooden spool which works most while weaving a shawl on the loom. Weaving is meticulously regulated by a coded pattern, known as the Talim drawn by the Naqash for guidance of the weaver.

The needle wrought design of the shawl called Sozen Kari was introduced during Afgan rule by an accomplished Kashmiri craftsman Hamid Ali Baba. The embroidery however, is exquisite and is done in a variety of designs, mainly floral. Badam or Almond with subtle stylization often forms the dominant motif which sprang of local flowers and the Chinar leaf etc., also recur in embroidery patterns. Other types of the Kashmiri Shawl are hook embroidered and generally cater to a relatively lower purse.

The finest shawls are those of Pashmina and though banned by the Central Govt. for the reasons of Wild Life Protection, Shahtoosh, a super soft variety meaning" the King of Wools". As a matter of fact it is not embryo by the extraction of which the shawl is woven. It is the under fleece of a mountain goat (with its habitat in Ladakh and Central Asia) shed by it on the high altitudes during winter months which is used for making of the shawls.

Kashmir Shawl which had once taken the entire Europe by a storm is now mostly sold in domestic market. There is however, a trend that speaks of the shawl exports having come up again. The figure has crossed Rs 240 crores during 2005-06.

Pashmina is the name of the finest hand made woolen fabric made from the soft, downy undercoat that grows primarily on the neck and belly of the Himalayan Mountain goat, Capra Hiracus. Therefore Pashmina is Pashm in woven form. The word Pashm is an adjective of a Kashmiri word 'Posh', meaning the animal. In the nage by Akbar, the great Mughal King. The miniature paintings and portraits show the Emperor wearing robes and gowns made of Kani shawl, thus pointing towards his being the great admirer of the art.

Artisans of tremendous skill and patience go to the loom and create a marvelous piece of Kani Shawl. An unbelievable amount of concentration is required for weaving just an inch of Jamawar. An artisan can not weave beyond an inch a day while being at the loom. The Kani Shawl being oblong in shape generally remains in lx2 meters in size. Two craftsmen can complete a shawl within 2 to 3 years and in some cases the period of weaving even stretches to 5 long years, depending entirely on designs. The traditional Kani shawl of the value of Rs 2lakh and above can be woven in the length of lx2 meters in which the low cost of Rs 30000/- only can also be produced depending on variety of the designs and material. Kanihama, a village in western part of Kashmir, has monopolized the weave and trade of Kani Shawl. The village has found its name on this monopoly of the shawl, kani as it is obvious refers to wooden spool and hama the village. The craft had died during early decade of the century but got revived by the government and by the private concern in a small way. There are about 300 looms operative in Kanihama doing their best to keep the tradition alive.

The most exploited of motifs in Kani Shawl is the mango shaped almond, known as badam in local parlance. Kairy is the Hindi words for mango, hence the reason for fame that the motif has found in India under it. Some equate it with "Paisley" motif because it could not avoid the influence of that fabric of that part of Scotland.

It is also known Shawl-Tarah (Shawl pattern) for it often recurs in the Kani Shawl with constant change that gradually occurred in the motif. It also came to be known as Saraw (Cypress) as having great similarities to that shrub. Whatever be the name, the stylization of the craftsmen only points to the unlimited characteristics of the Kashmiri ornamentation.

The Kani Shawl refers to a particular type of shawl that is woven using numerous eyeless wooden spokes in the place of a shuttle. These spokes are traditionally called 'Tuji's' or 'Kanis', meaning eyeless in Kashmiri language. The technique of Kani Shawl weaving has been termed as the 'twill tapestry weave' (1) by Sir John Irwin, keeper at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and a well known researcher on the subject, because of its similarity to the technique traditionally employed in Western Europe for tapestry weaving.

The Kani shawl has been historically produced using fine hand spun Pashmina & Shahtoosh (5) fibres which have further added to its richness and earned it the name of 'ring shawls' meaning that it can pass through a ring.

How big are the heirloom kani shawls?

Heirloom kani shawls measure approx 210cm x 110cm

Price:

£1,500 (yes, this is the price for this special shawl)

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How to identify Pure and Fake Pashmina?

Pashmina is actually Fine Cashmere . Pashmina is name given to Cashmere yarn that is 12 to 16 microns in thickness. There is no such material as Viscose Pashmina or Silk Pashmina. Please See what Wiki says about Pashmina as well and read below how some companies are ruining the perfect product like Pashmina and marketing Viscose/Acrylic scarves as PASHMINA.

In many countries (western) and even in India Pashmina shawls are sold very cheap at around 9-20$,the fact being they are not a 100% or no Pashmina at all,the scam runners brand Silk or any other cheap fabric as Cashmere and the buyer not having any Knowledge about the reality is scammed thinking that they bought themselves a Pashmina shawl,stole whatever they may be buying in the name of Pashmina..

The "100% Pashmina" Scam

There are many low quality fake scarves being sold as Pashminas in the market nowdays. Unscrupulous vendors are easily misusing Pashmina name since it is not controlled by an international trademark like "Cashmere" is. The products that say "100% Pashmina" on their label are made in unspecified countries with some synthetic material whose contents we do not know. The vendors call them wool, however we tested them and they burn like viscose. They are dyed in cheap metal colors (Pure Cashmere cannot take metal based colors) Such attempts by some companies hurt the Real Cashmere Pashmina trade and the tradesmen/tradeswomen who work very hard every year to rear the Capra Hircus goats and make the Cashmere Pashmina yarn and then weave it into fine Cashmere scarves/shawls

Signs of Pure Cashmere Pashmina

Texture and Weight:

The first tell tale sign of Pure Cashmere Pashmina is that it will be very light and very soft. It is not a shiny like silk fabric; rather Pure Pashmina is dull (although in finishing process it does get some shine but not like silk). It is not cold to touch like Viscose or silk, it gives a nice warm feel.

 Weaving:

Pure Cashmere Pashmina or its high concentration silk blends are delicate threads and cannot be woven on a power loom. The Pashmina thread is woven into wraps and scarves by handlooms by expert craftsmen. This hand weaving shows clearing near the tassels where the thread is not so closely woven. Holding a shawl to the window shows the fine weave. And you should be able easily to see through the shawl when backlit. It has a distinctive, not so close weave due to the handloom.

Cost:

A biggest tell tale sign that a Pashmina is fake is if someone is selling them in the market for cheap – e.g. 10-20 dollars. Pashmina is fine Cashmere. The Himalayan Goat sheds this wool only once a year in spring. A wrap made with Pure Pashmina will be pricy due to the worth of fine Cashmere Pashmina in it.

 Branding:

Pure Pashmina is classified as Cashmere in international Market. Wool made of goat hair that is up to 19 microns thick is classified as Cashmere by www.cashmere.org  - CCMI-Cashmere and Camel hair Manufacurers Institute. (EXTERNAL SITE LINK) Pashmina per say is not a controlled word that signifies Cashmere. Thus most reputed Pashmina sellers use labels that clearly show Cashmere % on their product. The fake Pashminas many times show on label as “100% Pashmina” and no mention of Cashmere on their content labels.

 Scientific Test:

Although Pashmina Purists use this test often to differentiate between Pure Pashmina and fake, we do not recommend you conduct this test on your Pashmina. Pashmina Cashmere is made of animal hair, so its fibers act like hair when subjected to heat or water. There are various scientific ways to test the fabric this way, and we assure you we have done all the testing necessary so you don’t have to do the same.  We do not not recommend this test on your Pashmina. Any exposure to heat or water may ruin your Pashmina and put you at risk.

 Types of Pashmina

Since Pure Pashmina is not so lustrous and quite warm, mostly it is blended with fine silk to add strength and luster. Silk also being a natural and strong fiber; lend a very nice blend with Pashmina Cashmere

 There are two kinds of blending techniques mostly used. One is Thread blend where Pashmina fibers are blended with silk thread while the yarn is spun. Other is when the wrap is woven with silk thread and Pashmina threads placed across.  Both kinds of Blending leads to a very nice wrap or scarf that looks lustrous and has Cashmere feel as well. The yarn blended Pashminas are slightly expensive due to the intensive work involved.

Pure Pashminas wool is not very colorful since goat hair is mostly mix of black, white, brown and grey. The Pashminas are carefully dyed with metal free organic colors to achieve the desired color. There are two dying methods used. One is Yarn dying wherein the Pashmina Cashmere or Blended yarn is dyed before the weaving.  In other method; the wrap is dyed as a whole after weaving. Generally yarn dying is used to produce designer Pashminas like stripes, boxes, basket weave designs etc. We  only useOrganic Metal Free AZO Friendly dyes for coloring our Pashminas. 

Pure Pashmina – made with 100% Cashmere is the softest and delicate. It is exceptionally warm and gives a luxurious feel. Silk Blended Pashmina comes in two varieties – yarn blended and woven blended. Yarn blended Silk Pashmina uses high quality of Cashmere at 80% or Higher Concentration and very little amount of silk just to give luster and rich feel. Other popular blend is 70% Cashmere and 20% silk. It is closely woven fabric that can handle common day usage slightly better than pure variety. 50% Cashmere and 50% Silk Blends lend itself to very nice Designer Pashminas.  

Jacquard Pashminas are the ones in which a design is woven in the wrap using its native threads. This kind of Pashmina needs lot of artistry and uses multiple ply (mostly two 2-Ply threads) and looks gorgeous. The design is inlaid into the Pashmina and it gives a very rich look. Jacquard Pashminas may be made of Pure cashmere or silk blend based on the label of contents. 

Print Pashminas usually are high quality 70% Cashmere and 30% silk since printing requires a closer weave fabric and some shine to look luxurious.

 If you have any questions, please feel free to send us e-mail at  yourpashminastore@gmail.com or call us at +919611568089 .

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What is Pashmina?

These Pashmina Shawls works of wearable art were first envisioned and fashioned within Kashmir centuries ago. They have taken generations of skill, finesse and patience to develop. It is from Kashmirthat our Pashmina Shawls weaving firm continues to bring to you, our customers, this exquisite, hand woven, and elegant line.

Pashmina comes from the Persian word for wool, known in the West ascashmere wool. Cashmere derives its name 
from the old spelling ofKashmir. The origins of pashmina in Nepal date a long way back, when the people of Nepal had to depend on the fabrics they wove for easy travel, warmth and especially survival. The threads used in making this luxurious cloth come from the underbelly of the Himalayan mountaingoats, called the Chyangra which live in the in the high regions of the Tibetan Plateau and Nepal. The goats were blessed with a very unique, thin and short inner hair, which gives them the best insulation from the harsh climate. The people living in these temperate regions found the threads to be quite useful and not to mention, comfortable. Thus was born the pashmina we know and love today.
Kashmir shawls have long been treasured for their luxurious materials and splendid evocative designs. Their softness, ability to warm the body and brilliant coloration were revered throughout the Near East for centuries. Kashmir's premier position as a producer of luxury shawls was never seriously threatened and the best, most admired, hand-woven examples have always been made there. 
At the end of the 1700's manufacturers introduced large, soft woolen shawls decoratively woven with colorful patterns that were worn as a head covering or shoulder mantle. These were imported to Europe and the United States from Kashmir, India. The name Kashmir or cashmere shawl applies to both and to the source of the fine woolen fiber used to make them. 

The shawls were woven in the twill tapestry technique, which is similar to weaving a tapetry. The wefts (horizontals) which form the pattern do not run right across the fabric, but are woven back and forth around the warp (verticle) threads only where each particular color is needed. They were woven with goat's fleece; the finest softest fleece, shah tus (king's wool) came from beneath the coarse outer hair of the underbelly of the wild central Asian goats. These goats grew such hair as a protective layer against the extreme cold in high altitudes, 14,750 feet in the Himalayan region. In the Spring, the goats rub themselves against bushes where it was collected. This quality of fleece was used only for the very best of shawls, the majority being from domesticated goats called pashmina. The best fleece was left natural while the darker was dyed with vegetable dyes. 
Pashmina shawls are of the highest quality made from the pashmina goat from Kashmir, India. Its fleece has been used for thousands of years to make the highest quality of shawls called pashminas. Cashmere or Kashmir shawls were of a very soft fabric made from the wool of the Cashmere goat.
There are many theories about the boteh or pine motif; Paisley Museum's explanation seems perhaps the most logical. The pattern can be traced back to ancient Babylon, where a tear-drop shape was used as a symbol to represent the growing shoot of a date palm. The palm provided food, drink, clothing (woven fibers) and shelter, and so became regarded as the ‘Tree of Life', with its growing shoot being gradually recognized as a fertility symbol.
The two basic differences between Kashmir shawls and their imitators are the type of cloth and the weaving method. The Kashmir shawls being woven from hair, were lighter and smooth with a natural sheen, whilst the European shawls, until the end of the 1830's, were woven from silk or wool which made them much heavier and less fine (6,7). 
In Kashmir the shawls were woven in the twill tapestry technique, which is similar to weaving a European tapestry. The wefts (horizontals) which form the pattern do not run right across the fabric, but are woven back and forth around the warp (vertical) threads, where each particular colour is needed. Woven with goat's fleece, the finest softest fleece, shah tus (king's wool) came from beneath the coarse outer hair of the underbelly of wild central Asian goats. These goats had such hair as a protective layer against the extreme cold in the high altitudes of the Himalayan region at 1,500 ft. In spring, the goats would rub themselves against the bushes from where it was collected. This quality of fleece was used only for the most expensive shawls. The majority being woven from pashmina, hair from the underbelly of domesticated goats. The best fleece was left the natural cream colour, whilst the darker pashmina was dyed with natural vegetable dyes.
The weaver, who was always a male, carried out almost all the different processes involved in weaving a shawl, often preparing the simple designs of the early period and making the cards which defined the pattern, as well as selling the shawls. With the introduction of the drawloom which required a drawboy to pull the ropes controlling the overhead harness, the weaver would call out his instructions. The shawl was woven with the underside facing the weaver so if these instructions were misconstrued, defects might not be noticed until a few hours later. 
The shawl would then be clipped to remove the loose threads at the back, washed, stretched and pressed to give a surface sheen.

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